The Belt: Friend or Foe?

Hey everyone! 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.

belt outfit for apple shapeWith this outfit, 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!

belt outfit for apple shape

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 re-think this whole belt thing. It is definitely an illusion though because I feel if you could see the sides of my waist it 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 definitely reined in the dress so it no longer looked like a tent!

belt outfit for apple shape

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!

belt outfit for apple shapeThis whole outfit is old but blazer is from Tahari and dress is from JJill.

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!

These photos were taken at Michigan State University’s gardens. So many beautiful gardens and more photos to come in the future! Linking up with these ladies at Shopping My Closet and Sydney Fashion Hunter 

I do not have any affiliation with any of the brands or stores nor do I receive any compensation. I’m just sharing what I’ve learned.

You may also like

4 Comments

  1. LOL about the sleeves! I often take scissors to my clothing, so I’m happy to know I’m not alone.

    In fact, the joke in my house is the time my husband came to me w/ a quizzical look on his face to ask what those “things” were in the bathroom trash — they were cap sleeves I’d just cut off a new dress. 😉

    On to the belt — I like it! I can see that “reining in” the tent has a slimming effect. I don’t own a belt but might play around with a scarf to at least get an idea if it might work for me. Thanks for the (continued) inspiration!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.