Don’t Make Me Get My Belt

The title of this post was something I heard a lot as a kid… but fear not it is not on whether corporal punishment is appropriate for young kids.  This is about the style trend of going beltless.  I know trends aren’t something that is generally endorsed for guys here at Dd, but this is something worth discussing. 

Recently, I posted about dress pants (trousers if you will) and how undervalued they have become in men’s closets.  I debated internally whether or not to post a belt in the look and ultimately I vetoed it.  I think rocking trousers with no belt is so clean you GOTTA do it.  Generally speaking, you shouldn’t need to wear a belt with your dress pants/trousers (or other pants for that matter).  Belts should be an accessory akin to a watch or tie: while not needed, you still look damn good when you wear one.  Going belt-less can provide a very clean look, particularly this Fall if you are wearing a sweater over a button down you don’t want the fabric to bunch at your midsection from a belt.  Pants with either tab fronts (like the one’s above) or side tabs tend to look the best for going without a belt.  For the daring, having the belt loops removed from tab front pants can look KILLER.  Dan T. aka The Style Blogger has done all the above.  Pants with front and side tabs, hold the belt loops.  Super clean:

Here Maxwell rocks the front tabs with the belt loops and no belt, still cooler than sipping a milkshake in a snow storm:

It is a little hard to tell to the untrained eye, but Jay Baruchel is layered up without a belt and you don’t get a lot of fabric bunching up in the front because of a buckle:

One group of men that going belt-less can greatly help is shorter men.  Wearing a belt cuts your frame in half, making you appear shorter.  Without the belt, you have cleaner lines and it allows the eye to travel more fluidly down your silhouette making you appear taller.  If you are larger and have a bit of a gut, belts can constrict you below your stomach making it appear Bigger. Big guys, particularly ones that aren’t super big, should try to go belt-less with higher waisted pants or try rocking suspenders.  

 Going belt-less isn’t for everyone, though.  If you are very tall (6’5”+), wearing a belt will help divide your build so you won’t appear as freakishly tall as people may think you are.  Being 6’3, I’m on the fringe so sometimes I rock belts:

and sometimes I don’t:

(I know it’s hard to tell… but there is no belt in this pic)