Trouser Suspensions: Belt Types


Figure 1.--Here is the scene from the Barnum and Bailey Circus in August 1944 at Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania. The boy is Danny Clarke who was 8 years old. He wears a styilized sailor suit. Note the self-belt.

Perhaps the most common approach to trouser suspension for older boys and men is the standard belt. Belts were originally made of leather. Leather belts are still common. Some are made with cheaper material made to look like leather. There are also a variety of other materials. Ropes belts were worn by those not affluent enough to afford leather belts. Some leather belts were plain and other highly embelished. We note elsticised belts. The elasticised belts were often done in colors. Somne were called snake belts. These were commonly worn in England for school. A popular style in the 1930s and 50s were pants, especally shorts, for younger boys, with self-belts. We notice self-belts during the 1920s-50s. They were made in the same material and color as the trousers.






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Created: 2:52 AM 1/24/2007
Last updated: 11:50 PM 5/14/2009