Belt it Up!

Oh man, what the power of a belt can do for you. Several people comment that I wear belts all the time in all kinds of ways. What can I say? I just cannot help myself. Great belts are everywhere! And sometimes, the best ones are found when digging through your closet! Many of you might know that I am a hard core follower of What Not to Wear. Well, as Stacey and Clinton would say, "A belt worn the right way accentuates the best part of you." I just love wearing belts around my waist. They pull so many outfits together! You can use belts with cocktail clothing items and simple cotton tshirts. There are endless possibilities. Please, if you are going to buy yourself any kind of staple for your wardrobe this year, make it a belt. It can do so many things in so many ways. Here are a few examples of what I have done with ONE belt that I got from the clearance rack at Anthropologie. Go forth and belt up your bod!

On Outfits:

All three of these are outfits I have worn before. I bought every item in these photos on clearance. Shop the clearance racks! For a little bit of digging, you can find so many neat things. Sorry I didn't just try them on for you and have someone else take a picture. I will describe them below.

Outfit 1: Kakhi skirt, solid cotton shirt, belt around top of skirt

This outfit would be great with tights and boots or flats. Simply tuck the shirt into the skirt and place the belt on top.

Outfit 2: Cream silk top, navy dress pants, belt around highest part of waist

This is a great outfit for work or a dressy school activity-pair with brown flats

Outfit 3: Little black dress and belt around waist

Yes, I admit it, over time I have changed my ways about pairing black and brown together. The color combination has really grown on me. I love this for dressy occasions. I wore it with brown boots and dark purple tights.

I don't want you to think that if you have nothing similar to these outfits that you cannot make it work. It is fine to use a belt of almost any kind with almost any outfit. Just EXPERIMENT!! TJ Maxx and Target are great to find belts on a budget. Also, if you do have a lot of belts but not all will fit around your waist, do yourself a favor and get a leather hole puncher. I got mine at Lowe's for just a few dollars and it was totally worth it. I have punched holes in belts for friends as well as transformed all of my belts to different sizes. Above is a picture of that so you know what to look for. Some of you might have one of these around your house.