With hundreds of items on the market, shopping for a leather belt can quickly become daunting. It's not just about how the belt looks; it's also about how well it fits, how durable it is, and how good the leather is. How many times have you bought a belt that appeared to be great but shortly became worn out and useless? We hope that by offering all of the information you require while looking for this distinctive men's accessory, we will be able to assist you with your belt purchase.
The ideal leather belt is comfortable, long-lasting, and attractive enough to complement your entire ensemble. The challenge is to tell the difference between high-quality men's leather belts and low-cost knockoffs. When purchasing your next leather belt, you'll discover how to tell the difference between the two.
Table of Content:
- Categories of Men’s Leather Belts
- How to find the best quality leather belt
- The Grain of the Leather Belt
- The colour and finish of the Belt
- Belt Width
- Belt Buckle
- Sizing your Leather Belt
- Care and storage
- What belt to wear for formal occasions?
- What belt to wear for casual events?
Categories of Men’s Leather Belts
When looking for leather belts, keep in mind that there are two types of belts for men: dress belts and casual belts.
Dress belts are belts that are used with slacks to a formal or professional occasion. Tucking in a shirt makes the Dress belt visible in these situations. As a result, the belt must be stylish and comfortable to wear.
Casual belts are also appropriate for different types of pants, such as jeans, shorts, and slacks. Because the shirt is untucked, casual belts are often not worn in the front.
The two styles of belts mentioned above are usually selected by the occasion. Some designers will purposefully design the belt uniquely, such as giving casual belts a longer tail and dress leather belts a shorter tail.
Finally, leather belts are available in a variety of colours. For a consistent and classy look, make sure your dress belt matches your shoes. Casual belts can be worn with any colour scheme, and we encourage you to let your preferences shine here.
How to find the best quality leather belt
There are dozens of different belt options available when shopping a belt. So, how do you know which belt is best for you?
When shopping for a belt, keep the following factors in mind:
The leather grain used
The belt's colour and stitching
The belt's width
The design of the belt
The belt buckle
The Grain of the Leather Belt
The texture, pattern, and quality of the leather used to make the belt are all determined by the grain of the leather. In general, full-grain leather is the best quality you can get. This leather is from the top layer of the hide and has a natural grain.
Top-grain leather is the second highest type of leather available, after full-grain. The leather is thinner and less durable since the outermost layer of the hide has been removed.
Bonded or rectified grain leathers should be avoided at all costs..
The colour and finish of the Belt
When shopping for a leather belt, look for one that matches your personal preferences. The most important rule of thumb to remember when selecting a dress belt is that it should match the colour of your shoes as closely as possible. In an ideal world, the belt would be made of the same material as the shoes, but that is extremely rare, so focus on getting the colours close to or the same. Leather casual belts typically have a less shiny and more matte finish than dress belts. Depending on your preferences, they may or may not have stitching.
Belt Width
When shopping for belts, casual belts are typically wider than formal belts. A dress belt should have a width of 1 1/4" to 1 3/8" and a thickness of about 1/8". If the belt is broader than that, it is a casual belt and not suitable for your needs.
Casual belts are typically wider than formal dress belts, ranging in width from 1 1/4" to 1 3/4", with 1 1/2" being the most typical size for jeans. They can also be thicker than a dress belt, with thicknesses ranging from 1/8" to 3/4" thick.
Anything thicker than 3/4" will most likely be too thick to effectively bend around your body.
Belt Buckle
Belt buckles are meant to make a big fashion statement. They must, however, be worn correctly and with the appropriate outfit to make the intended statement. Belts aren't just accessories; they're also an important part of any outfit. Here are some of the most popular belt buckles available:
Frame-style buckle
- Seen on almost all formal belts, as well as casual belts
- The strap passes through the frame.
- To fasten the belt, the prong goes through the holes in the strap.
Plate-style buckle
- Detachable – usually combined with snap belts (straps without buckles)
- Plates are typically embellished, such as with cowboy and biker belts.
- The hook is threaded through the strap's front.
Box-frame buckle
- The box is open-ended, hollow, and made of metal.
- The strap is pressed against the inside of the box by Post.
- There is no need for strap holes.
Micro-adjustable buckle
- It employs a ratchet-style track system that necessitates the use of a specific type of strap.
- The track system's 'teeth' are pressed into the strap by a folding piece of metal.
- There is no need for belt holes because the system allows for minute adjustments.
O-ring/D-ring buckle
- The buckle is made up of one or two rings.
- Threading through them secures the belt.
- Used casually with braided, webbing, and canvas belts.
Snap buckle
- The 'male' and 'female' ends connect like a seat belt.
- Outdoor pursuits apparel is frequently informal and functional.
- This is not to be confused with snap belts.
Sizing your Leather Belt
When buying online, determining the size of your belt can be challenging because each business does it differently.
At Peroz, we recommend ordering a size larger than your pant waist size when choosing a leather belt. For example, if you normally wear a size 34, order a size 36 to ensure a proper fit on the third loop of the belt tail. You can read more about belt size guide here.
Care and storage
If you get your leather or suede belt dirty, the first thing you should do is use a soft cloth and warm water to see if you can remove the stain. If it's tough and won't come out with simply water, you might need to use some leather cleanser and a cloth to get it really clean.
Once the mark or stain has been removed, use a leather conditioner to replenish the oils that the cleaner removed. Simply apply the conditioner with a gentle, clean cloth and leave it for 15-30 minutes to absorb.
What belt to wear for formal occasions?
Dress belts can only be made of leather (or a really good synthetic leather if you're vegetarian).
Black and brown are the most formal leather colours; other colours you might find towards the smart-casual end of formal belts for summer are oxblood, tan, navy, grey, and white.
When wearing a formal belt, make sure to match the belt and shoe leathers, as well as the metal in your suit. Your belt should be the same colour as your shoes and other leather accessories, as well as the same level of shine. The metal buckle should match the rest of your metal accessories.
What belt to wear for casual events?
For casual situations, you should still match your metals, but you have more discretion with the leathers — brown with tan or tan with white is fine.
What style of belt should you wear with your jeans? In a pinch, you can even wear your formal belt with jeans. It doesn't look quite right, but it's where most men's belt collections begin.
Why doesn't it look right? To begin, formal belt leather is typically polished and smooth, whereas informal belt leather is tough and matte.
Second, casual leather work belts are wider, stronger, and stiffer than leather dress belts, making them ideal for concealed carry. They're often designed to accept interchangeable buckles, which might range from frame-style to cowboy buckles.
Larger belt buckles are less formal. Dress belts are often fastened with a small frame-style buckle. Casual belts can have nearly any buckle as long as it matches the outfit's style (for example, you might want to wear cowboy boots with that cowboy buckle.)
Where to Buy a Good High Quality Leather Belt Online?
No matter what your personal style is like, at Peroz we try to offer a huge selection of classic and modern belt designs in variety of colours, material, and sizes to totally complete your look. Whether you're after an everyday belt that will go with most outfits or a versatile woven stretch belt, Peroz has belts for every occasion. Browse our wide range of casual & formal men’s belts or women's belts online today and order your favourite pieces today.
Read More:
How To Measure Your Belt Size?
Tips for Cleaning Leather Accessories
