How to choose men's belt?

High-quality accessories are very important in our wardrobe. And in this blog we want to share with you about how to choose men's belt.

Pretty much every part a man's outfit gets significantly more attention than the lowly belt. It's treated more like a utility than a fashion piece, and as such, ends up being a product that's picked up as an after thought, rather than one that's sought out.

In reality though, it should be just the opposite. If you're looking to differentiate yourself or make a statement, your belt should be one of the first places that you start.

A high quality brown or black belt will add a necessary touch to complete an outfit, while a colorful exotic or statement belt can become the centerpiece of the whole outfit.

In this guide, we'll walk you through how to choose the right belt for your specific situation.

Belts typically fall into one of two categories: Dress Belts and Casual Belts.

Dress belts are more formal and are typically worn with suits and dressier types of attire. Casual belts are wider and less formal, and can be worn with jeans, shorts, and a multitude of other types of clothes.

Occasionally belts can be both dress and casual, but that's fairly rare.

The biggest rule of thumb that you need to keep in mind when choosing a dress belt is that it should as closely match the shoes that you plan to wear as possible. In a perfect world, the belt would be made of the same material that the shoes are, but that's pretty rare, so instead focus on getting the colors close or the same.

The material of the belt should be a high-quality leather.

Suede is another material that every once in a while crosses over from a casual belt to a dress belt. It's not going to be the most formal of dress belts, but if the situation is on the more casual side of the dressy spectrum, then it could be worth looking at. The same suede belt could also be used for casual dress too, so fairly versatile.

Cotton is not a dress belt material. Don't even consider it.

The finish on the leather should be shiny, so avoid any matte finishes. The shinier the finish, the better.

Many dress belts are feathered, or raised up in the middle with stitching, but some may be flat without stitching. There also shouldn't be any excessive decoration or patterning on the belt. The simpler, the better.

The buckle of the belt should be polished and fairly minimalist without any additional or excessive styling. It should also be only one pronged.

As for buckle colors, polished gold goes well with brown or tan belts, and polished silver with black or navy belts. For other colors, feel free to contact us for our expert opinion.

No cowboy buckles. Period.

A note on reversible belts: While it may seem like you're killing two birds with one stone by buying a reversible belt, they tend to fall apart very fast (you don't see many high quality reversible belts made by reputable belt makers), and often times the other side of the belt is visible during normal wear, so you'll end up with flashes of brown against your black pants.

Casual belts have a lot less rules and more flexibility depending on the situation, so you can get away with the same belt for a lot of different scenarios, or have many different belts that you use with the same outfit.

Leather is, of course, the most common type of material for casual belts, and as we learned in the dress belts section, you should always choose a high-quality leather belt. This is actually even more important for a casual belt, if you can believe that, as many people wear their belt on a daily basis, and it will tend to break down quickly, unless it's made from full grain leather.

Suede is another type of material that is commonly used for casual belts. It's not quite as durable as a leather, but it typically has a full grain leather backing for extra strength and durability, and the nap on the front makes for a nice change from your standard leather.

Cotton is the last major material used for casual belts. It's going to be the most affordable of the materials, and is also considered the most casual of the three types of belts.

Cotton belts are unique in that they can use a standard D ring as a buckle, so the belt just folds over itself (which is also the most casual of all of the belts), or you can add a leather trim to the ends, and have the belt use a normal buckle with punched holes.

The finish on leather casual belts is typically less shiny and more matte than dress belts. They may or may not also have stitching, depending on your preference.

As you might guessed, there are more buckle options for casual belts. While some belts have a polished buckle, especially statement belts that are meant to stand out, most casual belts have more of a burnished or matte finish to them.

In addition, casual belt buckle shapes can range from square with a roller to rounded, and may be more ornate than their dress belt counterparts.

While choosing a belt may seem a bit intimidating at first, once you know some of the basic rules, it becomes a lot easier. Welcome to our shop and choose yours high-quality belt!