Belts, Belts, Belts!
In which I catalogue my belt collection, spotlight some faves, and reveal purchases.
Welcome back, my friends, to my little corner of the ‘verse, where I show you my outfits, ramble about them a bit, and remind you that I’ve been doing this since 2008 when I launched Ephemera (coming up on 4.4K posts!). I really, really like clothes1.
This week, my outfits were based around two missions:
To keep pushing myself to wear the remaining items in my closet before my season is up.
To showcase my belts, by request.
I love a deadline and I am always open to a kindly-worded request. Are you ready to dig in? Let’s go! If you received this by email, please click through to read - lots of pictures.
1990 Called
Fact: I have a lot of dresses. I love dresses - they are like pajamas! You can even wear leggings under them. Plus they look fancy, so it’s little effort for a big impact2.
This dress is from the Ditzy Floral Granny Dress Trend of 1990. Every store in the mall had these! I had one3! I wore it to Mom and Dad’s 25th wedding anniversary dinner…which was in 1990.
My lovely pink Fuzzy Flamingo coat! I was amused that I wore this same coat and scarf the last time I wore the dress - I am a creature of habit! Once I get a combination, I’ll lock that into my brain4.
My cashier at the grocery store admired my salamander brooch, and we chatted salamanders while I packed my bag. I treasure little interactions that start from something I’m wearing - it’s a way to build connection with actual humans.
This massive “guitar” buckle belt5 and the clompy “flatforms” are longtime friends. This is one of those formulae that I regularly deploy:
Floral/patterned dress (aka Jammy Dress) + bigass belt + matching shoes.
Voila! Outfit!
The shoes are by US maker Chie Mihara - a local boutique used to carry a small line of hers, and I’ve bought a few pairs over the years. I had these up too high in my closet and forgot about them until I had a comment that led me back to this ginormous belt.
So, mission #1 was to wear something not yet worn, and I did that. Huzzah! On to mission #2, which comes by way of Ewelina of On Shopping My Closet.
….also, can I have a wish? I really like your belts. Could you do a post about your top 5-10 belts, please?
Well, heck, yeah! I love an appreciative audience, and most of you haven’t seen my belt collection.
The Big Belts
I have so many belts, I can’t actually even put them all in one picture, so I’ll be showing them in categories, and wearing one from each category every day. How’s that for a challenge?
Belts are jewelry for your waist, right? And just as I like to have “sets” of jewelry, when I see a belt that will work with either some of my jewelry sets, or matches an existing pair of shoes/boots…that belt comes home with me!
Fendi, thrifted for $19.99 - the one I like to gloat over to Fashion People. Real, leather, made in Italy, all the serial numbers match. Probably from the early 00s, had it for 9 years. Matches my caramel boots and my flatform sandals.
Grommet belt - leather, from the mid-00s, given to me c. 2008 by former coworker Ruth. I have probably worn it hundreds of times. It’s my desert island belt, the one that I wear with dresses, jeans and even over a leather trenchcoat. Goes with everything!
Fluevog green leather belt - this is a newer retail purchase from the sample sale last fall. I’ve only worn it once, as it’s more of my spring/summer wardrobe palette. Matches my green suede boots.
Sand Castles USA leather and metal mesh belt, vintage, thrifted for $9.95? - I’ve had it for 7-ish years. This belt is heavy and feels like quality, and I like that it has woven raffia and giant metal swirly decorations. Matches my OTK tan boots.
My first Fluevog belt, the Rohesia - L bought this for me 6-ish years ago when it was marked waaaaay down to $956. It’s leather/pony hair7, and that massive buckle is hand-cast. It matches my blue Fluevog pumps.
Pringle of Scotland Lion belt - bought it at a vintage fair for $20 in 2012, it’s made in Scotland and it’s leather/pony hair and that buckle! I swoon! It doesn’t have a matching pair of shoes but the buckle goes with some of my brass Brutalist jewelry.
