Choosing a leather belt that pulls together your outfit and creates a cohesive look between your clothes, shoes and accessories need not be hard, so before you buy one of my handmade leather belts, here are a few simple rules to make sure your new belt and outfit look great together!
Choosing a colour for your leather belt
It’s always best to make sure the colour of your shoes and belt compliment each other. A black, brown or tan coloured belt will match most colours and shades of dress or casual shoe. Made from English bridle leather, these handmade leather belts are classic and will last a lifetime.
However, there are certain outfits (see this amazing denim jacket by Virgil Abloh) that would suit a louder more vibrant colour, so you could also go for a vibrant red, green or blue leather belt. These coloured belts are hand dyed by me and really help an outfit to stand out!
The Belt width
The belts I make come in two different widths; 1.25 inches and 1.5 inches. Similar to the belt colour, it’s good to match the belt width to the type of shoes you’re wearing. Therefore, if you’re wearing dress shoes, go for the narrower 1.25″ formal belt width. Any other shoe or trainer style and you’re good with the more casual styling of the wider 1.5″ belt.
The belt buckle style
There are plenty of buckle styles you can chose from: roller buckle, west end buckle, double pin buckle, fireman’s buckle, cowboy buckles, large buckles, small buckles, coloured buckles, plain buckles. Woah, the list goes on and on!
Though there are a large number of choices, choosing a buckle style that compliments your footwear is the way to go, so if you’re wearing smart dress shoes, it’s best to choose a classic lighter weight west-end style buckle and if you’re wearing casual shoes or boots, a more sturdy west-end or a roller buckle is the way ahead.
The belt buckle colour
The general rule about any metal hardware (the buckle and any rivets) on the belt is to match the hardware colour to the colour of your accessories. Are you wearing silver cufflinks or a silver watch? Then the belt buckle should be stainless steel. However, if you’re wearing gold cufflinks or a gold watch, then choose a brass coloured buckle.
Measuring your leather belt
My belts have seven holes and ideally the buckle pin goes through the centre hole. This means that there’s room for movement should your waist size increase or decrease, so it’s very important that you get a correct measurement for your new leather belt.
In summary – choosing a leather belt is easy
Choosing a leather belt comes down to following these rules;
- Compliment the belt colour to shoe colour
- Match the buckle colour to the accessory colour
- If it’s a formal belt, go for 1.25″ wide and a lighter weight west-end buckle
- If it’s a casual belt, go for 1.5″ wide and a heavier weight west-end or roller buckle
See, it’s easy! Now go and choose a lovely handmade leather belt from my store – I’m looking forward to making your belt for you!
Matt
