Belts are probably the most neglected accessory in my wardrobe. It’s not that I don’t like them, I just don’t factor them into an outfit very often. When I do wear a one, it’s usually a wide, waist-cinching belt. Skinny belts on jeans are just another thing to have to undo when going to the bathroom! A lot of my summer dresses have fabric belts, but I consider them a part of the dress rather than an additional accessory.
When Shelbee chose “Put a Belt On It” for April’s Thrifty Six theme, I struggled to come up with an outfit that included both a pre-loved garment and belt. The only outfits I could think of were two that I’ve used for previous Thrifty Six challenges. One was a brown vintage dress (seen here and here), and the other is this gold vintage jacket, leopard print trousers and lime bow blouse. When I originally wore it, I was surprised by how much I liked it, but haven’t worn it since. So Shelbee’s prompt gave me an opportunity to recreate it. The only things I’ve changed are the shoes and bag.
SHOP THE LOOK
Vintage jacket from eBay | The Hippie Shake blouse | Asos trousers (old) | River Island bag | SkinnyDip London sunglasses | Yaa Yaa London ring | Guess trainers | belt from a charity shop
“This was an 80’s vintage dress, now cut to make a blouse – I’ve removed the skirt, leaving this stunning peplum – peplums being bang on trend right now!
To exaggerate the silhouette, I’ve added an original 1950’s waspie which acts as a belt nipping in the waist to create a perfect hourglass.
I’ve further enhanced the effect using a waist cincher belt with a huge statement bow at the front.
Peplum, waspie and waist cincher together create this dramatic Alexis Colby inspired ensemble – I’m back in the early 80’s, fresh off the set of Dynasty…
‘Put a belt on it’ is the T6 theme for April – I did just that, in fact, I did it twice!!!”
“I had to get creative for this challenge because I’m not a belt person and I don’t have any that fit me right now. So I used an old thin green woven leather belt (which I had kept because it was so pretty) to create a leather scarf ring. I tied the two ends of the long thrifted scarf together, then wrapped it twice around my neck like a faux infinity scarf. Then I wound the belt around the scarf and buckled it to make a scarf ring look. I thought it turned out really well! It definitely added more interest and texture to my scarf (yes, now even my scarves wear “jewelry” ha!).
I liked how the lime green color of the belt picked up that color in the scarf and related it to the aloe green pants I’m wearing. The scarf is the only thrifted piece in my outfit, but the clothes and shoes are such old favorites that the outfit’s total cost per wear was only $4.62, and $3.00 of that was the recently purchased scarf – I’d say that’s pretty thrifty! “
“I’m a huge fan of these wide, elastic belts, and I found this one at a vintage shop. Of course, my maximalism brain said I should decorate it with a necklace and earrings. The dress and shoes are all thrifted, also.”
“Recently, macrame belts have been popping up all over the place and I am definitely here for it! I found this brown beaded macrame belt on a thrifting adventure not too long ago and it is proving to be quite handy. I belted a newly thrifted dress layered beneath a newly thrifted robe for a cool print mix in earthy tones and added two preloved wooden necklaces and a pair of flea market leopard print earrings.
But I didn’t just belt my dress, I also belted my hat with an old brown braided belt. I love using belts as hat bands to add a unique detail and better coordinate my hats with my outfits. I was going to also attach a belt to a handbag as a purse strap but I got lazy and skipped the third belt. But I figured two belts would satisfy our thrifty theme! But keep in mind that belts aren’t necessarily just for your waist. You can get creative and belt anything you’d like!”
“I bought this Diane von Furstenberg top on Vinted, or perhaps in Lewes, England, I don’t remember it correctly. I loved this wrap top and wore it until it was to ugly from washing and wearing. This skirt was a high waist and the wrap straps goot in the way of the skirt. So I used the straps as a belt!”
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The green of the blouse is absolutely delicious! This was definitely an outfit that has earned a re-wear.
I love the combination of lime green and leopard print…something I wouldn’t think to do! But, it’s just so good together. I agree about belts. Sometimes, they are just a nuisance. Other times, they’re good to define the waist.
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