The Jewelry-fication of Men's Belts
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Fashionable Guys Are Getting A Black Belt In Belts
Few things annoy me more than leaving home without my belt on — or even worse, when I find myself digging through my duffle bag for it in vain when getting dressed at the gym. I’ve worn the same old slightly fraying Aigner belt every day for the last ten years, and no single look since has ever felt complete in its absence. Whether or not you can actually see the belt, it literally holds everything together.
A good belt is the lynchpin of a good outfit: You might not realize its importance until you’re properly confronted with the glaring void of a belt-less waist. Most humans own and use one, yet only a tiny minority actively think about it. And if it weren't for mine hanging by its last threads, I'm not sure I would either. But my attempts at finding a successor to mine has revealed not only the discovery that Celine's latest offers the closest resemblance, but also an overarching hypothesis that designers and consumers all around me are lending special attention to what is so much more than just a perforated waistband.
The aforementioned's creative director, Michael Rider, has been at the forefront of these developments: On both men and women, the French house's belts served decorative purposes as much as (or even more than) functional ones, with jewelry-like chains dangling off of models’ hips. Meanwhile, Jonathan Anderson's Dior is betting big on big buckles, Our Legacy's coining a hardware'd Scandi-cowboy style, and Prada wants us to hang them with carabiner-held pouches. Elsewhere, Ralph Lauren used silk scarves and Dries Van Noten deployed stringy ribbons and thick, girdle-reminiscent strips of fabric to cinch the male silhouette rather than just keep trousers up where they belong. And by way of its giant-pleated-pants-homage to the so-called “Hollywood waist,” Saint Laurent did the same.
Now, regardless of how eccentric they're becoming these days, belts have always played an important role in luxury fashion as the ultimate entry-level product to buy into for discernable proximity to an admired brand. In high school, for instance, I knew boys who worked arduous summer jobs strictly to save up for an Hermès or Louis Vuitton belt, eager to publicly claim possession of that unmistakable, crotch-crowing “H” or “LV” fastener.
In this moment (and at this stage in life), the state of the status belt has changed. While I wouldn't strip this generation of belts entirely of their symbolic properties, there's heavier weight placed on aesthetic statement-making than the economic kind. Even at everyman stores like Massimo Dutti and H&M, they come eyeleted or studded or braided, Western or extra long to snake down the sides of their wearer's legs. Sometimes they're colorful, and they might even rattle with trinkets or wooden beads, like necklaces for the abdomen.
Ultimately, the latest slew of belts offer themselves as creative tools for embellishing an outfit with an element of personality that many guys might find harder to telegraph in other via other means of accessorizing. The real pleasure lies ahead in witnessing how this trend will take hold; we’re about to see a wave of dudes with a newly acquired black belt in belting. In the meantime, I’ll keep you posted on where I end up in my own belt-based evolution.
Open Tabs: Everything We've Got Our Eyes On Right Now
We have it on good authority that JJJJound's black selvedge denim is great. And my goodness, what a canvas for trying one's hand at belt play, eh?
And if a mean belt just really isn’t your type of accessory, the iconic Fendi baguette remains a titan in its own category.
This little black Vivienne Westwood cardigan is an ideal layer for when it's 95 degrees fahrenheit outside, but 55 in the office.
That said, one can never own too many black lightweight jackets. Maybe also grab this Arc'teryx one if you haven't already?
Moving on to little black boots: These Bottega Venetas now finally come in a non-pebbled leather version.
From non-pebbled to non-laced, these freaky, gorpy Merrell mocs are what multipurpose-footwear dreams are made of.
Nike's Shox sneakers are just as oddball, even in this crisp white-and-green colorway.
This beautifully blue GAP shirt has got the perfect crop for all our short-legged, long-torso'd friends.
Really digging this dark, contrast-collared AGOLDE rugby.
To quite literally top it all off, finally treat yourself to a Chanel beanie, please! Both money and temperatures ain't nothin’ but numbers, after all.
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