The four kinds of belt every woman needs in her wardrobe
Until last year, I hadn't really owned a belt since the super wide one I slung low on my hips over a boho mini dress and American Apparel leggings in the late 2000's. These were, in my defence, my uni years; the years of Kate Moss for Topshop, when UGG boots were cool and Sienna Miller in Alfie was firmly on all our mood boards. In the years that have lapsed since my (ahem, fabulously stylish) university days, designers showed little more than a tepid interest in making brilliant belts, and as a result they took something of a backseat in our wardrobes. Until recently that is.
'The belt is an essential accessory, yet it was being completely overlooked in the luxury market,' says Paris-based designer Erin Webb (who's also one half of the duo behind cult outerwear label Nour Hammour), who decided to launch luxury belt line Déhanche in 2021 after sensing a gap in the market: 'I wanted belts that felt sculptural and architectural, belts without logos that could stand alone as an occasion accessory, or an understated design that added a polish to my everyday dressing.' Her timing was immaculate: Kendall Jenner wore the brand's 'Hutch' style before Webb had even officially launched the brand, catapulting Déhanche to cool-girl status.
Luxury designers have also retrained their attention on our middles, with several designs, such as Khaite's sellout Benny belt, become instant cult pieces. 'Belts have really made a return to the runway in recent seasons,' says stylist Rosie Arkell-Palmer. 'Long leather belts with tailoring have practically become house codes at Dior and Michael Kors while Chemena Kamali's new Chloé girl would be nothing without her eponymous gold belt slung over long lace dresses.' At Net-a-Porter, searches for belts have increased by 184 per cent in the last six months. Most popular within that are chain belts, search for which is up 328 per cent in the same period, while some of the most searched-for brands are Toteme (up 313 per cent), Bottega Veneta (up 298 per cent) and Chloé, whose aforementioned chain belts boosted search by 268 per cent.
If you're a belt beginner, it's best to start with neutral colours and classic designs in good quality leather and suede. And while there's no need to blow the holiday budget, it's worth investing a bit, as a well-made leather belt really will last decades. 'No wardrobe is complete without an androgynous black leather belt, a studded brown belt, some sort of skinny waist belt and a gold metal chain belt,' says Arkell-Palmer. 'Between those four you will have something to go with every outfit, just always be sure to match your shoe leather to your belt leather.' I also like to match the colour of my jewellery, whether gold or silver, to that of the belt hardware, but I'll admit that's peak belt geekery.
Once you've got the basics you can experiment with more structural or decorated pieces and even play with the double belting – or belt stacking – trend we saw at Miu Miu, Schiaparelli and Ralph Lauren's spring/summer 2025 runways. 'When styling my clients, I love using a belt tied tight around an oversized blazer to create shape at the waist and elongate the legs, or a gold chain belt worn low at the hip over a slinky slip dress,' continues Arkell-Palmer. 'Another easy way to add a point of interest is by layering two belts with a pencil skirt or suit trousers as seen at Miu Miu and Prada.'
Webb has noticed that once her customers own one of the more classic styles they often return to purchase more sculptural, less quotidian pieces like the Brancusi or Undone Corset, which feel more directional. 'It's this journey of confidence,' she says, 'what starts as 'I need a belt' becomes 'I'm a belt person now.''
The four belts every woman needs
The essential black belt
If you buy just one belt, then opt for a simple black leather or suede buckle style that will work hard in your wardrobe, adding polish to dark denim and black tailored trousers. A gold buckle is most popular but if you wear a lot of silver jewellery consider going for a matching metal.
The brown suede belt
When it comes to smartening up blue denim, a brown belt looks infinitely better than anything black. Opt for suede, but to keep the vibe classic, avoid any oversized buckles, which can veer towards rodeo. A pale brown belt can also look gorgeous on summer whites and pale hued tailoring.
The decorative waist belt
Once you've got your belt loops covered, a waist belt is a great addition to your wardrobe. Whether you opt for a skinny style to wrap over simple dresses or something chunkier to cinch blazers, this is one where you can experiment with more sculptural details and even colour.
