How to Wear a Belt (for Young Men)

Co-authored by Paul Julch, MA

Last Updated: September 16, 2022

Wearing a belt not only holds your pants up – it’s a way to pull your outfit together and look grown up. When you’re choosing your belt, you need to make sure it’s the right length and that it’s appropriate for the occasion you’re wearing it for. You should match your belt to the pants and shoes you’re wearing. When you wear your belt, it should fit easily in the belt loops of your pants and sit at your waist.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Selecting a Belt

1
Choose a belt with a little extra length. Whether you’re wearing a dress or casual belt, there should only be a bit of material left over after it’s fastened, around 2 in (5.1 cm) to 4 in (10 cm). You should be able to tuck the end of your belt into the first belt loop on your pants, or the loop on the belt itself.
- You can try on belts in the store to make sure you get the right length.
- You can also choose a belt based on your pant size. If you wear pants with a 34 in (86 cm) waist, choose a belt that’s labeled 36 in (91 cm) to 38 in (97 cm).
- Ideally, you should be able to secure the belt in the third hole. If you go to the 4th or 5th holes, there will be a lot of extra material hanging out; if you only fasten it through the first hole, the end of the belt might not make it to the belt loop.
2
Choose leather belts for formal occasions. You don’t have to get real leather, of course. But your dress belt should look like leather. It looks more formal and will also match your shoes.

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3
Choose cloth belts for everyday wear. A casual, everyday belt can be made of pretty much any material you like. Cloth belts are usually your best bet, just because they’ll match a lot of things (as opposed to something like a snakeskin belt).
- If you want, you can also choose 1 or 2 belts with a funky, fun pattern for casual occasions.
4
Pay attention to the buckle. Belt buckles come in lots of sizes and finishes. In general, the larger a belt buckle is, the more casual the look. Dress belts tend to have smaller buckles. If you’re picking an everyday belt, you can choose a slightly larger buckle. If you’re looking for a belt to wear with dress pants, choose a small buckle.
- Belt widths will correspond to buckle size. So a belt with a large buckle will usually be wider. A dress belt with a smaller buckle will be more narrow.
- Large belt buckles tend to look more casual, while smaller, narrow buckles tend to look more formal.
- You don’t have to match the finish of your buckle exactly. If you tend to wear silver accessories and jewelry, look for silver buckles, but you can also wear gold buckles occasionally.
- Some common belt buckle types include single tongue, webbing, clip on, and clip latch buckles.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Matching Your Belt to Your Outfit

1
Choose your belt’s width by the formality of your pants. If you’re wearing casual pants – light jeans or cargo pants – a wide belt is best. If you’re wearing dressier pants – dress pants, chinos, or dark denim – you should choose a narrower belt.^{[1]
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- Wide here means around 1.5 in (3.8 cm).
- Narrow is around 1.25 in (3.2 cm).
2
Match your belt and shoe color. If you’re wearing black shoes, you should choose a black belt, regardless of width. The same goes for brown shoes – wear a brown belt.^{[2]
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- If you can only afford 1 belt right now, pick a black one. Black will blend in with your pants and you can therefore wear it with pretty much anything. You can also get reversible belts, with 1 black side and 1 brown side, for more variety.
- Your pants should be in the same color family as your shoes. So black or dark blue pants with black shoes, and khakis or lighter gray pants with brown shoes.
3
Match your belt and shoe material. Width and color are the most important things to consider when matching your belt and your outfit. But matching the material of your belt and shoes will make you look even more put together! Wear a leather belt if you’re wearing leather shoes, a canvas belt if you’re wearing canvas shoes, and a suede belt if you’re wearing suede shoes.^{[3]
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- If you’re dressed up, leather or suede shoes and belts are bets.
- If you’re going for a more casual look, a canvas belt with canvas shoes is fine.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Putting on Your Belt

