Shirt Sleeve Garters???

[F:Clef]

Some time ago, I was given a pair of shirt sleeve garters as a gift. As I didn't know what to do with them (as in how, when, or why to wear them) they have been sitting in a drawer for years; I just unearthed them again.

If anyone can fill me in on these anachronistic accessories, I would appreciate whatever you can tell me.

Thanks!

[Father Bill]

They're used when your sleeves are too long, to hold them up under your jacket. They're not actually "garters" just sleeve-elastics.

[rondo]

When I tended bar, I used them to put $5 and $10 tips...kind of shamed the cheapskates into, if not tipping well, tipping better.
Rondo

[Steve Ashton]

In the days before we could buy clothes in every size imaginable, shirts were made to just a couple of sizes. The thinking was "if we make it extra long more people will be able to wear it". It was not uncommon for sleeves to be long enough to hang down below the ends of your fingers. And remember, this was in the day when collars and cuffs were not part of the shirt. They were separate items that were held on with studs. The average man would own two or three shirts. He would change the collar and cuffs when they became soiled for a clean and freshly starched set. The cuffs would drop into your soup bowl and if you are a clerk your cuffs would droop across the page you just wrote on, smearing wet ink on your starched cuffs.

The fix was to pull the sleeves up and hold them with sleeve bands. They can be made of elastic like hose garters or simply flexible metal bands. If you see a reference to 'bloused sleeves' this is what is referred to.

As soon as shirts in sizes became readily available, sleeve bands fell out of favor. They were thought to be the mark of a poor person who could not afford a shirt that fit.

Today they are seen as 'retro'. The classic image of the gambler at the table with sleeve bands harkening back to an older time. The are even steampunk at times.

If you wish to wear them as part of your costume feel free. But in the end, buy a shirt that fits.

[Matty Ross]

Mine have jingle bells on them
100_7135_zpsbaa79f05.jpg
As he said The sleeves were too long so I made these.

[F:Clef]

Thank you all for the responses. @Steve, a little history brings clarity; I knew some of those pieces, but didn't put them together.

As a person who wears a 36" sleeve, having them too long has never been as much an issue as finding them long enough.

Unless I go back to singing in a barbershop quartet, they may just stay boxed up. I don't have Matty's gifts or natural sense of style to carry them off!

[mayberry]

Great responses. Presumably anyone who wanted to hitch up their sleeves, for whatever reason, would be happy to have a pair of sleeve garters. However, for clerks who were in danger of getting ink on their cuffs, there were sleeve protectors to be worn while at work:
http://www.officemuseum.com/1908_Off...s_Stove_OM.jpg
Cheers,
John

[JSFMACLJR]

If you wish to wear them as part of your costume feel free. But in the end, buy a shirt that fits.

My thoughts exactly!