All About Belts, Part III: A Few Ways to Tie Belts
Feb 9, 2012
Yesterday, we started a conversation about belts, which ones to buy and how to make them fit. Today, we’re going to talk about how to wear them, more specifically, how to tie them. Sure, you can just belt them like the manufacturer intended, but where is the fun in that?
Knotting or tying your belt allows you to deal with the unsightly tail without having to permanently alter the belt. The photo above is a very simple belt-tying method from Anh at 9 to 5 Chic. And just in case spatial reasoning is not your strong suit, click on the link for the tutorial.
Also, here is a similar look to Anh’s where the stylist went back around again to tie the tail of the belt in a traditional knot. It’s a small change but it makes a big difference in the way the belt looks.
This look is a variation of Anh’s belt tying method the bypasses the buckle. Tuck the clasp to the side and just pull the belt through the buckle without securing it. Then, loop it around the back very close to the buckle, and pull it though the loop. I love the way this rustic, cognac belt ties the chunky cardigan and dress combo together.
This version comes from Anthrosdottir. Unfortunately, her blog isn’t public (the photo was on Pinterest), so there is no tutorial, but this knot isn’t too hard to figure out.
You pull the belt through the buckle as normal, but you don’t secure it. Then you pull it through the belt loop, behind the belt, and then, back through the buckle to secure it in place with the latch. I think this might be my favorite knot because it looks interesting and tidy. If you have too much tail left, just tuck it in.
This belt tying technique is a bit more inventive and comes from Cute and Little. She calls it the Double Loop Belt Knot. It’s perfect for adding oomph with a skinny belt that might otherwise lack impact and tying up a belt that has a lot of tail.
Obviously, these styles look best with skinny and medium width belts. Wide belts usually have more structure and can be a bit unwieldy, so I just secure the tail with Velcro or tap. I hope these examples give you some ideas about how to wear and tie your belts. If anyone has other tutorials that they would like to share leave them in the comments.
I prefer knotting belts when I can, but when I have one that's too stiff or there's just enough to be floppy but not enough to knot or tuck, I'll use a clear hair elastic around both layers of belt to keep it in place. It's not very visible, and a very easy/low maintenance fix.
Never even occurred to me to do this. (I'm new to belts. Started wearing them for the first time last year!)
This series was really helpful, especially this last part about how to tie belts. The belt thing is always something I want to try but I don't have a lot of confidence in stepping out in belts without a few pointers. So I'll have to give this a try now!
I'd love to see you do a tutorial about how to buy/wear blazers. I wear a lot of suits when I work and don't have a problem with blazers when they come in a suit, but I don't know about suit separates (or blazers with non-matching suit pants) as well as how to make blazers work in casual settings or transition a blazer from work settings to casual/dressy night occasions. I also have no idea what is supposed to work best for my body type in terms of length, colors, sleeve length, etc.
All in all, wherever blazers are concerned, I'm clueless and would like a hint or two.