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Belts and the new waistline

Belts have an obvious practical function: they serve as an aid to holding up one’s trousers. But like most things with a neat, practical purpose, belts leave room for adornment. Why wear something that only serves one utilitarian function when it can also serve to individualize you? Why wear a plain leather belt to hold up your jeans when you could wear a sequined one instead? Belts have come a long way since simply residing on the waist and blending in with the fabric of one’s dress or pants. Today belts can be found on all items of clothing and different belts can be associated with many diverse fashion statements.

Belts have been servicing the fashions of women for thousands of years. In Ancient Rome the long tunics of women would be cinched around the waist by primitive belts. Over the ages the standard belt rose and fell on the waist. During one fashion era it might hang low on a woman’s hips. During another era it might reside just below the breast in an empire waist fashion. The belt adapts to the dress and not the other way around. As you see women’s dresses change, you can observe the style of the belt morph simultaneously. Similar in purpose to the belt, but stylistically very different, is the sash, or in Japan, the obi. The sash serves the same function as the belt for women in holding up the fabric, but its effect is far more decorative than utilitarian. The sash accentuates the waist more than a normal belt and can serve as a formal (on ball-gowns) as well as an informal (over a pair of blue jeans) reminder of a woman’s femininity.

Until the early 1900’s most trousers did not have belt loops. At this point clothes were being made in factories more often than they were being sewn at home. Standardized sizing took hold and men could purchase a ready-made pair of trousers from a store. As innovations in the sewing machine took place simultaneously, belt loops were stitched onto trousers before their sale to enable an even more perfect fit. Trousers did not have to be tailored exactly in the waist in order to fit a man because a belt could take care of a lot of the small size deviations.

Today belt styles are very diverse – it is very hard to go wrong with a belt. Whether you’re wearing a leather belt studded with spikes or a piece of rope laced through the belt loops of your jeans you are bound to look good. Belt buckles are also in fashion today. Consumers can buy belts and then interchange different flashy buckles to keep the belt fresh from day to day. Currently in women’s fashion thin and colorful woven belts are in style. These belts can be fastened with an old-fashioned metal clip or with the traditional buckle. The belt look has also caught on with clothing items other than trousers. Many jackets are held shut with belts. One can find belt buckles on boots, bags, and jewelry. Belts and belt buckles will always have a place in fashion, serving their practical, fastening function with a little something extra.

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