Better Buckle Up: A Belt Series

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I am just starting to embrace most accessories, but there is one I have always been big on.  My belt collection started with pure necessity.  Once I realized I would be wearing them often, I wanted to have a lot of different options to use for styling.  

To refresh you on my mentality about my closet, everything needs a purpose, and most times, they need more than one.  There are so many ways that you can classify my belts, but I have named them in the way they earned a spot in my closet.

Bold Belts

This belt makes a statement.  It is usually colorful, but could also be ornate like chains.  When you wear this belt, you want it to be a focal point of your outfit.  I have two belts that could fit into this category, but the second is shown below under “logo”.

Logo Belts

This belt style should be nested underneath bold.  Logo belts always make a statement because you are walking advertising for the brand you are wearing.  This belt is awesome and reversible.  The other side is black.  I love having the option of making a big statement with light blue or a little one with black. 

Braided Belts

This belt is versatile, rustic, and cowgirl chic.  Braided belts can help to dress up an outfit or make it more casual.  I own two braided belts: this one where the buckle is DTM or dyed to match and a black one with a gold metal buckle.

Western Belts

These belts are tricky.  Finding one that fits you perfectly is a challenge in itself.  The second issue I have found is that you cannot fit the buckle through every belt loop.  For this reason, this is the only belt I own that is a double buckle.  In this outfit, it adds style and cinches my waist over a flowy kimono.  It also helps to make a simple outfit remain clean but less boring.

Big Buckle Belts

This belt comes with a matching bag.  I thought it was so cute and chic.  It always makes creating an outfit so easy.  Also, this belt has one of my biggest buckles.  While creating your belt collection, it is important to pay attention to the style and width of the belt, but also the type of buckle.  Sometimes your outfit needs a little more attention to the belt without becoming the focal point.  This DTM buckle makes it easy to do so.  Lastly, this belt has texture to it.  It has a subtle animal groove.  Can you tell this is one of my favorite belts? Three uses! 

Snake Belts

This belt is a printed snake pattern instead of a textural snake.  It is bolder but is still neutral.  This belt will make it look like you put more thought into your outfit than you probably did.  Jeans, a black t-shirt, and this belt look put together and classic.  

Waist Belts

This belt is meant to go around your waist.  For that reason, it is made of elastic rather than leather.  It helps cinch your waist easier than putting a normal belt.  This one is crochet which is a huge trend for Summer 2021 without being over the top. 


Aspects of a Belt

From this post, I hope you take away three aspects of a belt to take into consideration when creating your collection: width, buckle, and style.

It is important to have a mixture of thin, medium, and thick belts.  Your jean loops will all be different and sometimes a medium/thick belt looks overpowering.  On the other hand, sometimes a thin belt looks wimpy.

With buckles, it is nice to have a combination of DTM & metal.  Make sure to look at the buckle shape as well as the material.  Some buckles are bigger and more distinct and sometimes it is smaller or more classic.  Sometimes the buckle is meant to blend in and sometimes it needs to stand out.  

And there are more.

There are so many belt styles that I have not even hit upon in this article.  Find your style.  At the very least, make sure you have some classic blacks and browns and maybe one bold one.  If you have a more simple style, your bold may be in the form of a fancier buckle than a color, logo, or chain. 

A lot of my belts are really old and when high-waisted jeans became popular, they did not fit appropriately.  Luckily, my grandma had a belt hole puncher that I could use to make them perfect.  If your grandma does not have one, they are sold on amazon and are fairly cheap.  If you do not trust yourself to do it or your belt was expensive, most shoe repair stores can help you! 

Challenge

For the times when you don’t want to wear a belt, but your jeans are too big, try this trick.  Take your button and put it through the closest belt loop and then fasten it.  What do you think? So far this trick has worked on most of my jeans.