Use in wedding traditions

Bride putting on a garter

There is a Western wedding tradition for a bride to wear a garter to her wedding, to be removed towards the end of the reception by the groom. This garter is not normally used to support stockings. This practice is often interpreted as symbolic of deflowering, though some sources attribute its origin to a superstition that taking an article of the bride's clothing will bring good luck.^[1] In the Middle Ages, the groomsmen would rush at the new bride to take her garters as a prize.^[2]

Jewelled wedding garter

Today, the practice of removing the bride's garter is traditionally reserved for the groom, who will use either his hands or teeth, and then toss the garter to the unmarried male guests. This is performed after the tossing of the bouquet, in which the bride tosses her bouquet over her shoulder to be caught by the unwed female guests. According to superstition, the lady who catches the bouquet and the man who catches the garter will be the next man and woman among those in attendance to be married (though not necessarily to each other). The ceremony often continues with the man who catches the garter obliged to place it on the leg of the lady who caught the bouquet. Traditionally, the pair are obliged to share the next dance.^[1]

Use at high school proms in the United States

Prom garters were common in the 1960s and 1970s and often conferred on the date as a souvenir. If the date received the garter, it was typically hung from his rear-view mirror.

At least since the mid-2000s,^[3] it has become common in US culture for young women attending a high school prom to wear a garter, usually designed to match the style and color of the young woman's dress. The prom garter may be worn throughout the evening and is sometimes given to the young woman's date as a souvenir. A young woman may also choose to keep the garter rather than give it away, as a token of her prom night. In some cases, young people may participate in a "garter and tie" dance (often hosted by the high school as part of the prom), during or after which either the young woman herself or the young woman's date removes the garter and exchanges it for the date's tie. When the garter is given early in the evening, the young woman's date may wear it on their arm for the remainder of the evening. In areas where prom garters are common, it has become a tradition for young women to pose for a picture with other female friends before the prom in which they pull up the skirts of their dresses to display their prom garters, which are generally worn a few inches above the right knee. The giving or taking of the prom garter may or may not have the same sexual implications that are associated with wedding garters; however, the giving of the prom garter is often interpreted as publicly designating the pair as a romantic couple.

In ice hockey

Ice hockey players use suspenders for holding up hockey socks.^[5] As these socks are essentially woollen tubes, they need to be kept from rolling onto ankles. The socks can be held up by either hockey tape or hockey suspenders, which function like stocking suspenders.

18th century

La Toilette, (detail) François Boucher, 1742

White velvet garters with floral pattern, from the collection of Conner Prairie

Garters in the 18th century could be elaborately decorated and were sometimes embroidered with names, dates, mottoes, or humorous phrases. Prior to the invention of elastic, they were fastened by buckles, or threaded with spiral springs to grip the wearer's leg.^[6]

19th century

Some women wore stockings with a plain elastic garter or narrow material tied tightly, not suspenders, or by simply rolling the top of the stocking, because it seemed more practical or they could not afford classic corsetry, thus creating a kind of predecessor of the modern hold ups. This was particularly common among servants and housemaids, particularly until the mid-1920s when the more modern suspender became readily available.

Early 19th century Chippewan garter, Brooklyn Museum

During the world's first long-distance journey by automobile in 1888 Bertha Benz, the wife of automobile inventor Carl Benz, used a garter to insulate a broken wire of the Benz Patent-Motorwagen Nr. 3.^[7][8] In remembrance of the historic road trip, today's official German scenic byway Bertha Benz Memorial Route follows the tracks of Bertha Benz from Mannheim via Heidelberg to Pforzheim (Black Forest) and back.^[9] Stockings have also been used as an emergency replacement for a car's fanbelt.^[10]

Boston Garter sock garters for men from the beginning of the 20th century from the permanent collection of the Museo del Objeto del Objeto

20th century

Garter belt, between 1955 and 1965, ModeMuseum Provincie Antwerpen

During World War II, Women's Auxiliary Air Force members were issued inexpensive suspenders.^[11]

From the 1940s to the 1960s, suspenders became a common, popular alternative to the girdle, especially among teens and young women. Amid concerns girdles might cause abdominal flabbiness, suspender belts offered a more practical and comfortable choice when used to hold up stockings. Then, by the early 1960s, the introduction of pantyhose offered a new alternative to garter belts and girdles.^[4] This change in fashion coincided with the female empowerment movement and the sexual revolution.^[12][13]

Since the mid-20th century, men's adult magazines featuring images of women in underwear reached mass-market popularity. These magazines evolved from pin-up posters and often showcased models in suspenders and stockings, usually with slips, petticoats, corsets, or a bra and knickers or panties.^[14] Most images have an erotic element and are sometimes presented as fetish fashion and a form of pornography. Like jewelry, the purpose of garters and other lingerie in adult media is as a statement of excess and to draw attention to certain parts of the wearer's body.^[15]

After the release of Bull Durham in June 1988, garter belt and stocking sales increased at Victoria's Secret and Frederick's of Hollywood stores. The lingerie retailers attributed the jump in sales to the black lace garter Susan Sarandon wore in the film.^[16][17][18] Other films that year, like Dangerous Liaisons and Working Girl, also fueled the intimate apparel industry.^[19]

Contemporary practices

Suspender belts continue to be worn for their original purpose of holding up stockings. As of the 21st century, suspenders are available in a variety of styles, most commonly in white, 'fleshtone' beige-pink, or black with a satin finish. These are often now made from a mixture of nylon and spandex/lycra, being more readily available in retail stores.

Variations of the suspender or garter belt include knickers with suspender attachments reminiscent of images of the 1960s and corsets or girdles with small loops inside the bottom edge for attaching suspenders. Knickers are normally worn on top of the suspender belt as this makes it easier to remove them to use the lavatory/bathroom. If worn underneath the belt, undressing may be rather complicated if using a public facility.