7 Inspired Ways To Wear A Belt, Straight From The NYFW Runways

Season after season, the runways provide a glimpse into what will be popular amongst the fashion set in the very near future, from certain colors (next fall is all about bright red, BTW) to specific silhouettes (keep your eyes open for asymmetric hemlines in six months). But need-to-know trends are only part of the equation; it’s also about how you wear them. For example, this February’s New York Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2023 was packed with belts — and every designer (with a little help from their runway stylists) had a fresh approach to styling the classic piece.

Take Michael Kors, for example, who sent a slew of models out wearing super-wide leather belts adorned with silver hardware (another major theme at the shows this week) over understated midi dresses and jumpsuits, giving the looks just the right amount of oomph. Then there was Luar, who offered trusty winter coats some flair by way of a glamorously cinched waist. And at Khaite, the styling piece was artfully worn with its buckle undone, and slanted at a downward angle.

Intrigued? Keep scrolling to find these looks, plus a few more of-the-moment ways to make your belt the main event of an outfit, as illustrated by the New York runways.

A belt over bare skin? Yes, that’s about to be a thing, at least if Brandon Maxwell has anything to say about it. At the designer’s show, this was seen in the form of a skinny belt front and center on the model’s stomach (and what looks to be a part of the cropped, skin-revealing jacket).

Sometimes your 9-to-5 blazer needs a little jazzing up. Fortunately, according to Proenza Schouler, all that’s required to spruce up an office look is a super-skinny belt. Then, up the cool factor by double (or triple) knotting the accessory.

While your skirt may not require a belt, why not work one into the look? Khaite declared this elevated accessorizing approach officially of-the-moment by teaming a gold and black piece with a flared midi.

Here’s a great entry point to the trend: Put on your belt as you normally would, but keep it a bit looser to for a casual look. And feel free to go light on jewelry since the accessory can easily carry an outfit on its own, as proven above at Tory Burch.

If you’ve never considered wearing your belt over a puffer jacket, Luar makes a strong case for the combination here. (Another model from the show had the accessory wrapped around the arms, which may make reaching for the top shelf in the grocery store a tad tricky, but it sure did look cool.)

A blazer can easily moonlight as a mini dress, especially when adding a belt to cinch it in. Simkhai proved this outfit idea worth trying by placing an XXL belt over a structured suit jacket. Consider adding tights or trousers to the look in the winter, and ditch the pants come mid-spring.

As mentioned, the statement belts seen at Michael Kors took centerstage. Here, the attention-grabbing extra gives the model’s simple yet sleek jumpsuit a whole new attitude. So next time you need an elevated outfit in a pinch, reach for a belt. Easy enough, huh?