1-Inch X-Back Clip-On Tuxedo Suspenders

Description

Woven elastic polyester, just over an inch wide at 1-1/8 inches, crossed at the back and finished with four drop clips. The weave is what keeps the band from raveling along the edges after a few months of wear, and the drop clips grip harder than the flat pressed sort found on cheaper pairs. It is a dress width rather than a work width, and it behaves accordingly under a jacket. Four clips is standard for an X-back, and that arrangement is the main reason the style has outlasted most of the alternatives in formal wear.

Seventeen colors are offered, which is enough to match a specific pair of pants rather than settling for near enough and hoping nobody looks closely. Black, brown, burgundy, navy, red, white, gray, light gray, tan, olive, orange, royal, denim blue and light yellow cover the solids, and there are three stripes: beige and white, gray and white, and royal blue and white. Tuxedos and weddings are the obvious use, with business dress, school uniforms and functions like band, choir or orchestra following close behind.

The straps adjust from 30 to 46 inches, a range that covers most adult torsos with room left over at either end. An X-back holds its position across the shoulders better than a Y does under a fitted jacket, since the pull is divided between four clips instead of three and neither strap has to carry the centre on its own. The pair arrives in a gift box, which is worth knowing if you are buying it for someone else.

Specifications