Brave Belts turquoise and leather belt - thrifted this around 8 years ago for under $20. It’s probably early 00s, was made in Canada and retailed for $$ - a local boutique used to carry this line. It matches my caramel boots, but most of my turquoise is in my spring/summer wardrobe, so it doesn’t get worn much this time of year.
Leather of the Sea python belt - it’s vintage late 80s/early 90s, and I thrifted it a couple of years ago for $19.99. It matches my tan boots, and a pair of snake print sandals that are in my summer shoe collection. It’s very delicate8.
BCBG Max Azria leather belt with metal pyramid studs - I bought this c. 2013 for around $40 on consignment. I wear it when I need to feel extra badass! It goes with all kinds of stuff.
More Cow Bell
Mission 1: Unworn gets worn! I built the outfit around the shoes…and the belt. The goal of wearing a different belt from another category of belts was a good flex of my creative muscle9.
I “lost” this reworked menswear blazer in my closet - I wanted to wear it with my red leopard suit10 and I could not find it! Suddenly it appeared last night. Maybe my closet is haunted?
Black/white/grey is an easy neutral combo to showcase the orange brocade shoes. Allow me to add more orange.11
Spring is often a gloomy affair here, full of grey skies and rain and gusty winds. My orange suede keeps me cozy and protected, while radiating happy vibes.
According to local Fluevogologist, Rae Ann, the double angels on these shoes means that they are named after a special employee, in this case a former Fluevog store manager who died of cancer, Monika. This overall design was originally a collaboration with Anna Sui12.
The belt is a two-part contraption - the buckle unsnaps. It’s meant to be worn in a bunch of ways in addition to traditional waist position - it can be worn low on the hips or slung sideways.
Here I am 16 years ago wearing the belt for the first time, rocking a shrug(!)13 and a vintage 80s Gianfranco Ferre wool pencil skirt from Giorgio Beverly Hills14.
Mission 2: Done! Very Old Belt has been worn.
The Soft Belts
More belts! We need more belts! These are the leather, fabric and wide elastic belts.
Birks Jewelers, made in Hong Kong, vintage fair. It’s all hand-beaded in glass bugle beads and seed-beads and backed in silk. It’s does up with Velcro - so 80s - and someone added more to it to make it smaller, which I carefully removed to restore it to its original shape. I rarely wear this - it’s displayed on a wall shelf.
Another beaded beauty, no label, thrifted for less than $10. Obviously 80s. I usually wear it with my Romeo Gigli wool dress.
Today’s Shi Studio belt, 2009. Made in Victoria, bought from their studio direct from the owner. They are known for fabrics pressed behind glass, including belt buckles, jewelry - I have a bolo tie by them plus some belt buckles.
Another Shi Studio belt, this one thrifted for I think under $7. Both of these had the opposite buckles upon purchase which I immediately swapped. It was meant to be!
My black leather obi, bought on consignment in 2008 or 2009 for not very much. I recently wore this with my Ted Baker strapless dress.
Burgundy leather obi. This was from local shoe store Head Over Heels, and was ridiculously expensive (over $200, but made locally). I asked L to get it for me for my birthday c. 2010 when I was in my Steampunk phase15.
Bigass stretchy belt - probably 80s/90s? Thrifted for a few dollars. I love the wide elastic.
Black Denim Suit
“But Sheila,” y’all say, “This suit is not black denim! Clearly it is a faded, printed blue denim.
What you’re seeing is the reverse/back-side of the thickest black denim you ever felt, printed in three colours: black, grey and blue. It’s a Kenzo Jeans treasure from the 80s, bought on consignment at House of Savoy a few years ago for around $150 - this is only the 3rd time I’ve worn it.
I picked this suit because (Mission #1) I hadn’t yet worn it this season - not because I don’t love it, but because I’m lazy and it takes Effort to style it. Vintage stuff requires trying it on with shoes, belts, tops - modern clothes don’t always work with the cuts and styles of bygone days. I also picked this suit because if I show that belt-looped waistband, I’m gonna want a skinny belt to go with it (Mission #2).
