Men’s Fashion: Belts

With the fashion weeks of New York, London, Milan and Paris behind us, it’s time to get back to the business of decoding mens fashion! Since we’ve moved up the body from shoes to pants, it only makes sense that we tackle belts next…

THE RULES OF MEN’S BELTING

MATCH YOUR LEATHERS
“Always match the colour of your shoes to your belt.” – Matt Allinson of Fashion Beans
*That rule goes for your watch, too, if the strap is leather.

BLACK + BROWN = GO HOME
The No black pants and brown shoes rule is true for belts, too, so if you’re wearing black pants, skip the brown belt.

NOVELTY BELT BUCKLES ARE GROSS
Wearing a buckle with a Superman logo or a bottle opener on it is like wearing a chastity belt.

DOUBLING UP MAKES YOU LOOK CRAZY
If you’re going to wear suspenders, you’re not going to wear a belt, too.

A BELT IS NOT AN EXCUSE FOR BAGGY PANTS-WEARING
Ideally, your belt is technically an unnecessary accessory because your pants fit properly and won’t fall off on their own.

THREAD COUNTER-CLOCKWISE
From Esquire: “The belt is inserted through the left-side loops first, so that when done up, the spare end is on your left, too.”

SIZE MATTERS
Buy your belts in a size bigger than you buy your pants. So, a guy who wears size 34 pants should get himself a size 36-38 belt. The spare end of the belt should be just long enough to fit through the first loop to the left of the buckle.

 FORMAL BELTS
Formal belts are about the width of your thumb and are often shiny. Their buckles are small and delicate.

CASUAL BELTS
Casual belts vary in width, but are generally wider than formal belts. They are also less glossy than formal belts, and have larger buckles.

 THE THREE MAIN BELT COLOURS
Black                                       Brown                                   Tan

Images courtesy of: iamgalla.com, coolbyintent.com, pinterest.com, zazzle.com, bdotdandy.com, fashion-incubator.com, ealuxe, asos.com, burberry.com, shop.nordstrom.com, and hugoboss.com.

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Do you have questions about men’s belts? Rules to add? Share them with us in the comments!