Shirley President suspenders- Repair options anyone?

[1on1]

Upon closer scrutiny...i see what you mean. No my Shirley's dont have that issue, they feel and fit perfectly, as mentioned apart from the damage on the teeth of the sliders, they are in dream condition, i've been trying hard to understand how all three sliders got damaged like this, to illustrate my point - there's not even a hairline scratch on the shiny sliders, and the fabric panel doesnt even have a micro dot for a stain. Boggles one mind really.

So did you do the tailoring yourself or commissioned the project? Another thing high on my to-get-at-all-cost list: Pressed/engraved period garrment buckles (c. 30's ideally)..short of tearing them off of other period garments (and any damaged or tore-up period garments will have rusted/damaged buckles anyway), an almost impossible endeavor imo.

 

[1on1]

Upon closer scrutiny...i see what you mean. No my Shirley's dont have that issue, they feel and fit perfectly, as mentioned apart from the damage on the teeth of the sliders, they are in dream condition, i've been trying hard to understand how all three sliders got damaged like this, to illustrate my point - there's not even a hairline scratch on the shiny sliders, and the fabric panel doesnt even have a micro dot for a stain. Boggles one mind really.

So did you do the tailoring yourself or commissioned the project? Another thing high on my to-get-at-all-cost list: Pressed/engraved period garrment buckles (c. 30's ideally)..short of tearing them off of other period garments (and any damaged or tore-up period garments will have rusted/damaged buckles anyway), an almost impossible endeavor imo.

 

[RiteStuffBryan]

I had these commissioned by Jordan Yu of Heyou Handmade here in Taiwan; normally I do production in Japan but the MOQ is 100 pairs for pants/shirts/etc. and 50 meters isn’t enough to do 100 pairs. He also has some of this fabric on hand so it worked out.

About your buckles, it’s not impossible but it could be pricey; a factory will likely have an MOQ of at least 1,000 for a new buckle such as this.

FWIW here’s a Shirley buckle on eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/3959721744...bcWa-HVTaG&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

[1on1]

re: buckles, yea i know about those minimum orders, its the same story everywhere no one does small runs..but i was thinking of original buckles. There's a guy out of Ukraine interestingly enough that has top notch vintage 20's/30s garment hardware but unfortunately not the pressed buckles i'm looking for.

 

[jeepTj98]

Wow, I have so much to learn..

 

[RiteStuffBryan]

Speaking of which, @1on1 do you happen to know the patent number for President suspenders? I saw this image and have been wading through Google Patents but no luck:

 

[1on1]

On the metal hinge on the back side it states " Patent AUG 1900". I saw that slider listed on ebay as well...novice treasure hunters occasionally unearth them via their metal detectors but most like the one in question are really in rough shape, rusted and with unusable or easily breakable hinges. I was lucky enough to pick up a decent pair, but they are not as shiny as my originals and since all 3 are broken on mine it wont be a complete set if i decide to replace them. If nothing else pans out soon then i'll probably put the two replacement ones in front and leave the back slider as is..i find that i usually just need to adjust the front sliders more than the back one anyway so i may simply find a way to seal the back one shut and adjust with the front sliders. The ideal plan of action would be to get the two new sliders "re-chromed" so atleast all 3 have the same patina/shine.

 

[RiteStuffBryan]

Thanks; I haven’t found that exact one yet but did find this one:

 

[1on1]

Thanks; I haven’t found that exact one yet but did find this one:

View attachment 663831

Curios to know your interest for the patent.

 

[RiteStuffBryan]

I might look into having them made in Japan, I know Adjustable Costume has done cord end ones before, I have a pair of the non-elastic ones that look nice but aren’t very practical. If I do make them I might write an article on them; who knows, maybe I’ll write one anyway.

Speaking of which, here they are in the Sears catalog in 1901 listed as being recently patented:

Then in 1905:

And flash forward to 1928:

Interesting that they’re referred to as President Police suspenders; a typo?

 

[1on1]

I looked into AC's version a while back..pricier than Lofty's as i recall, so are you saying you have both brands? Which do you prefer overall assuming the AC's had the stretch cords?
Speaking of cords; ive had this other nagging idea of converting my 30's/40's braces with the super long cord ends..another hard to find item (ie the original long corded braces). Some of my braces already have the cords but not the extended version like this. I would love to get my hands on these stretch cords with exact dimensions to fit braces..i know they have multi uses but someone somewhere must be making them.

 

[1on1]

I searched my local hardware/haberdashery stores and found these: width is good but they are flatter than rounder and non stretch (and wrong color ofcourse).

 

[1on1]

BTW here's another pair i own and they're in deadstock condition.. very early French.