How to Wear Belts in Interesting New Ways
Belts are an important accessory. They emphasize the shape of a woman’s body. Belts add interest to a plain outfit and define your waist, giving you shape even when your clothes are shapeless. In this post, I’ll give you some ideas for how to use belts in interesting new ways. And, of course, as usual I provide you with outfit ideas to make getting dressed easy. That will help you to use the belts you have and perhaps even inspire you to add a new favorite to your shopping list. Age doesn’t matter because you can belt anything. I encourage you to be bold and creative with them!
How to Use Belts in Interesting New Ways
Use any kind of belt including chain belts, rope belts, strappy belts and belt bags.
- Tie together separates — tops, sweaters, skirts, trousers or jeans — by wearing a waist-hugging thick or thin belt over light layers for a more refined look.
- Amp up a sheath dress with a patent leather belt or a decorative belt studded with crystals, rhinestones, gemstones, sequins and metallic finishes.
- Give definition to day dresses by nipping them in with textured, woven, cut-out or plaited medium and thick belts.
- Wear a classic black or brown belt with a maxi dress or tailored shift, or even over a blazer or coat. Bonus points for a colored belt.
- Try a belt with a lightweight blazer.
- Wrap a belt around waist with a pencil skirt — with either the top tucked in or not. If you have a thick waist, opt for a medium-wide (not skinny) belt in solid dark colors like black or brown.
- With a cardigan buttoned or unbuttoned or one without buttons, add a belt over the narrowest part of your waist. Or, wrap a long scarf or sash around your waist.
- Add a belt to a casual shift dress or a shirt dress.
- Add a belt to a bohemian-style skirt.
- Half-tuck just the front of your shirt into blue jeans and add a belt.
- For evening: Add a jeweled belt or a gold belt to blue jeans.
Style Tips Using Belts
- Adding a textured, embellished or great-color belt pulls together the most basic pieces or quickly elevates a casual outfit.
- Use pearls as a belt.
- Clip a gold brooch to a gold chain belt where it attaches.
- Twist two contrasting ribbon belts (or lightweight scarves), then secure with charming pins.
- Try suede cords tied around waist as a belt over a t-shirt dress.
- Combine multiple narrow belts together to highlight your shape and add color. Great at the waist with skirts and pants or slung low on the hips over tunics.
- Thread multiple narrow belts together within your belt loops. Go one step further and buckle one belt to the other before threading through the belt loops.
- With a simple dress or long sweater, add a gypsy belt (coin, stud, gold chain or other exotic embellishment).
- To spice up a classic top and bottom (maybe both in ivory), add a colorful belt.
And now for the outfit ideas! Following are ways to use each type of belt in various ways to add variety to your wardrobe without having to buy more clothes. You might be happy, though, to shop for a new style of belt that can make your basics look new.
Wide Belts
- Wide belts give definition to boxy jackets and unstructured cardigans.
- Wear baggy pants high on the waist and nip in with a wide belt.
- Belt your top with a wide belt (at midriff) or make your top into a peplum with it.
- Add a wide belt over a any tunic, or over a pencil skirt.
- Wear a wide brown belt with a safari jacket, a black tunic or a turtleneck tunic. Add brown beads and brown leggings with tall brown boots over them.
- Wear a wide belt over a loose maxi-dress.
- Wear a wide brown belt over a black, cream or tweed blazer.
- Add a wide belt at hips over a billowy blouse or over an empire top.
- Country evening: Wear a jewel-buckle belt with jeans and a beautiful satiny shirt.
Skinny Belts
- Wear a skinny belt with a blazer, a thin cardigan, a boyish tunic dress, high-waist shorts or pants, or a full skirt.
- A skinny belt complements dainty dresses and separates (including chain belts and rope belts).
Leather Belts
- A gutsy leather belt looks chic on everything from denim to chiffon.
- Use a one-inch wide tan leather belt with a brass buckle with trousers, jeans, skirts and country looks.
- Use a soft kid leather belt with matching buckle (the crusher-style belt) for trousers (especially when you belt an over-top), skirts and dresses.
Faux Leopard Belts
I have to emphasize “faux” because of the time I ordered a leopard guitar strap. After awhile, I called to see why it was taking so long and the company said they were having a hard time catching a leopard in order to make one! Needless to say, I immediately cancelled the order!
- Add a leopard-print belt over a trench coat.
- Add a leopard-print belt to a neutral outfit, such as shades of ivory, tan or beige.
- Add a leopard-print belt to a printed piece (leopard-print acts as a neutral and mixes with any other print).
Chain Belts
- A chain belt snazzes up the basic jeans and a tee outfit.
- Wear a chain belt over a tunic top that has matching bottoms, such as a flowing coordinated set.
- Add a chain belt to a baggy dress.
- Wear a chain belt with trousers in a color toned to the belt (for instance, tan trousers with a gold chain belt or gray trousers with a silver chain belt.)
- Combine a chain belt with another belt.
Rope Belts
- Use a rope belt with cotton city looks and summer beach or country clothes — Or: Use a light-color braided belt.
- Wear a rope belt over a trench coat.
- Add some shape to a billowy, flowing top or tunic with a rope belt.
- To add interest and just the right dimensions, wear a rope belt over a maxi dress.
- Add a rope belt to jeans.
Strappy Belts
By strappy belts, I’m referring to long, double wrap belts because I think they are more classy than a harness style.
- Wear one over a suit jacket.
- A strappy belt over a jumpsuit.
- Wrap one over a knit dress or a coordinated knit top and bottom set.
Sashes
By sash, I mean a long strip of material made to be used as a belt by tying it on.
- To blue jeans, add a scarf or sash as a belt (including mesh, lace, crochet, sequined, metallic). You may use a pin/brooch as a buckle or simply continue to wrap it around your waist to the end so that it doesn’t hang down.
- Belt a long top by wrapping a sash around your waist . You may use a pin/brooch as a buckle off to the side so that the ends are both to the side just like a chain belt.
- Wear a bright-color woven sash with jeans and boots.
Let’s Connect!
Do you have favorite ways that you use your belts? Please leave a reply below.
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Angie
Thank you for this wonderful belt blog! I have collected many belts over the years. This blog includes new ideas, retro looks and beautiful accessorizing on confident, diverse women of all shapes and sizes. Kudos!
Hello and thank you! I know how belts have been sitting in my closet for too long without getting used and there are so many beautiful ones. As we come out of the pandemic, this spring and summer the trending outfits are loose, flowing and voluminous. So belts are suddenly on the runways and in the collections to rein in all that volume and make us look respectable while we stay comfortable! I’m looking forward to trying these belt ideas I’ve collected. And I’m happy to share them with you. Thank you for taking the time to comment, my friend!