Best Men’s Belts: 5 Types Of Belts To Complete Your Look

A belt is a strap you wear around your waist, mainly to hold your pair of trousers in place, although it’s also worn for aesthetic purposes.

Do you own a belt?  If yes, are you sure you’re wearing it as you should? As a man, you may either be owning a single piece or several pieces of it. Either way, it’s a must that you understand what belt to wear with what attire so you’ll look sharp no matter the occasion.  

Here are some of the best types of men’s belts to help amp up and complete your look:

Premium Leather Belts

From the name itself, it’s clear that these belts are made from leather. The most common leather belts are made from cow’s hide, but there are those made from ostrich, crocodile, or alligator skins. Your taste preference should guide you on the source of leather for your belt. Von Baer use premium quality leather in all of their belts, meaning they age well and should retain their colour longer than other types.

Brown leather belt from Von Baer

The other type of leather belt is synthetic (faux), manufactured with additions, mainly polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyurethane. Synthetic leather is softer to the touch and brighter than genuine leather. 

Between the two, genuine leather is the stretchier one. Therefore, expect your synthetic leather belt to snap when you subject it to too much tension. 

How do you wear these belts? 

Leather belts are ideal for casual looks, whether with a tucked-in or untucked shirt. On the one hand, suppose you’ve wearing a dull shirt and pair of trousers. It’s best to use a faux leather belt as its shiny nature will break the monotony. The reverse applies if you wear bright clothing. 

Dress Belts

Dress belts can be made from genuine or synthetic leather. Its thin, smooth, and shiny surface differentiates a dress belt from other types. The width of this belt ranges from one inch to one and a half inches.

A dress belt gives off a classy vibe; hence, it’s the ideal choice for formal occasions where you must dress up. It’ll be the perfect icing on top of your whole ensemble.

Casual Belts

These belts are the opposite of dress belts. By description, casual belts are thicker than dress belts, often more than one and a half inches wider. 

Casual belts are manufactured using different materials. The most common materials are nylon, leather, and canvas. Despite the material of your casual belt, you can easily pull it off with your look. 

As the name suggests, casual belts are suitable for casual wear, including streetwear. You can wear them with your chino pants, shorts, and jeans. In addition, these belts are best worn with tucked-in shirts.

Braided Belts

Braided belts are woven and take up different patterns. Some patterns are fine, while others have a rugged look to them. 

These belts can be made of leather, nylon, or rayon, and are ideal for casual wear. However, you might be wondering what differentiates them from the previously discussed casual belts.

Braided belts are quite stretchy, making them suitable for activities needing a lot of movement. Therefore, strap these types of belts for your hunting, fishing, and golfing activities. They’ll allow you to bend easily without restrictions.

Military Belts

From the name, you might think these belts are only meant for those in the military. However, this isn’t the case; there’s a reason for its name, which is functionality. 

For starters, military belts are strong and are made of leather, metal, or nylon. Their strong property makes them ideal for holding weapons and tools. The military mainly uses these belts to carry their guns around their waists.  

As a civilian, you can also invest in a military belt if you tend to carry weapons and tools with you. These don’t have to be guns; they can be pocket knives, sticks, etc. Therefore, it’s best to wear your military belt when camping, hunting, or hiking, helping you easily haul the tools you need for whatever task you’re taking on.

With these belts, you don’t need to worry about durability. You can carry your heavy tools without worrying about them coming apart due to the weight.

Conclusion

As seen, there’s so much to belts than what you may already know about them. The discussion above has highlighted the types of men’s belts you can purchase. Consider using the information above to guide you in terms of belt-wearing—it’ll help you find belts that’d make you look more fashionable or those heavy-duty ones that could keep up with vigorous movements and intense activities. However, as you choose a belt for aesthetic purposes, ensure it first meets its function of holding your pants in place; otherwise, the belt will just be a waste of money.