THE SUSPENSEFUL SUSPENDERS

~ A 'GOOD TO KNOW'- SUSPENDER DETAIL~

The 'nowadays' suspenders were made possible because of the invention of fantastic elastic by the English Thomas Hancock and in 1820, he patented elastic fastenings for gloves, suspenders (as in braces), shoes, and stockings.~

~A BRIEF BIT OF HISTORY~

Even though clips of (suspected) suspender - like contraptions were found in graves of women as early as the 4th up to the 7th century in the Alemanni region, it's not until the late 19th century and absolutely in the 20th century that the suspenders we know now really came about.
Throughout ancient history suspender type things and garters for that matter, were mainly ribbons and laces to hold up all sorts of leg coverings for men and women. These leg-coverings (made for example of silk or rayon and chiefly used to keep warm) for women were first mainly held-up with suspenders attached to a corset in Edwardian times (1901 – 1910).

But the elasticated suspenders that we have come to love now coincided more with the introduction of nylons in 1939 in the United States by DuPont (We might now prefer to call nylons, stockings). The business was booming! Until America entered WorldWar II…
The DuPont factories had to be retooled to produce parachutes, airplane cords, and rope. This caused a shortage in nylon stockings and the poor suspenders were left to hold up nothing unless you could get your hands on some fine nylon stockings on the black market that is.
At the end of the war, DuPont started the nylon biz back up again and the demand was so extremely high that this lead to proper nylon riots in American stores!

~THE SUSPENSE~

So yeah, nylon stockings and suspenders were for quite a while quite a revolutionary thing in fashion!
BUT THEN, tatataaaaah! Pantyhose!
This hosiery came about in the 1940s and 1950s, apparently, because stockings started to be sewn onto briefs of actresses and dancers directly in the film and theater industry et voilà, the pantyhose was born.
The introduction of commercial pantyhose (or tights if you prefer) in 1959 gave an alternative to stockings and suspenders, and the use of stockings declined dramatically. A main reason for this was the trend towards higher hemlines on dresses (see minidress).
Well, okay, this was more of a convenience or practical aspect then…

While tights were the more demure thing to wear, stockings together with a suspender belt (or garter belt) were now like sexy delectables, erotically charged for the boudoir, with its skin-revealing nature and enticing snappy straps, snuggly & sublimely framing your lower body.
And over the past years, the design esthetic of these items have become such a delicious delight in the world of erotic lingerie fashion!
Stunning statement after statement is gorgeously made by the likes of Maison Close, Tisja Damen, Coco de Mer, Studio Pia, Bordelle, Amoralle & Loveday London in the luscious, sexy, innovative world of the almighty suspender…

Don't we all just love the sensual, erotic, elastic snap-full suspense of the suspenders?

~*~

Images: Pleasurements & Pinterest