Men & Belts: 4 Mistakes to Avoid

August 11, 2010, By Charles Manley 7 comments

For 10 years after college, I collected belts. Once every couple of years a relative would send me a new leather belt. They were usually black, as most of my conservative relatives knew nothing about my career as a liquor salesman.

I also acquired belts from friends. A roommate would move out and leave the leather strap behind on the floor or on a closet shelf. Other times I'd borrow one from a friend before heading out for the evening. I'd forget to return it and it would join my collection of cracked, worn and obscenely cheap looking belts.

I was thin, my weight never fluctuated and I adopted a casual appearance and demeanor for selling booze in a college town. I made sales by appearing indifferent and chill in an environment populated by desperate, overly stressed, heavy smoking salesmen. I never tucked in my shirt and usually wore polo or tennis shirts. I made a killing. A belt was superfluous.

But that was my 20s. Since then I've left the college life and the college town. My weight fluctuates with the strength of my familial relationships. And there's nothing more desperate than trying to look and act 25 when you're pushing 40.

Now a belt features prominently in my everyday attire. I have purged all of the ratty, dated and cheap looking belts from my closet. I only keep one from that era, the first gift I ever received from a girlfriend. I sometimes wear it on the weekends, weight permitting. I've told my wife about it; she assures me she doesn't mind. She's well aware of my Proustian love affair with nostalgia and the past.

How to Shop for Men's Belts

One of the nicest aspects of belts is that very little fashion sense is required. The simpler the better. A classic black or brown leather belt never goes out of style. The flashier and more fashionable the belt, the shorter its lifespan.

A full belt arsenal is comprised of a dress black belt, a casual black belt, a dress brown belt and a casual brown belt. Depending on how you dress, four belts may even be too many.

If you dress like Dog the Bounty Hunter with puffy, pleated acid-wash jeans, neon tank top and bleached mullet, then by all means wear whatever belt you like. Neon yellow and camouflage cloth belts are perfect for you, and rope belts -- beautiful.

If you leave your house by speed boat and are never seen in public without a silk shirt and pleated, finely pressed linen trousers, then a thin (1 inch thick or less), really shiny alligator skin model is your "go to" belt. You may want to change before you leave the set of Miami Vice, but the choice is yours.

The large, turquoise, bejeweled belt buckle is a strong contender for another belt option. It makes a great thumb rest and draws attention to what you're packing.

NEXT: What to Look for in a Belt