Brief history
Garters are an intricate system of straps attached to the hips, calves, or ankles. The modern accessory is generally made of genuine leather and fits the military style just right.
This catchy detail of feminine image first appeared in the 19th century. Back then, high cotton socks were all the rage. They looked attractive but unfortunately tended to slip off. To solve the problem, a system of fastening straps of rubberized materials was developed.
In the early 20th century, socks with sewed-in fasteners emerged. Later on, accessories like harnesses and garters became pieces of military uniform. They were designed to hide firearms and bladed weapons.
By the end of the 20th century, this weapon mount system had turned into a stylish decoration that gained popularity due to the military-style fashion shows.
Major types
All modern accessories of this kind fall into four subgroups:
- Garters with a belt clip. These ones cover the waist and hips. You can wear them over trousers and jeans. This type is often used as a complement to everyday look.
- Garters with a waist clip. These models partially cover your belly and hips. They don’t go well with everyday clothes but perfectly work with sexy lingerie for a special occasion.
- Garters for calves. They attach to your calves in two or more places. These decorations look great with dresses and skirts and complement everyday images just fine.
- Garters for stockings. It’s your usual garter belt only made of leather instead of elastic bands.
In most cases, garters use belt-like buckles to attach to your body. You can always make them more loose to provide more comfort.
Materials
Garters are basically a harness for legs. They are also made of soft genuine leather. Models like these retain their form for a long time, don’t fade, and feel nice when being worn if you do it right.
Those fashionistas who don’t want to overpay for natural materials might consider eco-leather. It is pleasing to the touch, highly durable, and looks just as the natural classic.
You can also come across synthetic variations with elastane. They still look stylish, just like your ordinary leather straps.
How to combine garters with other clothes
How do you wear garters? It all depends on type. They go really well with jeans, shorts, slim fitted trousers, mini skirts, dresses, and other women’s garments. Just watch any fashion show with these accessories to find out what they are capable of.
The best option for your everyday look is the combination of classic non-printed leggings and contrasting garters. Slim trousers work great with this accessory on hips, too.
Garters are also chic with skirts. Pick models for calves to create a gorgeous look. However, they should match not only your clothes but shoes. If chosen right, garters will visually make your legs longer and thinner.
In terms of color schemes, it’s better to mix monochromatic clothes with contrasting garters. This will make your image bright and catchy. But you also can freely pick one-tone and one-shade combinations. Just don’t blend a garish accessory with multicolored details.
Accessories to complement
As for everyday look, it can only be fitted by a harness or garters. But if you’re going to attend a fashionable party, a club or a thematic corporate event, your fantasy should go off the charts. So, leather accessories go well with:
- Various leather masks. For instance, with a harness and a skintight suit you can easily turn into a sexy catwoman.
- To excite your partner’s imagination, put on an elegant harness with garters and a one-color lingerie set.
- Metal chains for the neck and waist will perfectly complement your loud military-style image.
All you need to do to choose the right garters is to understand what kind of image you wanna get. If it’s an everyday look with an interesting twist, variants with clips on hips or calves should be your choice. As for a romantic date, pick garters for stockings and waist belts.
Wrong combinations
Just like any catchy accessory, garters can spoil your look by visually changing your proportions. Be cautious not to create a repulsive or comic image in the following cases:
- Garters over wide or baggy trousers and jeans will distort your legs proportions by making them bigger in all the wrong places. However, sometimes garters go really well with classic trousers. That is why you should pay special attention to your future look.
- Formal dresses don’t really work with leather straps. Still, the latter definitely fit the military style and emphasize your sexiness and freedom while formal dresses underline your tenderness and lightness.
Where to buy
Pick garters according to your size and the image you want to create. You can find and order them online but in this case there’s no guarantee that they will perfectly fit you.
For those who wish to find a high-quality handmade leather accessory we’ve opened our family workshop “Harness Hall”. We make classic garters and harnesses as well as unique models of our own design and deliver our goods all over Russia.
