The market offers a variety of belts made from an array of materials. The exotic Ostrich leather belt, one of a kind, is preferred by the tremendously fashion conscious and bold men. The Lizard skin belt with intricate patterns is first on the list of expensive belts. You might not be able to shop for the best-quality ostrich belt but there are a range of styles and colours available. Buy a belt that reflects your inner self and don't forget to match it properly with your wardrobe and pockets.
Know the kinds of belts available to you
There are a variety of belts available in the market today.
Designer belts - come in a range of styles and colours. For instance, casual belts are wider than dressy belts and come in pleasant colours. Scratch Style Stud Leather Belt, a casual belt, goes very nicely with skirts and jeans. Coloured belts are gaining popularity among the youth owing to the vibrant colours they come in. Designer Style Multi Color Leather Belt is a fashionable multi-colour belt. Leather belts are hot and happening and go well with your funky designer clothes.
Belts made of calfskin are shiny and dressy. Designer Wide Twist Leather Belt, made of calfskin has a decorated nickel buckle, and is designed for easy wearing. Both Jeweled Black Snake Skin Belt and Designer Style Croc Belt are sure to make you look beautiful and glamorous.
Fashion belts: are embellished with semi-precious and precious stones such as silverstones and rhinestones. The buckles of these belts are made of metals such as silver or gold and may have an antique finish. These belts are for the wealth-flaunters. Flower Jeweled Leather Belt and Western Style Jeweled Leather Belt are both excellent choices for showing off your new jeans or skirts. Golden Stud Belt made of synthetic material, is perfect for the budget-conscious.
Money belts – are usually pouches on elastic belts, with nylon zips. Mainly used by travellers, they can be used to hold passport, plane tickets, cash, credit and debit cards and other essentials. Women wear money belts under their skirts or pants. Samsonite Double Pocket Money Belt and Korjo Money Belt – Polycotton are good choices to keep your money out of sight of pickpockets.
Chatelaine - is a very long, sweeping chain, often made of flat rectangles of decorated metal linked together with chain links. The chain links around the wearer's waist, with one end dangling down the front of the dress to the floor. Chatelaines can be jewelled or enamelled, or simply made of precious metal. To add a European flair to your jeans and pants, try out The Modern Euro Style Clip On Belt.
Duty belt - includes pockets for carrying items that the wearer needs for prompt use and loops to hang larger items. This kind of belt is generally used by police officers, soldiers, and repair personnel. A famous fictional example is Batman's utility belt.
Tool belt - is a miniature toolbox that can be worn around the waist. Some styles of tool belts are very simple, and have pockets for general use tools such as hammer and screwdrivers. Tool belts are available in a variety of materials, such as leather, nylon, canvas, and suede.
It is always a good idea to buy a tool belt made of washable fabric. Besides the usual black, tan or brown for men, woman can choose from cool colours like blue, purple, and even pink. Tatonka Funny Bag and The Belt Bag are both good choices for travel and for everyday use.
Sash – is a cloth belt used to hold a robe together, and usually tied about the waist. Decorative sashes, in beauty pageants may pass from the shoulder to the hip rather than around the waist. Sashes traditionally form part of formal military attire. Most of the European Royal families wear sashes as a part of their royal (and/or military) regalia.
Cummerbund - is a broad waist sash, usually pleated, which is often worn with black tie. The cummerbund was first adopted by British military officers in colonial India and later spread to civilian use. The modern day use of the cummerbund is as an elegant fashion accessory to complement a tuxedo worn during formal evening occasions.
Choose the right size
When choosing a belt it's important to know how belts are normally measured and labelled for size. Most Belts are normally measured from where the belt leather folds at the buckle end to the middle hole at the tip end. The size is usually stamped on the back of the belt. Women’s belts are marked with a letter such as XS, S, M, L, or XL, while men’s belts are marked with S, M, L, XL or XXL. See chart below to know what each of these denote.
Women’s Size Scale
XS = 24" - 26"
S = 28" - 30"
M = 32" - 34"
L = 36" - 38"
XL = 38" - 40"
Men's Size Scale
S = 30" - 34"
M = 34" - 36"
L = 38" - 40"
XL = 42" - 44"
XXL = 46" - 48"
For belts measured using the above specifications, you would want to choose your belt approximately 2" larger than your waist measurement. Buy your belt the same size as your waist or pants if the belt is made before a buckle is attached. You must measure your waist at the level where you intend to wear your belt. The general rule of thumb is that you should buy your belt 2" larger than your waist or pants size.
A large buckle can add over 2 inches to the size of the belt. For instance a size M belt could become a size L or even larger. Hence, measuring the overall length of the current belt ‘tip to tip’ is not always accurate due to buckle length differences. This is usually the case where the belt is a certain size but has a large buckle added to it.
Select a utility & stylish buckle
Buckles look great on almost every one. However, you must be careful in choosing the right size buckle. If you have a small frame, a huge 6 x 4" buckle may not be right for you. You may want to opt for something a little smaller. Leather belts last longer and allow wearing your buckle over and over.
Belt size is also important when selecting buckles. When you get yourself a belt for your buckle, remember that it may not fit the same way as a standard belt. Depending on the size of your buckle, you will actually be adding a few extra inches to the length of the belt. It's better to have a slightly larger belt than one that is too small. You can easily have extra holes punched in the leather if necessary.
Buckles can be classified as functional and ornamental.
1. Functional buckles - They may be used on a daily basis, and are usually made of metal or plastic. These buckles are adjustable attachments, mainly used to link two ends of a belt together.
2. Ornamental buckles - Flaunted widely by cowboys on ranches, they are now being used as popular items of western clothing. They are usually made of metal such as gold or silver and may be decorated with coloured stones and gems such as ivory and pearls. Spice up your party life with the LED Belt Buckle.
Tips on caring for your used & old buckles
Light oxidation and scratches can reduce the glitter of metal buckles. You can use an inexpensive polishing cloth available at most stores or jewellers to clean and polish your buckles. The cloth incorporates a two-cloth dry-cleaning system, wherein the inner cloth cleans and the outer cloth polishes. Polishing also provides the buckles with a long-lasting anti-tarnish barrier.
Really old buckles, which are fit to be disposed, may need some extra effort to get the original sheen. Try polishing with #0000 steel wool with a very soft hand. Make sure you rub in one direction only or in a circular motion for circular accents. It is advisable not to try to remove the deep scratches, as the scratches will be less visible, once the metal is brighter. When the buckle starts showing the original sparkle, continue polishing with the polishing cloth for a revived sheen.
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