The choice of an appropriate belt is an important aspect of fashion that can have a significant impact on the overall appearance of an outfit. A belt divides the body and can either enhance or detract from the overall aesthetic, making it the focal point of an ensemble. When choosing a belt to complement an outfit, several factors must be considered. While the process may appear simple, it is critical to pay attention to the details to avoid making a poor fashion choice. When shopping for a belt, it is recommended to consider one’s body type as well as current trends in order to achieve a polished and cohesive appearance.
Table of Content
Consider your body type:
When it comes to choosing a belt, it is important to consider how it will affect your overall appearance. Belts can be used to enhance or minimize certain aspects of your body. For example, if you have a larger midsection, a belt with a wider width can help to create the illusion of a slimmer waist. This is achieved by drawing attention to the waistline and creating a more defined shape. On the other hand, if you have a thinner waist, a thinner belt can help to create the illusion of a more defined waistline. This is achieved by emphasizing the natural shape of the waist and creating a more streamlined appearance. Additionally, if you are taller or shorter, choosing a belt in proportion to your height can also help to create a balanced look.
Matching Your Metal Accents
The first thing to consider is matching your metals. I’m sure you’ve heard of something like this before, but it’s a very basic concept. In the same way, you match your leathers (i.e. your belt and your shoes), you need to match your metals. So, if I’m wearing a belt with a silver buckle, I want to wear a watch with a silver bezel or maybe even the buckles on your double monks you want them to be silver or gold.
Using Interchangeable Buckles to Expand Your Belt Collection
A really good way to not have to buy twenty belts is to be smart with them. If you look at your collection, most likely you have two metals: gold and silver. Therefore, you only need two buckles: gold and silver. If you were to buy regular belts, you would need a black belt with a silver buckle, a black belt with a gold buckle, a brown belt with a silver buckle, a brown belt with a gold buckle, and then one casual belt with silver and one with gold. That’s a total of six belts you would need in your collection, as opposed to three belts and two buckles. So, the interchangeability saves you money in the long run.
Choosing the Appropriate Width for Formal or Casual Occasions
The second tip is important and it’s the width. Dressy outfits get thinner belts and casual outfits get thicker belts. This concept usually gets determined by the thickness of the belt loop that your pants are wearing. Essentially, when you’re wearing trousers, most trousers have very thin belt loops which is why you need a thin belt. But when you switch over to casual outfits like jeans or maybe even chinos, those belt loops are usually a little bit thicker which means you need a belt that’s thicker to fill the whole belt loop. So, remember: dressy thin, casual thick.
Pairing Your Leather Accessories for a Coordinated Look
Tip number three is to match your leathers, which you already heard about. The only difference is that you don’t have to be OCD about it. While it’s perfectly fine to have one belt that matches specifically every shoe in your closet (if you want to spend hundreds of dollars, go right ahead), in my personal opinion, pick something that’s in the ballpark. Buy one brown belt that’s kind of in the middle shade and you can match it with almost every brown shoe in your closet. Buy one black belt that you can match with every shoe in your closet and you’ll be good to go. This will also save you a lot of money.
Having Fun with Your Casual Belt Options
My fourth tip is something along the lines of that, but it’s that when you’re going casual, you don’t have to match. What I mean by that is that if I’m wearing white sneakers, I don’t have to wear a white belt. Or if I’m wearing green New Balance sneakers, I don’t have to wear a green belt. The cool thing is that you can find one casual belt that you like (say suede or maybe a nylon-like this green nylon that you’re seeing here) and you can wear it with anything. So, you can wear this green nylon belt with your New Balance sneakers or with your white sneakers or with your grey sneakers. So, when you’re going casual, you don’t have to match, just make sure they’re both casual.