The gold chain belt
A chain belt is your summer dressing BFF. Give your favourite floaty dress or maxi skirt some added boho cool by slinging a chain belt over your hips or use a jangly chain to make more figure-hugging dresses feel cooler. This season the real style pros are even using chain belts to add an offbeat charm to tailored shorts – just add a white tank and strappy heels.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
‘I'm going to Hollywood' – Micah Richards opens up on Tom Cruise acting class before Alan Shearer shuts down film dream
MICAH RICHARDS has opened up on his impromptu acting lesson with Hollywood legend Tom Cruise. Richards, 36, found himself rubbing shoulders with the acting icon as part of CBS' Champions League final coverage on their new show 'Beckham and Friends'. The new show throws together David Beckham and his A-list pals with the CBS football regulars such as Richards, Kate Abdo, Thierry Henry and Jamie Carragher. And when Tom Cruise joined the crew for PSG's dominant 5-0 thrashing of Inter Milan in the Champions League final, the Mission Impossible star took the time to lend some acting tips to Richards. Former Man City and England ace Richards cheekily asked Cruise if he would help him learn how to play sad, a contrast to his usually energetic personality. And the four-time Oscar nominee made sure to give him his best advice, telling Richards to bow his head and look down to achieve his best sad look. Now Richards has opened up on the unbelievable moment while chatting to Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer on the Rest is Football podcast - telling them he reckons he has what it takes to hit the silver screen. He said: "[Cruise told me to] put your head down a little bit, lower your eyes, chin down. "And I nailed it! I nailed it guys, I'm going to Hollywood!" Lineker joked: "I'm starting to cry, Micah. It's so real". 5 5 Before Shearer brought Richards crashing back down to earth, telling him he's too jolly to play sad. He added: "You can't do sad! You're the happiest man in the world". Lineker, Richards and Shearer aren't all laughs and jokes, with the trio recently landing a major deal for their popular podcast. Lineker, who has stepped down from the BBC, has now agreed a deal with DAZN that will see the podcast broadcast highlights of the upcoming Club World Cup. The show will air the best bits from matches in the video version of the podcast. DAZN chief Pete Oliver said: "The Rest Is Football is essential viewing and listening for fans who want insight, entertainment, and personality. "This partnership is a brilliant way to bring the Fifa Club World Cup even closer to that audience. 'It's about connecting global football with the voices fans trust and love, and showing the tournament in a fresh, exciting, and authentically British way.' The revamped Club World Cup begins on June 15 and is being held in the US, featuring teams like Real Madrid, Man City, Chelsea and Inter Miami. 5
The Sun
4 hours ago
- The Sun
Putin's secret daughter, 22, ‘working in anti-war art gallery in Paris' after ‘ditching tyrant's name'
VLADIMIR Putin's alleged secret daughter is reportedly working at two Parisian art galleries that showcase anti-war exhibitions. Elizaveta Krivonogikh, 22 – also known as Luiza Rozova and now Elizaveta Rudnova – is said to be rubbing shoulders with Russian dissidents and Ukrainian artists in the French capital. 6 6 6 6 Reports say she is working at L Galerie in Belleville and Espace Albatros in Montreuil, despite being the daughter of a regime responsible for the war they oppose. Both galleries are said to be known for exhibiting anti-war art, according to outlet Meduza, citing a Russian artist. She also reportedly dropped the Putin-linked name and adopted one tied to Oleg Rudnov, a late Vlad ally - in an apparent attempt to mask her ties to the Kremlin tyrant. Her role as gallery manager includes helping organise shows and make videos, and it has seemed to spark fury among exiled Russians and Ukrainians. Artist Nastya Rodionova, who fled Russia in 2022, said she couldn't stay silent. In a Facebook post, she wrote: 'It's important to say that I believe in the presumption of innocence and that children are not responsible for the crimes of their parents. 'But with the war reaching its heights it is inadmissible to allow a person who comes from a family of beneficiaries of [Putin's] regime to come into confrontation with the victims of that regime. 'We need to know who we are working with and decide whether we are ready for that. My personal answer in this case is no.' Dmitry Dolinsky, director of L Association that controls Studio Albatros and L Galerie, defended Rudnova's role. He told The Times: 'She looks like Putin but so do 100,000 other people. I haven't seen a DNA test.' Some insiders back her, calling her a 'cultured person' and 'excellent worker'. But Rodionova hit back, warning that victims of the war shouldn't be forced to share space with anyone tied to the regime – alleged daughter or not. Rudnova's mother, Svetlana Krivonogikh, was sanctioned by the UK in 2023 and linked to Putin's inner circle by independent Russian media. She reportedly owns property worth $100million and was outed as Putin's former mistress by the Proekt investigative team. Elizaveta vanished from Russian social media shortly before the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. She once flaunted a lavish lifestyle on Instagram, posting photos in designer clothes, sipping champagne, and DJing under the name Luiza Rozova. Ukrainian TV later claimed she was living in Paris with a passport under the name Rudnova, allegedly ditching the patronymic Vladimirovna, which would confirm her father's name as Vladimir. 