The last puffer wearing? I don’t know, it’s still cold in the morning! It’s still winter for another few days.
All I know is this coat fits over the boxy denim jacket. The shoes are Fluevog, and are rather high, but still comfortable for a day at my desk, or for light walking around in the office. I do love an ankle strap!
My burgundy set - I love having a matching belt and shoe. I don’t care if that’s cheesy.16
I kept trying different combinations with the suit until I landed on one I liked - black, blue, red. I didn’t want to do purple again17 plus I don’t have a purple skinny belt, and I did green the last time I wore the suit. Burgundy wins!
The Skinny Belts
I have a whack of these in my spring/summer collection as well - I put away the browns, dark reds, leopard and teal. Pink, yellow, aqua, white…imagine how bright my collection will be!
Talbots leopard pony hair on leather, thrifted for a dollar. It’s getting worn out, so I’m low-key on the lookout for a replacement. I like that it has a gold buckle.
Today’s feature! A Gap leather and pony hair beauty with a big brushed silver buckle. This was a Peak Red Belt achievement.18 I think I thrifted it? It goes with a bunch of my shoes and boots.
A vintage 80s black leather belt with a bronze Brutalist-inspired buckle. It does up in the back, secured by a hair elastic19. It was around $30 on consignment a few years ago. I like to wear this with some of my brass Brutalist jewelry.
Leather, made in Canada, vintage 80s teal belt with a shiny gold buckle. It goes with my teal shoes and my canvas cowboy boots.
Bought retail at the Danier Leather store about 12 years ago for around $40. They came in a ton of colours, and I’m always checking belt bins for a purple or yellow or emerald green one. I don’t wear this as much as I used to.
Dark cobalt leather Karen Millen belt - it’s missing a charm off the buckle, so was extra-cheap when I thrifted it. This matches my cobalt shoes and is a nice change when I don’t want a bigass belt.
Roxy studded leather belt, vintage 90s, thrifted for a couple of dollars. It’s long, so I can wear it with some of my lower-waisted trousers. I often wear this with my black studded Fluevogs.
B-Low the Belt leather studded belt - thrifted this for under $20, and what a bargain that was. The long tail wraps and knots around itself, which is a nice detail. Again, it’s long so doesn’t have to be worn at the waist like many skinny belts.
A long skinny copper leather belt by Land’s End that I thrifted last year for a few dollars. I haven’t worn it, so one more season or it’s off to Limbo!20
A retail Club Monaco buy from 14 years ago, using a birthday mall gift card from Mom. It was close to $80 on sale, I recall - their belts were expensive.21
A red leopard vintage belt, thrifted. It’s not in very good shape and I rarely wear it, so it’s off to Limbo!
My treasured Yves Saint Laurent vintage 80s eelskin belt. I thrifted this for under $25, and I wear it a lot (I nearly wore it with my orange shoes with the denim suit).
Mad For Plaid
A Mom-Day Adventure22 called, so I warmed up my creative muscle and built an outfit appropriate for walking around in a muddy park and hanging out with Mom.
The plaid pencil skirt is on the fence. There’s nothing really wrong with it - it’s good quality Talbots, the textile is woven plaid, it’s fully-lined - but it does not inspire me…as I can tell because this is the first time I’ve worn it since December 202323.
The red thermoplastic jacket is one of my Weird Adidas pieces. It’s called the “Kiss Jacket” and is from their 2019 collaboration with Fiorucci. Because it’s a sweatbox to wear in hot weather, I thought it would keep me warm, but I wasn’t taking any chances.
I finally pulled my thickest coats out of my closet and have stored them away until next November-ish, leaving me with a smattering of wool coats, and a bit of space to cram my closet with some capes and leather coats for the rather erratic spring weather we usually have in Victoria.
Did someone say “cape”?