1
Wear your pants at your waist. You’ll need to put your pants on before you can put your belt on. When you pull on your pants, they should sit comfortably at your waist, not around your hips. Your pants should stay in place as you put your belt on.
2
Insert your belt through the left-side loops first. Take the end of your belt, and begin inserting it into your belt loops with the loop on the front left side of your pants. Thread the belt end through each loop, pulling the belt through as you go. Once you reach the last loop, buckle your belt.^{[4]
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- The buckling process will vary based on your belt's type of buckle (single tongue, webbing, etc.).
3
Secure your belt with a single tongue buckle. A single tongue buckle has a prong attached to one side of the frame of the buckle. Thread the end of your belt through your belt loops as you normally would. Then take the end of the belt and push it through the frame of the buckle. When the belt feels tight enough, push the prong through the closest hole in the end of your belt. Then tuck the end of the belt in the closest belt loop.
- To unlatch your buckle, untuck the loose end of the belt, and pull it in the opposite direction until the prong pops out of the hole. Pull the loose end back through the frame of the buckle, then pull the belt back through your belt loops.
4
Use a webbing buckle for everyday wear. Thread your belt through your belt loops as usual. Then thread the end of the belt up through the middle of the buckle frame, between the loop of fabric permanently attached to the belt, and the post used to secure the loose end. Once it's threaded through, fold the loose end over the post, then under the outside of the frame, pulling on the end until it feels tight. Tuck the loose end of your belt into another belt loop.
- Unlatch your buckle by taking the loose end of the belt out of your belt loops. Then thread it back up over the post and down through the middle of the belt. Then pull the belt out through your belt loops.
5
Wear a clip on buckle for casual occasions. Thread your belt through your belt loops. Then slide the loose end of your belt between the top of your buckle and the bottom of the frame. Once it's pulled tight, clip the buckle down to secure the belt. Tuck the loose end of your belt into the closest belt loop.
- To unlatch your belt, lift up on the clip. This should free the belt. Then pull the loose end back through the buckle and then through your belt loops.
6
Secure your belt with a clip latch belt. A clip latch belt looks a lot like a seat belt. Thread your belt through your belt loops. Then insert the protruding end of the belt (the end you threaded through your belt loops) into the buckle. You should hear a click when the belt is secure. To make the belt tighter, pull on the loose end of the belt attached to the part you inserted into the buckle.
- The clip of your buckle should have a button on the top or side. Press it to release the end of the belt that clicked in to the buckle. Then pull the loose end of your belt through your belt loops.

Expert Q&A

Question

What size belt should I buy?

Paul Julch, MA
Personal Wardrobe Stylist & Speaker
Paul Julch is a Personal Wardrobe Stylist, Speaker, and the founder of Urbanite | Suburbanite, a wardrobe styling business in the San Francisco Bay Area. With over 25 years in the fashion industry, Paul works with clients to make getting dressed easier, less time consuming, and more enjoyable. Paul has years of experience in retail visual merchandising - styling windows, displays, and floor sets for Banana Republic, Gap, and Express. He also has experience styling fashion photo shoots and corporate videos. Paul holds a BS Degree in Management from State University of New York at Binghamton, an MA in Clinical Psychology from Long Island University. He also studied Interior Design at the University of California, Berkeley.

Paul Julch, MA

Personal Wardrobe Stylist & Speaker

Expert Answer

Buy a belt that's one size bigger than your waist. So, if you have a 32 waist, you'd get a 34 belt; if you have a 34 waist, you'd get a 36 belt.
Question

Does it matter which way I thread the belt through the loops?

Community Answer

Both clockwise and counterclockwise will be functional. Clockwise means that you start at the loop just to the right of the button and end at the loop just to the left, whereas counterclockwise is the other way around. Traditionally in the US, men thread their belts counterclockwise and women thread their belts clockwise.
Question

Should I still where a belt if my pants fit properly, or just go about my day?

Community Answer

A man should always wear a belt, even if it's not needed to hold the pants up.