6 6 Born in March 2003, Elizaveta has never publicly confirmed a link to the Russian tyrant. The Kremlin has never confirmed her existence either. But the timing of her birth, her resemblance to Putin, and her mother's major financial rise have fuelled years of speculation. Kremlin critics say she is part of the hidden empire Putin has built for his inner circle and family. Officially, Putin only acknowledges two daughters, Maria and Katerina, from his marriage to Lyudmila Putina, whom he divorced in 2014. But it's long been rumoured he has more children — including two sons with former gymnast Alina Kabaeva. Who are Vladimir Putin's daughters? VLADIMIR Putin is known for keeping his personal and family life very private, but some details about the tyrant's children have surfaced over the years. Maria Vorontsova (née Putin, born April 28, 1985): His eldest, 39, leads government-funded programs personally overseen by Putin, which have received billions from the Kremlin for genetic research. She is the first of two daughters of Putin and his ex-wife, Lyudmila Putina. Maria is said to be an expert in rare genetic diseases in children, and also dwarfism, according to reports. She was married to Dutch businessman Jorrit Faassen. In 2013, the couple were living in a penthouse in Voorschoten, the Netherlands, but the following year, Dutch residents called for her to be expelled following the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 by pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine. The pair are believed to have moved the Moscow the following year. In March 2022, it was reported that the couple had split after the war in Ukraine crushed Maria's dreams of opening a money-spinning clinic for wealthy foreigners in Russia Katerina Tikhonova (née Putin, born August 31, 1986): Also daughter of Putin and Lyudmila, 38-year-old Katerina is a tech boss whose work supports the Russian government and defence industry. She started as a "rock'n'roll" dancer before moving into the world of artificial intelligence. In 2013, his daughter Katerina married Kirill Shamalov, whose father, Nikolai, is a longtime friend of the president. Nikolai Shamalov is a shareholder in Bank Rossiya, described by US officials as the Russian elite's personal bank. They were married in a secret ceremony at the Igor ski resort just north of St Petersburg. It was reported at the time that the pair rode into the ceremony on a sleigh pulled by three white horses. All the guests invited were sworn to secrecy, and the Kremlin has never confirmed that the wedding took place. "I have a private life in which I do not permit interference," Putin once said. "It must be respected." The couple had corporate holdings worth around $2 billion, according to Reuters, mainly from their large stake in Sibur Holding, a major gas and petrochemical company Kirill bought from another long-time friend of Putin, Gennady Timchenko. Kirill also bought off Timchenko's luxury villa in the seaside resort of Biarritz, southern France, estimated to be worth some $3.7m. In March 2022, the house was taken over by pro-Ukraine activists, in response to Russia's brutal invasion. But Katerina and Kirill divorced in January 2018, with Putin's former son in law rumoured to have been romantically involved with London -based Russian socialite Zhanna Volkova. After the split, Kirill was said to be forced to give up his stocks in Sibur, and he lost almost half his wealth. Their divorce settlement hasn't been disclosed but likely runs into the millions. Despite that, Kirill is still worth an estimated $800 million. Putin was reported to be "quietly grooming" Katerina to be his successor. Vlad is also rumoured to have "hidden" children, though he has never confirmed these reports. Elizaveta Rozova (aka Luiza Rozova): Elizaveta, also known as Luiza Rozova, 21, is the rumoured love child from Putin's alleged affair with a former cleaner. The daughter of Svetlana Krivonogikh, who later became a millionaire, is now a fashion designer and DJ. She often shared details from her lavish life on Instagram, until suddenly taking down the page in the wake of the Ukraine war. Speculation also surrounds his supposed secret family with Alina Kabaeva, a former rhythmic gymnast once known as "the most flexible woman in Russia". Officials have denied that he has kids with Alina, but it is reported that she is in hiding in Switzerland, avoiding any possible sanctions in the wake of the Ukraine war. A petition demanding she is thrown out by the Swiss authorities has garnered 75,000 signatures, demanding that "it's time you reunite Eva Braun with her Führer". Alina retired from gymnastics and took a strange career turn to become a Russian MP. The former athlete - dubbed "Russia's First Mistress" - the Duma, the Russian parliament in 2007, representing her alleged lover's United Russia party but left years later to pick up a lucrative job running a media company, despite having no previous experience. In April, Alina's name and picture was dramatically stripped from the website of the media empire she controlled.
Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Ryan Thomas shares wife's off-screen involvement in Sue Cleaver's Corrie exit
Ryan Thomas spent 16 years on the Corrie set with his mum Eileen, played by Sue Cleaver - so when she finally called it a day on the ITV soap, he was there to send her off Corrie star Ryan Thomas has given his wife Lucy Mecklenburgh a tour around his on-screen childhood home, as he paid tribute to his TV mum Eileen after Sue Cleaver's emotional departure from the soap. Ryan, 40, shares two children with TOWIE star Lucy Meck, but he had already left the show by the time they got together. Ryan spent his teenage years in Weatherfield, having joined the Manchester-based ITV soap in 2000. He stayed until 2016, when his character, builder Jason Grimshaw left the cobbles after being manipulated by his mum Eileen's partner Pat Phelan. But Jason wasn't killed off, and instead emigrated to Thailand, with his mum Eileen mentioning him often on the soap. And with Sue Cleaver finally leaving Corrie for good, he took the opportunity to show Lucy, 33, around the set. Sharing a video on Instagram of Lucy walking through the Grimshaws' living room, he wrote: "I was never with @lucymeck while I was in the show so it was nice to finally show my superfan where I grew up." Another clip showed Sue being given a round of applause, before hugging her on-screen sons Jason and Todd, who was played by Bruno Langley originally, and then Gareth Pierce since 2017. Ryan wrote: "Haven't seen it yet but Eileen/mother departed Weatherfield tonight, gone but never forgotten. "It has been an honour to watch, learn and act alongside you one last time. Can't wait to watch you shine in your next chapter. Love you always." Sue confirmed rumours that Ryan would be returning to the Cobbles for her send off. Speaking on soap podcast Off Script, she said: "I rang Ryan Thomas and I said, 'Ryan, I've not told work yet but I'm gonna leave. Would you come back? I'd really like you to take me out'. "He said, 'I wasn't planning to but I can't refuse that can I'. It just felt really right that he was there. It was lovely having him there. He's not changed at all." Following her final episode on Friday night, Sue's character Eileen was seen leaving for a new life in Thailand, alongside her son Jason. Simon Gregson's character Steve McDonald, Tony Maudsley's George Shuttleworth, and Eileen's son Todd, played by Gareth Pierce, all said goodbye to the matriarch before drivers from the local taxi firm honked their horns as she was driven off. In an Instagram post, Cleaver said: 'Well… that's a wrap. 25 years of laughs, tears, costumes, chaos — and one unforgettable journey. I'll miss this character like crazy, but what a ride it's been. Thank you for every moment.' Sue has played outspoken Eileen in the ITV show since 2000, who started her life in Weatherfield working on the phones at local taxi firm Streetcars. She arrived with her tearaway teenagers Jason and Todd, and became friends with her boss Steve. Sue came third on I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in 2022, where she opened up about reconciling with her birth mother. She also revealed how her family is 'bizarrely interconnected' to other Coronation Street stars, including Helen Worth (who plays Gail Platt) who is godmother to one of her half-sisters. Meanwhile, her other half-sister's husband, John Bowe, appeared on the cobbles as Duggie Ferguson. In 2024, Sue released a book A Work In Progress in which she discusses how she feels she is not past her prime, and has been a panellist on ITV daytime chat show Loose Women.
