On a current journey to the shopping mall, I popped into Free People and was quickly catapulted right back to my high school days, thanks to one accessory in particular: the big, chunky belt. I ‘d currently gotten a taste of my teenage wardrobe thanks to Aritzia’s current fondness for the gauzy white maxi skirt, however the vintage-inspired belt was the nail in the proverbial coffin of my youth.
When I say huge belt, I’m not discussing the thick waist belts of the late 2000s and early 2010s, where you ‘d cinch a giant black or white elastic belt over your long-sleeved tunic and skinny denims to highlight your waist even when it made no sense– though with how quick patterns are moving, that’s not far off. Nope, we’re speaking about low-slung, western belts normally made from huge leather circles that we wrapped around the previously mentioned grassy field skirts for a faux-Sienna Miller cool woman appearance that was plainly ideal for fourth-period health class..
Seeing the abovementioned belt in the Free People window made me lastly sympathize with my mom, who recoiled when my friends and I wanted bell bottoms and ’70s floral print dresses in the mid- ’90s. With the resurgence of the big belt, the polarizing patterns of my youth are formally, formally back– and I’m not exactly sure how to feel about it. I’ll unload that and the trend itself ahead.
The Trend
It should come as not a surprise that the big belt is making its victorious return, considered that all things Y2K are back in a huge way (even Von Dutch trucker hats). When I was a teen, the worthless belt was a TRL mainstay; everybody from Beyoncé to Hilary Duff to Shakira wore a version. We combined them with tank tops, sweeping meadow skirts, freight trousers (and heels, obviously), incredibly lowrise denims, and gaucho pants.
The belt, which has its roots in the concho belts worn by Native Americans in the 1800s, likewise echoed comparable patterns of the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s, but the 2000s evolution in all its bold, bedazzled magnificence was the ideal device for the “anything goes” mindset of the years where a dress over denims was the height of style. Its loud, “Here I am!” POV fit right in throughout the dawn of truth TV and red carpets, not to point out the early days of music festival chic..
Due to the fact that I could not get the big belt off my mind, I asked my Instagram fans for their memories of said trend. “I don’t want to discuss it!” replied one. “Sometimes I would wear two belts slung around my hips,” wrote another. “I actually wore that monstrosity with bell bottoms and a hoodie and an extremely long tank leading completely,” reminisced another. Clearly, this thing made an effect.
There were numerous variations on the huge belt pattern at the time; you might rock the leather “link” or “disc” design for a real statement, the metal and chain version, or the somewhat more subdued woven leather design with a vibrant buckle, preferably in a metallic gold or bronze color. The common denominator, no matter your design, was that it was worn low and over your belt loops, serving absolutely no function.
Where You’ve Seen It
Like all polarizing patterns from 20 years earlier, the ineffective belt has actually found new fans on TikTok, and it’s back in our collective consciousness in the nick of time for summertime. Some of the belts in concern are thrifted discovers from folks like me who wore the trend the first time around and were certainly prepared to ditch it, while others bought the 2023 version from and other trend-forward retailers.
While early 2000s-inspired styles like coin, western, and even shell belts are trending slung low over gowns and jeans, some designers and TikTokers are taking things even further, adding useless belts and buckles to mini skirts and bra tops, often even replacing the leading completely. Miu Miu, for instance, sent out designs down the runway with leather belts holding up their deconstructed crop tops, and singer Rina Sawayama appeared on a recent Nylon cover using an attire solely made from numerous belts. Cool girl beachwear brand Gimaguas has even made a case for layering studded, extra-large belts over bikinis and itty bitty shorts.
How to Wear It
TikTokers are wearing the belt similar to we did in the ’00s: with a low-slung skirt and a baby tee or tube top. If it ain’t broke? To update the appearance ever so a little, switch the prairie skirt for a fitted tube, satin slip skirt, or denim midi design instead. The belt is also a fun layer atop a tiny mini or micro-short, a look that would have been right in the house at TRL.
For a somewhat less actual Y2K interpretation, think about covering the belt over a slip gown or a fitted off-the-shoulder T-shirt gown. If you don’t want to look like you’re wearing a castoff outfit from the set of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days or Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s So Little Time, avoid any super trendy Y2K devices, like baguette bags, trucker hats or shield sunglasses in favor of more classic equivalents.
Though I do not credit the “If you used it the first time, you can’t wear it the 2nd time around” guideline, the disc belt isn’t a trend I see myself coming back to quite yet. Perhaps next time!
GleeCluster
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