The cape is by Arola of Finland and is likely from the 1970s. I thrifted it back in 2022 for $24.95, a staggeringly good price for a handmade wool cape. When the wind came up, I just retracted my arms inside like a freaky robot.24
And here’s my belt and other bling-of-the-day.
The vinyl belt covered the waistband of the skirt, giving a bit of definition but otherwise purely decorative.
The Oddball Belts
All the odds and ends of belts that don’t really fit in any other category, like my belts without buckles, mixed composition belts or just plain ol’ weird ones.
By Mudd, vintage 90s, thrifted. Metal medallions with studded leather links, and missing the loop that holds down the belt flap after it’s buckled25. The sharp-eyed among you might notice my classy hair elastic performing that function once again. I usually wear this low on my hips, with the buckle in the back, hidden under a jacket.
Another Fluevog belt that I picked up in the sample sale - it’s part leather, part chain, and has extra metal loops, and dangling decorations. Requires extra styling effort, and that pale blue colour is extra challenging26. I’ve only worn it once, so hoping it will work better with my spring/summer clothes.
Matisse solid copper belt, vintage 1950s, bought for $40 at a vintage fair years ago. According to the vendor, it was owned by a woman who only wore it square-dancing. I’ve never seen another solid copper belt - ever! - in my thrifting, although you can find them online. This is one of my treasures!
Brown leather belt with snaps for attaching belt buckles. I bought this from Shi Studios when I bought a big belt buckle.
Black leather belt with snaps for…attaching belt buckles! It’s the same, only I bought this one at now-closed Leather World several years ago, when I needed a black one.
Vintage 90s plastic belt with flower-shaped grommets. I love these long belts because they fit at the waist, lower waist and hips. Found at Csinos Vintage Collective for around $40 in the past year.
Similar 90s red plastic belt with single grommets. These work well in my sporty or Weird Adidas looks. Thrifted for $10? It was cheap, I recall.
A spectacular leather/metal 80s belt with a snake head and tail, and metal “scales” along the belt. Thrifted for under $10 a few years ago at the now-gone Patch. Very difficult to style, but when it works, it works.
Notes Du Nord snake buckle leather belt - it’s called the Paxton - found on consignment for $12.50 (it retailed for $115) at the Velvet Crease. It’s gorgeous and I wear it whenever a thin caramel belt is called for. Hmmm…this should replace the skinny Club Monaco belt…
A long python printed leather belt that works well with dressy trousers. I thrifted it for under $10 at WIN and usually wear it with my python printed Fluevogs.
Emerald Escada
I love hearing that coat-dresses are back in style for at least the 4th or 5th time since I’ve been tracking my outfits. Sculptural, rounded sleeves are also a thing, I’ve read. And is green still trendy?27
All I had to do was shop my closet and lo and behold, I have all that covered! And I hadn’t yet worn it this season, so boom! Mission #1 accomplished.
This is an early 00s Escada coat-dress, entirely made of silk. It’s labeled ‘made in Germany’ - when is the last time you saw that on a garment? Never? I have several Escada pieces, including a bodysuit, a butterfly/zebra blazer28, and my “love letter” tie (worn at New Year’s), all bought secondhand. This was the most expensive, bought in 2020 for $149.00 - I’ve worn it 6 times so far, as it lends itself well to the Jammy Dress formula.
It’s a work of art, like sculpture, with thoughtful details like pockets29, an inside button for securing it, and a box pleat in the back for extra walking room. I have worn it as a coat/topper30, but the dress version is my default.
This is the coat that motivated my coat closet change-up. I needed sleeve room!
This was a lazy outfit31, something I didn’t have to think about too hard. A sparkly black turtleneck, black tights (with black shorts), black boots. Blah, it was Friday, whatevs, wear a Jammy Dress.
The irregularly-shaped plastic earrings are clip-ons from the 1960s, found on a wee shop during the week at the Velvet Crease. The clips were murderously tight, so I gently bent them to ease up on my poor earlobes32.
