The first suspenders can be traced to 18th century France, where they were basically strips of ribbon attached to the buttonholes of trousers.
Benjamin Franklin is said to have worn them — although it's probably best not to ask how historians know that; back then, suspenders were
considered an undergarment never to be seen in public. In fact, visible suspenders were considered risqué as recently as 1938, when a town in
Long Island, NY tried to ban gentlemen from wearing them without a coat, calling it "sartorial indecency."
The ban was later overturned after residents complained.