Preach. The rational, tasteful case for suspenders. Excerpts here but worth reading in full. I would also add that to my eye belts disrupt the clean lines of a suit, particularly when the jacket is unbuttoned.
I would also add that every time braces are worn with high-rise trousers, somehow, somewhere, a pair of low-rise trousers dies.
…But as my frustration with having to yank up my pants all the time waxed and my aversion to garments associated with old men and the early twentieth century waned, I began to consider braces. And today that consideration has flowered into adoption, as I am wearing braces for the first time. And let me tell you, it is fantastic. Your trousers are exactly where you want them, draping beautifully, all the time. It’s also more comfortable because you can afford to have a looser waistband, since the braces are what holds them up….
…And hence lower rise trousers, the final potential cause of the disappearance of suspenders. The shorter your rise, the longer the distance from your shoulder to your pants line, and the more odd you will look wearing suspenders. And the less functional they will prove. You wear suspenders so that your high-rise, pleated pants continue to sit high at your waist as God intended, not slipping down to your hip bones, leaving your pleats sagging and sad-looking….
If you prefer higher-rise trousers, however, consider suspenders.