Shall we talk about the belt? Spoiler, I actually found it a day after I took the group picture below - it was hiding on my scarf display.
The Metal Belts
Hence it is missing from this picture33. These are my stretchy metal belts, my link belts and my chain belts.
Again, I have more than what’s here, but the rest are packed away until my swap-over.
A gold serpentine chain, with heavy fixtures and a long dangly chain. Under $5 at the thrift store more than five years ago. I wear this over high-waisted skirts or sometimes threaded through belt-loops.
Thrifted silver “snake scale” belts - this style has been around since the 70s and was popular right through to the 00s. The metal scales have been sewn to a thick fabric elastic, so these are very forgiving and comfortable to wear. I haven’t worn this one in a while, but you never know when I might need it.
A real vintage one! I found this at Good Things Consignment Vintage for under $20. Logan and I were watching “Coffy” and spied Pam Grier34 wearing a very similar one, so there you go, it’s from 1972-3. This particular belt is a bit big on me, so I might put into Limbo. I do have a lot of these belts…
My mother-in-law bought this stretchy belt for me when we went shopping together in Powell River years ago. This is my go-to gold belt - it’s the perfect width. It’s likely from the 90s.
A bronze version, thrifted for not much $. This is the most recently acquired and it’s the lowest quality, so another that I might move to Limbo. These are the sorts of decisions I make when I go through belts at the end of my closet season.
A massive belt that is probably from India - it’s heavy pot-metal and is sewn to a thick black velvet base which is not stretchy. It’s good for more costume-y looks, when I want to have some swagger.
The cheaper version of #8 below it. It’s a dense plastic with moulded metal rings, all of which are curved to sit comfortably on the lower waist. Yvonne borrowed this for the VFF Gala. I thrifted it for less than $10.
Suzi Roher belt, thrifted for $6.95 - I saw a similar one in a consignment store, examined it and realized mine had all the exact same details. It’s a high-quality belt with leather, elastic, high density plastic discs (mimicking tortoiseshell) and hand-cast metal fixtures, likely from the early 00s. Her belts retail for $300+. I wear this over dresses or skirts, below the waist.
Brutalist-inspired chain belt - thrifted for under $10 at WIN. I wear this with my brass brutalist jewelry.
Below! I found this vintage early 90s belt on one of our Days of Indolence during the pandemic. Mixed metals, vaguely western details, soft leather with dark squares where the labels have fallen off.
Pearls and Popcorn
Okay, no more belts! I had been saving this outfit for an event in April, then realized I won’t have all the components available by then because the skirt will be packed away for spring/summer. Well, heck, I guess I’d better wear it out for brunch!
Of course, the event will be yet another visit for me to the Art Gallery, so I had Pop Art on the brain. The skirt is a big round pouf, and even the pearls kinda look like popcorn, right? But now I’m thinking of doing something else. It’s not like I have a dearth of things to choose from and I like the challenge of creating another theme outfit.
During the day I had to resort to my Rain Pickle:
Fortunately, later in the evening it cleared up and was able to wear what I wanted to Winesday.
My dear friends oohed and ahhed over this outfit, and I have to agree - when I let my creativity go wild, those looks are often the most successful. I’m not constrained by a theme or a trend, and am purely dressing for joy.
Pure sunshine on my feet, and yes, I do wear patent leather in the rain. Every time I wear these boots, they get softer.
Featuring some of my pearl collection, none of which are real pearls. The long strands are from Eatons department store, bought in 1986 to wear wrapped around my wrist in a ginormous stack35. I nearly always wear them that way, rarely as necklaces.
Shoppy-Shop
I had a post-Mom-Day Wee Shop, finding the pink denim jacket, vintage earrings worn above) and the silver slip dress in a couple of consignment stores on Fort Street.
The Fashion Gawds smiled on me in my 5-Minute Shop before brunch on Saturday - that eelskin purse is amazing and I am getting close to a full head-to-toe neon yellow look with the addition of this cardigan36. Dots yielded cobalt blue texting gloves, a lace top and a funky green denim jacket.
