Everyday Fashion Secrets

19 shocking mistakes people make when belting

by Nicole Mölders
#accessories silver links belt

Belts can be a great accessory

Of course belts have a function: To hold your pants/skirt up. However, they can also up your style when used wisely. This means that you know your body shape and wear the belt in the right width and at the right place for best style or may be not wear belts at all. On the other side, belts can also ruin a good outfit and the look a plain failure. In other words,

A belt is a great, but tricky to wear accessory. #accessories Click To Tweet

Like so often when it comes to looking your best everything nails down to getting the proportion right. This post points out the most common mistakes you should be aware off.

#fashionover50 woman in casual weekend look with belt
Example of how to wear a belt to balance proportions. Eddie Bauer Fair Isle sweater, statement belt, Eddie Bauer tweed skirt, GNW tight, Vince Camuto (all own) and pearl leather necklace c/o Wendy Mignot

What to avoid when accessorizing with belts

  1. Wearing a belt on your hips when you are pear-shaped.
  2. Wearing a wide belt when you have a short torso.
  3. Jacket’s hem, vest or sweater ends above the belt.
  4. Wearing a thin belt when you have a long torso.
  5. The color clashes with the colors of the outfit.
#embelishment xo belt
Example how to accessorize to draw attention to the hips and tie the colors of the outfit together. Paloma Picasso xo (own)
  1. The color matches the color of the top while it should  match the color of the pants for best balance.
  2. The color matches bottom while it should  match the color of the top for best body balance.
  3. The vibe of the outfit and accessory fail to go together.
  4. Too tight closure. It creates the look of  honey bee body.
  5. Adding a statement style piece when already wearing a statement necklace, statement earrings, or statement glasses.
  6. Adding a long pendant necklace. It could be caught by the buckle when you sit down leading to a potential disaster/injury when you stand up.
  7. Not paying attention to the loop size.
  8. Not checking the length of the dress hem when belting a dress for shape. The hem may hit at a non-flattering point of your leg or make the dress shorter than you want.
  9. Belting a trench coat. It has to be knotted!
#styling statement buckle
Example how to wear a statement belt right with respect to the hem length of the top and jacket (all own)
    1. Not checking your derriere. They may emphasize/draw attention to your but in an unwanted way.
    2. Not paying attention to the belt shape. Check that there are not awkward pockets when belting your pants. Some pants and skirts cannot be worn with a straight cut, but ask for a curved one.
    3. Wearing this accessory on a skirt or pants without loops without making sure that it stays in the place you intend to wear it.
    4. Too small a distance between the hem of the top and the belt.
    5. Wearing a belt that has the same waist size than the jeans. A belt has to be two inch (5 cm) longer than the waist band.

 

#accessories silver links belt
The straight sweater would hide the waist. Tucking the sweater in would hide the nice knit pattern. The silver links belt serves to define the waist without hiding the pattern. The space between the belt and hem of the sweater is just right (all items are my own)

Do you want style tips on which belt is the best for you? You can find a post on how to best accessorize with belts at the link.

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Photos of me: G. Kramm

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