The art of a Belt

[Lady Day]

Alright ladies,

The belt is something I have been avoiding, but I have just found out, through years of my own self denial, that they are a great finishing look to just about anything.

My dilemma is this, well, more of opinion. Well...geeze. I guess what Im meaning to say is:

What type of belts to you wear with dresses? Do you just wear the one that 'came' with the dress or a different one?

Do any of you ladies scarf it?

What about interchanging belts? Do ya'll do that?

For those that belt often, how do you keep it from riding up? Or do you only belt dresses with belt hooks?

I really wanna be more belt savvy I do!

I just thought the belt was sort for the elephant in the room for a lot of us.

Thanks,

LD

 

[LizzieMaine]

I got lucky a few years ago and got a whole box full of "back-a-belt" kits, the kind that come with a buckle that you cover in the same fabric, and I've been using these up ever since. Dritz used to make these, and they used to be sold in every fabric store, but they were discontinuted some time in the last five or six years, and are very hard to find.

When I make a dress, I make a belt -- and I work loops into the waist to hold it in place, otherwise it rides way up. Sometimes I'll use an accessory belt in a leather to match my shoes if the dress is dressy enough for it, but for my usual cottons, I just go with the matching belt.

When back-a-belts were still common and easy to find in the stores I used to cut fabric out of hems if I was missing a belt, and could make up a replacement real easy!

 

[ShortClara]

I don't have enough belts, either. I have one squishy wide black one that's awesome, and a couple others, but I'm always on the lookout for more. I do use wide satin ribbons from time to time - it's a very inexpensive way to dress up a dress and/ or add a shot of color
I like the scarves idea a lot - I'll have to try that!

 

[KittyT]

I have some belts that came with the dresses I have, but I don't always wear them. I also have narrow belts in black, red, white and brown. Usually I'll match my belt with my shoes and my handbag - for example, I have a light pink dress that came with a belt. Usually I wear black shoes with it, so for a more finished and tied-together look, I'll wear a black belt instead of the matching pink one.

I never wear scarves - just don't like the way they look.

Most of my dresses have belt loops, but even with the ones that don't, I've never really had a problem with them riding up (maybe because I have a pretty defined waist). If they do, one possible solution is to attach fashion tape to the back before putting it on, so that it's held in place.

One issue I always have with belts is that after it's buckled, the piece sticking out from the buckle is too long. Sometimes you can turn the belt so that the buckle is on the side and the end piece can be tucked into one of the loops. I don't always like the way this looks though, so I always attach the end of the belt to the main part of the belt using a piece of fashion tape, so it's not sticking out!

 

[Joie DeVive]

I'm also a very recent convert to the belt brigade.

When I make a dress, I have tended to make a belt to match. In the past I used the Dritz kits as well, but I can't find them now. I asked about that in one of the sewing threads (the FAQ, I think) and the gals had suggestions on what to do. But I have noticed that there are great vintage buckles out there in plastic, metal and rhinestones too!! In the past I always made them to match, but I'm thinking it might be cool to make 2, one that matches and one that contrasts!

I bought a great mid-width black patent belt at Target this last season. I think they had some wider patent ones at Forever 21 and Charlotte Russe. If you like that look, you might want to see if they have them on clearance now. I'm keeping an eye out for others that I like.

I haven't tried scarves yet, but I have a couple dresses that came with wide ribbon ties that I like pretty well.

 

[ohairas]

I love the belt look and need to add to my collection. I'm just too cheap. Some of those belts are $8-20 and I just can't do it. I hate having to spend $$ on stuff like that... and well, bras. LOL!

I wear a lot of wide gross-grain ribbon for belts, esp. if one is missing from a dress. And I'll do a bandana around the waist too.

What I hate is that since my waist is small, while standing I have to cinch a belt pretty tight... if not it will droop. But when sitting, it's all tight and gets wrinkled. I've started just undoing it while driving. Much of this is because I have poor posture.

I suppose we should all write Dritz a letter and tell em to bring back the kits!?
Nikki

 

[MoxieGrl]

I'll admit, I seldom wear a belt. Only if the original dress came with it or if I goof on the waistline of a dress I am sewing. (a belt will hide many a sewing mishap). I like the way belts look and used to wear them all the time.
Oh, I had a few of those belt kits Lizzie was talking about! They were so neat and easy to make a belt! I wish I could find more of them.

