I went on a big belt deep dive to see what’s new out there and also how to think about them from a styling perspective. Seems to me like belts fall into either one of three buckets; timeless ones that polish off an outfit, statement making ones that can help elevate basics or as an outfit maker with blazers, dresses or skirt.

When it comes to the basics, I love a clean untextured leather with an astute belt buckle. Something about how clean these one’s are that I think usually work well to polish off an outfit. I think it’s really important to have a black, dark brown and white (or nude) option in your collection. It would be nice to have them all with both silver and gold hardware too…personal goals. This is a category I’m in major need of, especially because I like to wear belts a lot! Especially one’s that polish off a look. I have one simple black suede Chanel belt that I wear all the time and I just picked up a clean black leather Ferragamo one with silver hardware on The Real Real!

I personally like wider belts for every day wear, either 1 or 1 1/2″ in width. Some people like skinner belts with jeans but I think width helps give me some shape because I have such a short torso.

Statement belts are all the rage right now! I can’t get enough of the chunky hardware, reptile leathers and edgy studs. Any of these would take your basics from ordinary to extraordinary! These remind me of so many of the good vintage belts I’ve seen over the years. Always worth having a handful in your closet to spruce up a day you’re feeling like you need it. If you’re on a budget, Madewell has an amazing assortment right now! And also of course, this is what my vintage belt collection is all about.

Whenever I think of skinny or 1 1/2″+ wide belts, I automatically think they look best with a flowy dress, oversized sweater or blazer. What I’ve found from experience here is making sure you have a clothing item in mind for styling before you splurge on one of these types of belts, otherwise you’ll probably never wear it!

Below I curated a bunch of options from around the web and organized them by sensibility. Hopefully this gives you some inspiration for your collection!