A belt holds up your trousers, but it also finishes an outfit. Whether it is for a man or a woman, five questions are enough to choose the right one: what will you wear it with, how wide should it be, which colour, which buckle and which material? Length, which matters just as much, is covered in the final section.
Matching the belt to your outfit
With jeans
Jeans can take a wider, bolder belt: thick leather, a visible buckle, in brown, cognac or black. Fabric and braided belts also work very well, especially in warm weather. With chinos, keep the same spirit in a slightly narrower width.
With a suit
With a suit, the belt should stay discreet: smooth leather, a slim width and a simple, flat buckle. Match it to the colour of your shoes. A belt that is too wide or a chunky buckle weighs the outfit down and shows under a buttoned jacket.
With a dress
On a dress, a belt is mainly there to define the waist. A slim one highlights your figure without cutting it in two. A wide one gives shape to a loose dress, a long shirt or a tunic. Worn at the narrowest point of the waist, it visually lengthens the legs.
With a coat
A belt worn over a coat or a trench coat cinches the volume and adds style. A tie belt, in fabric or soft leather, adjusts effortlessly. Just allow for extra length, since a thick layer adds several centimetres, and measure yourself with your coat buttoned up.
Choosing the right width
Here are the usual width benchmarks:
- Slim, up to about 3 cm: suits, tailored outfits and dresses.
- Medium, around 3.5 cm: the most versatile, from jeans to smart trousers.
- Wide, around 4 cm: jeans, chinos and casual outfits.
- Extra wide, 5 cm and more: to define the waist over a dress, a tunic or a coat.
Check your belt loops too. Suit trousers have narrower loops than jeans, and a 4 cm belt may not fit through them. If in doubt, measure the inside height of a loop: the belt should slide through without forcing, but without being loose either.
Getting the colours right
The safest rule: your belt matches your shoes. Black with black, brown with brown, in similar shades, because a light cognac belt next to chocolate shoes stands out.
Your leather goods follow the same logic: bag, wallet or briefcase in the same family of shades as your belt. The metal of the buckle, silver-tone, gold-tone or black, goes with your jewellery and the metal fittings of your bag.
Casual outfits give you more freedom: a coloured fabric belt or a light braided belt in summer livens up jeans or shorts. To start with, two belts cover most situations: a smooth black leather belt for formal outfits and a brown one for everyday wear. A reversible belt combines both.
Choosing your buckle
- Prong buckle: the classic buckle, whose pin, the prong, goes through a hole in the strap. These belts usually have five holes, and the right size fastens on the middle one.
- Automatic buckle: the strap has no holes. It slides into the buckle and locks notch by notch (it is also called a ratchet buckle), and a small lever releases it. The adjustment is finer, which is handy if your waist changes during the day.
- No buckle: flat and discreet, it leaves no bulge under a jumper or an untucked shirt. It also stays comfortable when you sit down.
- Reversible: one black side and one brown side, for example, with a buckle that swivels to switch from one to the other. Two belts in one, ideal for travelling.
Belts without buckle and reversible belts are grouped in our Special Belts section.
Which material for which use?
- Leather: the safe choice, from jeans to suits. Genuine leather develops a patina over time and moulds to your shape. The exact material, genuine or synthetic leather, is stated on each product page. A few simple habits keep leather supple, as explained in our leather belt care guide.
- Synthetic leather: it looks like leather, needs little maintenance and cleans with a damp cloth. A practical choice for an everyday belt.
- Fabric and braided: light and supple, they suit casual outfits and summer. On a braided belt, the prong slips between the strands wherever you like, for adjustment to the nearest centimetre.
Belts for women
For women, three ways of wearing a belt come up often:
- At the waist, over a dress, a skirt or a jacket, to shape the silhouette. Slim for a subtle look, wide for a more structured one.
- On the hips, with jeans or low-rise trousers. Choose it longer than a waist belt, since your hips measure more than your waist.
For a fuller figure or for a belt worn over a coat, the plus-size models are covered further down.
Big sizes: up to 200 cm
Our belts range from 65 to 200 cm depending on the model, and the larger sizes are grouped in our men's big and tall belts and in the plus-size section for women. Measure yourself exactly where you will wear the belt, dressed as you will be.
Choosing the right length
A belt's size is measured in centimetres, from the tip of the prong to the hole you use. The easiest way is to measure a belt that already fits you: that length is the size to order. Without a reference belt, measure your waist, or your hips, where you wear your belt. Our size guide explains three methods and includes a conversion chart.
One last tip: try the belt on before cutting it or punching a hole in it. A belt that has been cut to length, had extra holes punched or shows signs of wear loses value, and a deduction may be taken from the refund if you change your mind.