Like skirt lengths and stock prices, belts rise and fall. One might even say they’re an economic indicator, much like the better-known hemline index. Drop-waist belts highlighted the loose silhouettes of the Roaring Twenties, while after the Great Crash of 1929, a belt tightened several notches to sit just above the navel became the emblematic silhouette of leaner times. Similarly, belts rode low throughout the boom years of the 1990s and the Y2K era, altering course around the time of the 2008 financial crisis to scale the solar plexus as supersize statements.
"Belts become prominent as a styling tool during turbulent economic times," says Emma Lawrie, an accessories strategist at WGSN. "Customers whose confidence has been knocked by recent economic volatility, higher prices, and fear of impending recession will reach for belts to update existing blazers and coats. The right belt will enable them to embrace new trends, such as the cinched-waist look, without the large capital outlay of a new item."
WGSN has been tracking the rise of what the consumer-trend forecasting company dubs "beltifications" since 2022. And with the tariff chaos of the past few months, as of April, Google searches for statement belts were up 12 percent over last year.
One thing that’s different about the current belt craze: paired with high-rise pants or buckled over tailored jackets, belts have increasingly left the abdominal region behind to explore new real estate all over the body via womenswear.
"Belts can also speak to a rebellious, punk sensibility," says Lawrie. First, there was Miu Miu’s Spring/Summer 2022 bumster miniskirt and underboob bandeau, belted respectively at the hips and breasts. Then came Diesel’s Fall/Winter 2022 barely modesty-preserving belt/skirt that resembled a 2010s It girl’s favorite accessory, relocated just below the pelvic bone.
Soon, 2024 LVMH Prize winner Ellen Hodakova Larsson’s edgy belt dresses made entirely from upcycled belts were spotted on style influencers du jour Julia Fox and Emma Corrin.
Women's Pre-Fall 2025 collections now arriving in stores are filled with further bold experimentations in form. "I wanted to explore the idea of adornment as armor—pieces that feel both decorative and empowering," David Koma says of the stoles he fashioned from skinny belts with crystal-embellished turn-lock closures for his label. "I love the contrast of something traditionally functional being reimagined as a symbol of bold femininity and control."
Stella McCartney showed a DIY strapless denim maxi dress that looked like it had been stitched together from two pairs of jeans and secured at the bust and the waist with bio-based leather straps, while Coperni buckled multiple belts and half-harnesses around pencil skirts and trench coats.
"In times of economic uncertainty, it makes sense to play with accessories and create something fresh using what you already have in your closet," says stylist Ana Tess. "The good news is you likely already have a lot of belts; you can find a new use for all of them."
To wrap a smaller circumference, such as a jacket sleeve, she recommends upcycling an old belt that you don’t like anymore by adding a new hole at the appropriate length and cutting off the tail. What if you should require a longer span, if you want to, say, recreate the belt-stole effect without feeling like your arms are being immobilized in a straitjacket? "You can wear your father’s belt, or your grandfather’s," Tess says.
Sommyyah Awan, a Toronto-based communications and public affairs strategist, has become something of an accidental belt influencer, thanks to the viral fashion hack videos she films in her free time in which she’s MacGyvered belts using a Balmain Jolie Madame bag strap or an Hermès silk carré with a Mors scarf 90 ring standing in for hardware. "My style philosophy is to have a few really good quality pieces and style them in very unexpected but chic ways," Awan says.
She has also made her own office-appropriate version of the outré belt-bandeaus seen in recent seasons at Hodakova, Diesel, and Kate Hundley by styling a Déhanche corset belt as a bustier, layered over a crisp white Saint Laurent button-up and tucked into high-waisted Stella McCartney trousers.
For those who still aren’t quite convinced that wearing a belt as a top is corporate-compliant, Tess offers another easy styling hack: "Take a cue from the charm belts and mini-pouch belts seen at Dior and Prada for Pre-Fall and clip a bag charm onto your belt." Awan recommends looping a long lariat necklace around your waist.
This season, Chanel and Rabanne showed charm-laden waist chains and pearl strands over bouclé suiting and scarf skirts, while Tanya Taylor piled on chain belts tied with satin ribbons and Western-inspired belts featuring shiny silver buckles.
"I wanted to mix masculine with romantic references so the look ends up being personal, almost like how you might layer necklaces," Taylor explains.
In fact, layering belts that have been collecting dust in your closet might be the easiest shortcut to a wardrobe refresh. This season, Polo Ralph Lauren made even sweatpants look exciting by stacking leather belts of different colors and widths, and Tibi accessorized several looks with three statement belts: one in tooled leather, and two chain belts in gold and silver with quirky lobster closures.
"Styling with multiple belts is simply about giving options to create a look that feels different—interesting, curious, modern," says Tibi designer Amy Smilovic.
"The thing with two or more belts is that, while it’s of course utterly non-functional, it’s not impractical. It gives a lot of style in a way that’s just surprisingly simple."