 

[Miss Sis]

Belts finish a dress, so I almost always wear one. If it came with a belt, usually I use that but I always have my eye out in charity shops for ones I can use as they are nice and cheap. lol

Most of mine are quite wide and I so stay where they should. Also I am long int he body so beltloops usually have to be moved if they are on a dress already.

 

[Fleur De Guerre]

I often replace a belt with a wider one out of necessity - my body is so long it can disguise the higher waistline. But I have hardly any nice one, something to start getting into I think!

 

[ssubialdea]

I wear belts with almost every dress. I have most of the original belts and usually use them with the dress they came with but I've found that mixing them up can be fun too. I use the loops only with the original belt (most loops won't fit a wider belt) My favorite are the cincher belts, they tend to define the waist a bit more and stay in place really well. I also came across a kid's play cowboy belt from the 50s, I wear that with my brown shirtwaist dress and boots (I love Texas!)fftopic:

Lizzie: the "back a belt" kit sounds great, what a find!

Ohairas: definitely try thrift shops for good deals on belts, I've been lucking out lately. Last week I found 3 cincher belts, each just over a dollar.

 

[SarahLouise]

I love belts and feel that they complete an outfit. I wear them with dresses, skirts & shirts combos and with high waisted jeans. Most of mine are vintage and second-hand, I don't really like buying new belts as they look too shiny! I feel that they accentuate the waist which is why I like them. I sometimes wear the one that came with the dress, depending on whether another one I have suits it better, and typically always with pencil skirts. One of my pencil skirts is too loose around the waist (but fits everywhere else, I haven't got around to altering it) so I disguise that with a wide belt.

 

[goldwyn girl]

I also like the look of a belt and tend to switch them around. Sometimes using the original that came with the dress or swapping around with others I have. I like to wear a wider belt over a blousy shirt and slim pants and I'm always checking the thrift stores. A lot of my skirts are to big in the waist but fit fine in the hips so a belt will desguise that problem too. And I like the defined waist.

 

[Sunny]

For those that belt often, how do you keep it from riding up? Or do you only belt dresses with belt hooks?

If there aren't loops already on the dress, it's not hard to add thread loops. Basically you make a "belt loop" out of 2-4 threads, then cover the loop with solid buttonhole stitches. They're not meant to be terribly stable, but they hold the belt down and are very inconspicuous.

 

[kerry]

I dont have any belts. I always think they look a little odd on me as I have a really high waist.

 

[KittyT]

I dont have any belts. I always think they look a little odd on me as I have a really high waist.

I have a really high waist too! The waists of most of my dresses sit just below my natural waist, so that's where I where my belts. You can't really tell.

 

[Adelaidey]

I LOVE belting an outfit! The skinny belt around the waist is often what gives my look the finishing "vintage" touch, as it defines the hourglass look of my outfits and dresses it up a tad too.

My faithful standby is just a waist-length black leather skinny belt with a darker silver buckle that I found at a thrift store. I wear it with any plain or patterned day dress that I have if I don't have a matching belt, and with skirt/blouse combos as well... black goes with everything! I have others (narrow red, narrow cream, wide white), but I also like doing a ribbon or sash as well.

I loooove my little black belt though.... wearing it right now actually! lol

 

[Renee]

I really wanna be more belt savvy I do!

Me, too. I guess, though, since my aim in dressing is more "timeless classic" than vintage I've tended to avoid belts in the past few years because they don't seem much in style.

I do remember wearing belts quite a bit in the past, though. But so many styles these days rely on an untucked shirt ... tucking in and using a belt often appears "dated"', even if it is a vintage-inspired look.

 

[Lady Day]

*bump*

LD

 

[Viola]

I used to never never EVER wear belts. The thought of wearing one would totally depress me. I had no waist, you see, and I'm very short, and I was convinced it'd be like hanging a sign that says "yep, she's a fresh-baked muffin" around myself.

Buuuut just in the last few months I've realized the right belt...not too wide or too narrow...can do excellent things for the way a dress hangs. I'm a convert!

I only have like two belts at this point, I'm so new to it all, and so I swap them around and I'm keeping an eye out for more pants/dresses that come with belts but I have no intention of keeping them matched; I'm gonna steal them for stuff I already have.

 

[Amy Jeanne]

Belts are the perfect touch to any 1930s long-skirted dress. I have the same white one I wear with just about everything, 30s or not. I made it:

I sit it on the bottom of my ribcage. I have it on right now, actually