Hey everyone! You get an extra post from me this week in honor of turning one of my earlier posts into a video!
If you’re a long time reader, you’ll remember when I had an epiphany about belts last spring. Since it was such a great tip (and we apple-shaped women need all the tips we can get!) I decided to put it out in video format too.
If the video does not appear, please click here.
And here is the original post in case you missed it last spring!
The Belt: Friend or Foe?
As an apple-shaped woman, I’ve heard contradicting advice about wearing belts. “Wear it to create an illusion of a waist”. “Don’t wear a belt unless you want to attract attention to your midsection.” Since one reason I started this blog was to try to find accurate advice for our shape, I decided to try it out.
I love it!
I have only one belt because I have not tucked a shirt in in a long time. It is a completely elastic “shirt” belt that only has a metal buckle and some stiff plastic around the metal and the rest is elastic. You have seen me wear it here. When I discovered how well it looked in that outfit (purely by goofing around with different articles of clothing I already owned) I thought it was a fluke. However, when I pulled out this dress (one I haven’t worn in a year because I caught a glimpse of myself in a reflection and it looked so bad, like I was wearing a tent) I gave it a try. I’m loving it with the belt!
There were so many good pictures I had to choose from and a couple where I looked so thin it looked like I had lost weight! And because I felt that was more trickery with the camera than reality, I didn’t include them, but seeing them makes me think this whole belt magic is real! It is definitely an illusion though, because I feel if you could see the sides of my waist, I would look like a belt around a pumpkin! But, because the blazer hides my sides and back, your mind is thinking I have this small, hourglass waist. It also definitely reined in the dress so it no longer looked like a tent!
Here is the view from the side, so you know I’m not losing this apple shape! While we were photographing I kept feeling the belt migrate upwards (I placed it at my natural waist) so I did have to occasionally adjust it downwards and I think if your tummy underneath the belt sticks out further then try a looser belt or a bigger buckle. I definitely didn’t want to look pregnant with the belt so I think having a wide belt and a big buckle, which holds back the tide, is key!
This whole outfit is old but similar blazer here, here or in peach here or light blue or vest here. Dress is old but similar here and here.
Here is a detail shot of the blazer. It has those notched collars that I love and it has a textured collar which is a nice touch. This blazer is one made out of that “scuba” fabric which is a dense polyester that doesn’t wrinkle and has a lot of structure but no hems. In fact, when I bought this blazer the arms were too long so I just cut them with a pair of scissors! Instant tailoring!
So, I’d say I’m going to be trying out more belts in the future — fun!
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13 Comments
Thank you for giving a re-think to an old dressing concept. A long time ago, concluded that no belts were the best look or only very small belts when the outfit absolutely required a belt. Now, wondering whether there is a better balance and proportion in the big belt….off to the clearance rack to experiment with a new perspective. Appreciate your insight!
I totally hear you JoAnne! I was the same way, but when I caught my reflection in a window and the dress was billowing out, I thought I have to find a way to make this dress acceptable. The belt was a happy accident!
I’m so glad you showed this Julia!!
My step mom (the 60’s model on my blog) doesn’t like to wear belts either. But she’s also short waisted. I’ve gotten her to wear them a couple of times—sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t.
Remind me will you? How tall are you? I’d love to send her this post, just to give her a different perspective!!
jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
I am 5’2″ on a good day! Really, just have her hide her sides under another jacket or sweater and try it at home. Then she can see the “magic”! Thanks for popping by Jodie!
Oh my gosh. Thank you so much for posting this video and the original post. I tell people all the time to add a belt, and always get comments from women who say they can’t wear belts! They don’t seem to understand that adding a great stretchy belt and a jacket or sweater gives you the illusion of a waist. AND you can make your waist be anywhere you want it to be! My fashion life changed when I realized I could wear a sleeveless and/or shift or tent dress….expanded my options by about a million times. Keep preaching the word! 🙂
Yes Susan! The only thing is so many of us have been told that once you don’t have that slim waist you need to hide it. I can totally work with the illusion!
Once again you look amazing. You’re making me totally rethink this belt thing. So much so that I’m going to go and rumage and see if I still have a belt like this. Good location too! Is the belt comfy to wear even when sitting for a bit?
Yes, totally. It’s just an elastic belt with enough strength to hang on without being too tight. Good luck Joan!
I’m a recent visitor to your blog (which I’m loving) and want to thank you for this great tip, Julia. I’m experimenting with belts a little currently, undeterred by hubby constantly hinting that I look like a sack tied in the middle with a piece of rope! Your idea of the third piece may just swing it for me.
Ugh husbands! Mine always says things like that and usually when we’re walking out the door to someplace important. I think the key is to hide the sides and make sure the belt just sits there without denting in. Good luck and thank you so much for commenting!
Julia, so excited was I that I put an outfit together and I’ve drafted a post up on it. Are you OK for me to link to this post? I don’t think I quite pulled it off but I gave it a good go!!!
Yes! I’m happy! Go for it!