Guide To Men's Belts-1

Guide to Men's Belt-1

What Is a Belt?

Let's start by defining what we're talking about.

A belt is a cinching system that goes around the waist using tension to hold up a person's pants. Even a piece of string can be a belt!

A belt can be used for carrying things. Look at Batman and his utility belt, or a gentleman who decides to conceal carry.However, most belts are purely decorative.

Simple. Now let's start getting into more of the details of belts.

Anatomy of a Belt

The vast majority of belts (once you've moved beyond the simple string) have two parts: the buckle and the strap.

Many belts also have a keeper loop and/or an end tip (the end tip is usually metal, or leather on cloth belts). The end tip protects the end of the belt from being damaged/frayed and can make it easier to buckle. After the belt is buckled, the keeper loop stops the free end from flapping around.

In some belts, the strap and buckle are permanently joined together; in others, they can be taken apart and the buckle switched out. The part of the buckle that joins it to the strap is called the chape.

When Should You Wear a Belt?

In general, you should wear a belt with all pants (including jeans) that have belt loops. That's what the loops are for! Leaving it off can look sloppy. Certainly with formal outfits, when your shirt is invariably tucked in, belts are essential. With more casual get-ups, when you'll be wearing your shirt untucked, you can get away with skipping a belt, but you may still miss its functionality; remember that belts aren't purely decorative — they help keep your pants up!

To maintain this function in the absence of a belt, you can choose suspenders as a stylish and fun alternative. Suspenders are a great way of dressing well for larger men — they'll hold up your pants more effectively and reduce bulk at the waist. They also make a short guy look taller (or at least, they don't make you look shorter by breaking the line of your body the way belts do.)

The one thing you don't want to do is wear a belt and suspenders; it looks as if you either don't know what you're doing, or are just really, really worried about your pants falling down.