Mens Fashion Belt With Letter M With Wings

How to Choose the Right Belt for Your Adapt

Published on November 8, 2012

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If perfection is in the details, the chugalug you wear with your adjust is as integral to your overall look as the pattern of your suit fabric or the shoes y'all choose. Still, belts are frequently diminished to that strap of leather meant to hold up your pants. In this short primer, nosotros'll explore the basics of men'southward belts in the context of suits, answering some of the about common questions including the purpose of belts, how to properly wear a belt and how to distinguish the quality of your leather belt.

A Belt as an Accessory, not a Necessity

In that location is an ongoing manner debate on whether belts are even necessary when wearing a adjust. Why the argue? Because a chugalug is an accompaniment that should never be a necessity for achieving fit. Since it'south not a necessity of fit, it is a sartorial choice…and when it comes to sartorial choices, it's up to the private. Stylistically speaking, the presence of a chugalug breaks the vertical plane of an individual in one-half, which can accept a visual shortening or widening consequence. Thus, going without a belt means less visual interruption when looking upon an private, which can have a heightening and slimming issue. Advocates of the sans chugalug await often opt to accept their belt loops removed by their tailor and adjustable side tabs added* (essentially petty belts fabricated of the same suit cloth, fastened on each side).

The takeaway is this: apparel pants (or all pants for that matter) should sit down on your waist without the demand for a belt and therefore, a belt should never exist a band aid for wearing amorphous or ill-plumbing equipment pants. If your pants are not staying upwardly without a belt, y'all may take a case of BFD and a visit to the tailor (or the Conservancy Army donation box) is necessary.

*Note: An online option for adjustable side tabs for Black Lapel suits is coming soon, and are available now on special request!

Belt Sizing

Fifty-fifty if your dress pants do fit properly, you might like wearing a belt simply considering you similar the look or are used to having one on. After all, when we run into belt loops, we naturally want to put a belt through them. So knowing your proper belt size is the obvious next step. To become the correct size, merely take your off-the-rack pant waist size and go one size bigger. For instance, if you wear pants with a 34 waist, you should wear a 36 sized belt. Most belts accept 5 holes and when trying on a belt, a good rule of pollex is that the third (or eye) pigsty should exist the ane that should be used. And if y'all have some belts in your close that are a little too big, y'all tin always shorten information technology.

Matching a Belt to Your Outfit

And so how do you lot match your belt to your suited outfit? Information technology's elementary and straightforward: but lucifer the color and stop of your shoes with your chugalug. For example, a pair of blackness oxfords would telephone call for a black leather belt. A pair of dark-brown fly tips? Yup, you got information technology…a brown belt. This is a very simple dominion. Break it and risk others thinking that you're a higher intern or that y'all still alive with your mom.

Wearing apparel vs. Casual

Pictured hither: Belts from Mr.Porter

How do you make up one's mind if a belt is a dress belt or a casual chugalug? For starters, if the buckle is oversized, unique in design and/ or contains a Sabbatum morning cartoon character from your childhood, information technology's conspicuously a casual belt. Typically, a dress belt is going to be effectually 1 1/4" inches wide with a plain, single buckle. Annihilation wider than that is going to be better for casual wear. As for the leather, a dress belt is oftentimes going to be calfskin with a smoother finish. Woven fabrics and more than ostentatious, patterned leathers like crocodile or ostrich are in the middle – they tin be worn either with a arrange or with a dressier, casual outfit… simply keep them appropriate to the occasion.

Looking for a neglect-safe guideline for wearing dress belts with a adjust? Cull a single color leather belt with either a plain silver or brass buckle. Proceed information technology simple, classic, and allow the suit and the rest of your more visible accessories do the talking.

The Four Belt Types

We've said it before but it bears repeating: invest in quality pieces, especially when information technology comes to staples. You'll save money in the long run. A human being's belt is no exception. When it comes to calfskin leather belts, there are dissimilar types of leather respective to varying degrees of quality. Here are some of the more prominent grades of belts yous may see:

1. Synthetic Fake Leather Chugalug

Created with polymers to create the look and experience of leather. They're oftentimes much less durable in the long-term and for these obvious reasons, considered some of the lowest quality belts.

ii. Bonded Leather Belt

Takes leftover scrap leather from other products which are fused together to create the wait of a genuine leather belt.

3. Genuine Leather Chugalug

Often made with 100% leather outer material, these belts oft have inferior interior leather (i.e. bit leather). Glued together to often reduce the overall cost of the belt.

4. Full-Grain Leather Belt

The highest quality and fabricated of pure, natural leather. Made from the summit layer of the creature's pare results with superior immovability.

Now before you get out and drop hundreds on the highest grade of cattle hide, first ask yourself this question: Practice y'all need your belt to hold up your pants? If the answer is "Yes", and so the showtime step is to get a ameliorate plumbing equipment pair of pants (nosotros can help with that). If the reply is "No", then the pick to clothing a chugalug with your suit–similar with a pocket square or timepiece–is ultimately yours. Choose wisely, look good and be confident.

Got any more questions about belts? Leave a comment or shoot u.s.a. a message at concierge@blacklapel.com !