And we can’t end the week without my sweet little guy giving us a runway look.
I can’t take credit - Ross took this picture last weekend while we were in Vancouver.
Well, let’s wrap ‘er up! Did you enjoy my belt round-up?
I so appreciate each and every one of you, and thank so much for stopping by, my friends. Remember, if you liked this…like it!
Cheers,
Sheila
Duh.
Jammy Dresses! They are the easiest thing in the world to wear, can be plain or fancy, patterned or solid, long or short. Pockets are ideal.
This is not it - I bought this several years ago when these started trending. Mine was a shitty rayon that couldn’t be washed and buttoned up the front and had lace around the collar. Oh yeah, I’ve been a girly girl.
Recording my outfits reminds me that it’s okay to wear the same thing over and over, AND to shake up those habits to give your clothes a new zing. How boring if we never changed.
Do you recognize it? It’s Fendi and I thrifted it for $19.99 in 2016.
I think it started around $300! For a BELT!
Remember, NOT made from ponies! It’s just cow. Moo!
But things are meant to be worn! Wear the things!
Use it or lose it! Creativity in dress is like being a musician - you need to keep practicing, and the more you do it, the better you get.
It looks cool, I’ve done it before.
Morange!
My green suede boots are also an Anna Sui collab. John and Anna are buddies.
Remember shrugs? They’re connected sleeves, and not to be confused with boleros, which are cropped jackets. I still have a sparkly silver/grey shrug!
Bought in Vancouver c. 2008 for $24.95 - it’s either in Limbo or I sold it. I was skinnier back then.
Me and “fromage” are old friends. Ask me if I care about being overly matching, I double-dog-dare you.
That’s how I wore it for its debut: big chunky purple boots and a sparkly sleeveless sweater.
I’m still looking for a more reddy-red one.
Stay classy, Sheila!
This intense scrutiny of all my belts will probably result in more going to Limbo. I really don’t wear all of these on a regular basis…but on the other hand, they don’t take up a lot of room.
Mom now buys me Fluevog gift cards, yay! And I always look at Club Monaco stuff - it’s good quality.
We went to Beacon Hill Park - if you like peacocks, you’re in for a treat.
Worn 5 times, purchased for $28.00, a pretty solid cost-per-wear. I won’t shed a tear if it goes away.
I’m easily amused by things like retractable arms. If you can’t have fun with your clothes, what’s the point?
There must be a technical term for this…?
Pale turquoise/baby blue is not in my personal wheelhouse right now.
Doesn’t matter, I’ve been wearing this dress for years and will wear it for many more, regardless. I just like it!
It’s spectacular! It’s in with my spring/summer stuff.
YESSSSSSS…
And gold leather pants!
Ah! So self-judgy!
Never do this unless you’re willing to ruin them. You can’t bend them back if you loosen them up too much.
I also forgot to photograph my crystal/metal belt that I wore over my leather obi with my Ted Baker maxi recently.
An awesome movie and movie star! I always scrutinize the clothes, jewelry and accessories in old movies, looking for styles I’ve seen in my thrifting adventures.
I bought them to wear to my friend Sarah’s wedding. I wore a white lined linen short-sleeved fitted blazer (with big shoulder pads!), a full skirt with pockets in a cabbage rose print, white shoes (which I wore for my high-school grad the year before!), and my wristful of pearls. Wish I had a picture!
I have a cardigan, a turtleneck, jeans and boots in this colour! Should I do it??
You took up the challenge, Sheila! 😄 wonderful. I love your skinny belt collection and I could definitely use one or two of your metal belts.
Also, may I say that I absolutely adore your outfit with the yellow boots 🥳
I love your belt collection, Sheila! Your first Fluevog belt, the Rohesia, is stunning! And I can’t get over the beauty of your Escada coat/dress - I love that brand so much, especially the pieces by Margaretha Ley. Thanks for sharing this with us 🫶🏻