How to Wear a Belt: 6 Ways to Style a Belt

A belt is a fashion accessory typically worn around the waist to secure a pair of pants or bottoms. While belts have practical functions, they may also help accentuate your figure, style an outfit, or add color to an ensemble. As such, they come in many different types and feature adjustable levels of tightness. Belts have holes in the tongue of the belt, so you can adjust how tight or loose the buckle’s cinch should be. A fixture for all kinds of outfits, belts are popular for formal and casual clothing.

Try out styling tips that may expand your personal fashion sense to give a trendy flair to your outfits.

1. 1. Try a belt over your blazer. A wide belt cinching a long blazer can give your ensemble a strong focal point. With a longer blazer, you can create a unique silhouette by wrapping a wider belt around your jacket and buckling at the center.
   
2. 2. Work a matching belt. Belts can be their own fashion item—sitting halfway up your body, they already act as their own centerpiece—but they can also bring an outfit’s concept together. Belt colors, materials, or patterns may match another element of your outfit, such as your shoes, pocket square, or even jewelry.
3. 3. Try a belt on dresses or pants without belt loops. Belts often go through the loops on your pants, but they can also just sit on your waist to give greater definition to your silhouette or add a pop of color to your outfit, juxtaposing the hue of a dress.
4. 4. Lean in to earth tones. Chinos often come in muted colors (beige, olive, and khaki), and brown belts can easily go with that earth-tone family.
5. 5. Match belt’s width to your pants’s belt loop size. Your belt should fit snugly in your belt loop. You don’t want your belt too wide for your loop or too narrow. A skinny belt in a wide loop will hang limply, while a wider belt in a narrow loop will feel squeezed in. Find a belt that matches the size so this accessory feels naturally apiece with your outfit.
6. 6. Think of your belts as seasonal accessories. Just as your wardrobe adjusts season to season, so may your belts. Leather belts go well in the winter and fall, while cloth belts feel light for the spring and summer.

People wear belts for all sorts of occasions. Ten popular belt styles include:

1. 1. Formal belts: These dress belts are usually reserved for formal occasions, often worn with suits or dress slacks. A cumberbund, which is a pleated fabric belt usually worn with a tuxedo or suit, is a common type of formal belt. Suede belts are sometimes considered more semi-formal, though depending on the quality can also fit with more formal attire. Since these are fancier belts, be sure to hang or roll them up properly so you avoid fraying.
2. 2. Leather belts: Leather belts are usually black or brown accessories that keep a pair of pants up. Most leather belts are made from cowhide (either full-grain leather or calfskin), though faux leather is also available for those who live a vegan lifestyle. Leather belts can be worn in either casual and formal settings. You can use a leather cleaner on genuine leather belts; when worn frequently, you can gently wipe with the cleaner and let dry overnight twice a year so each wear feels like putting on a new belt.
3. 3. Braided belts: A braided belt involves many pieces of leather braided together to create a plaited, solid piece of material. They can be worn formally, but these tend to be seen more so as casual belts.
4. 4. Garter belts: A garter belt is a functional belt worn as lingerie that is used to keep thigh-high socks or garters from falling down.
5. 5. Chain belts: A chain belt is an accessory made out of a piece of chain metal that usually sits at a person’s hips or midsection.
6. 6. Reversible belts: Reversible belts are casual or formal belts that come with a twistable buckle which makes it possible to wear the belt “inside out.” The alternate side of a reversible belt may feature a different style or color than the other side. For example, one side may be a black belt while the other side may be brown, with the buckle design usually staying consistent.
7. 7. Skinny belts: Thin belts are typically casual or formal belts made out of leather. They are often used as waist belts to accentuate a person’s shape, making them more stylish than functional.
8. 8. Canvas belts: Canvas belts were originally used by people in the military as part of a training uniform. These military belts can keep a pair of bottoms fastened to a person’s waist while allowing for more movement than a leather belt would. Canvas belts are often made from a blend of linen and cotton or from synthetic webbing. Instead of a metal buckle, these belts buckle with plastic hardware that resembles a seat belt.
9. 9. Studded belts: Studded belts are belt straps embellished with metal or plastic adornments like grommets, studs, or rhinestones, adding texture and substance to otherwise plain, flat belts.
10. 10. Western belts: Western belts were traditionally worn by cowboys and are made out of thick leather that can keep a person’s pants up as they ride a horse. Modern times have seen western belts used more for fashion statements with their large, silver, engraved buckles, and intricate embossed leather strap designs.

A good belt can last you for years. Get a couple of belts you love, and follow these step-by-step instructions for wearing a belt:

1. 1. Buy the right belt size. Belt sizes are measured in inches, with the measurement matching that of your waist. Wear a pair of pants you imagine going with this belt, and head to the clothing store. Try on various kinds in the dressing room to make sure the belt style and size match the occasion and fit you need them for.
2. 2. Pull your pants up to your waist. After securing your belt, pull your pants or bottoms up to your waist and then tuck in your t-shirt or button-down. For a more casual look, leave your shirt untucked.
3. 3. Wrap the belt through your belt loops. Many pants will have loops spaced out along the waistline. Feed the tongue of the belt through these loops until coming all the way around.
4. 4. Put the tongue through the buckle. Once the belt has come all the way around, feed the end tip through the buckle, fastening it to your preferred tightness.

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