Belt it!

December 12, 2011

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Say hello to the Life-Saver of Accessories, the Belt. I'm crazy about them and have quite the collection that never stops growing. What's not to love? Belts add the perfect element of interest to any outfit. They define your waist and make you look more feminine. You can wear a belt no matter what size you are. The best part is, there are so many to choose from. They come in all shapes, colours, sizes and materials. Leather, cloth, metal, elasticated (my favourite!), canvas, even plastic. The sizes vary from huge waist-cinching ones to narrower ones, to really long ones that go around you twice. Then of course, there are DIY belts. You can tie a black ribbon around your waist, or use a scarf as a belt. If you see something in your closet and think it could look good as a belt, use it!

My collection

This is how I store them. I don't like hanging them as I feel that gravity will somehow affect their shape. (I'm paranoid like that.) So I gently fold them and put them in this colourful kids' organizer my sister-in-law gave me. I've put them in separate baskets according to size. You'll see I've used one basket for bangles, another obsession of mine. Maybe a post on bangles...hmm?

And here are the different ways you can wear belts:

Looped into Trousers or Jeans

Tuck a slightly baggy top into trousers and wear a thin belt. Or wear a tan belt with jeans.

With longer Tops, Tunics, Dress Shirts and Button-Downs:

Define your waist or simply add interest to a plain dress shirt or button-down that you don't want to tuck in.

With Skirts:

Belts are amazing with skirts. Wider ones can help you hide the elastic or top part of the skirt and narrow ones looped in look uber-chic. You can also 'tie' a thin belt on top of a skirt that has no loops.