Forever 21 cardigan, old (similar); Target tank (similar), skirt, belt and sandals; E Moore Store horn pendant (similar.)
A couple of years ago I got a simple brown belt for free with a skirt I bought from Forever 21. And man, I had a love affair with that belt! I wore it with everything, everywhere, until it eventually broke apart from overuse. At this point you would think, “wow, she should have run out and bought another belt since she loved that thing so much.”
Wrong.
I walked by that belt aisle in Target every week for a couple of years, picking them up and putting them down, talking myself out of committing to the $14.99 price tag. Which is silly, because I’ve bought many other useless things for more than that and regretted it, but that’s a story for another day;)
I finally bit the bullet last week on my tremendous reentry into the world of shopping. (Cue the angels singing from heaven and double rainbows shooting from the sky…) I picked up that belt and bought it and have worn it every single day since. Here’s the story: belting a shirt, dress, cardigan, skirt, anything, around your natural waist instantly makes you look slimmer and more put together. It’s more sophisticated than the standard ‘half tuck’, and makes everything in your closet new again.
I like taking a looser tank like above and blousing it out a little with a belt, or using it to cinch in a cardigan over a dress so it’s not so boxy. There are no limits to how you can style this simple accessory! They come in all price points (the Salvation Army had great options!), and I find the skinny, patent leather ones from Target are great for a pop of color.
Alas, though, my heart belongs to a simple, brown belt. It’s muted color tones down a dressier look, yet never looks too contrived. It makes a little black dress look chic, and creates an instant LOOK. I know one thing for sure, I’ll never go without one again.
P.S. I’m warning you, be prepared for a lot more belted looks!
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