Trend Report: The Wide Waist Belt is Everything
Fixed in my memory is a photograph of me standing with my mother in front of her Christmas tree circa 2007. No doubt this picture is pasted into my mind for more reasons than one, (sigh; our mothers, ourselves), but notwithstanding topics more suited to a therapy session, one of the reasons I remember this image is because of what I was wearing: a starchy, white, collared button down shirt; fitted dark denim jeans; and a super-wide big-buckled red patent leather waist belt.
Fast forward to present day, and my current go-to fall/winter getup is not all that different from that winter in 2007. Swap the collared button down for a boxy, oversized, black cashmere turtleneck sweater and it’s basically the same damn outfit. The key piece that elevates this snooze-fest jeans-and-top uniform to the upper echelons of fashionability: the exceedingly-functional, waist-defining, statement-making wide waist belt. Grab your pom-poms, and chant it with me, ladies! Waist belt! Waist belt!
Wide waist belts were all the rage on the biggest runways in the early 2000s. (What are we officially calling this decade? The Aughts? The Noughties? The 2000s? I need a decision, please.) The trend can be seen as early as Gucci’s Fall 2000 ready-to-wear collection and seems to have started to settle by 2010.
As a fashion lawyer I feel compelled to substantiate my catwalk claims (and my inspiration to rock the wide waist belt back in ‘07) with photo evidence; so, check out these runway images from the decade in question and tell me what you see.
Gucci Fall 2000
Louis Vuitton Spring 2002
Valentino Fall 2004
Saint Laurent Spring 2005 - This collection...hello, wide waist belts everywhere!
Burberry Fall 2006
Chanel Spring 2007
Alexander McQueen Spring 2008 (FAVE!)
Dries Van Noten Spring 2009
I rest my case!
When fall hit the city this past October, my recently-relocated-to-NYC-from-California wardrobe was urgently underequipped. And remember that boxy, oversized, black cashmere turtleneck sweater I mentioned? It’s cozy and warm for sure, but I do mean boxy and oversized in the most unflattering sense; it needed something to give it shape. (Notice the foreshadowing…) I also invested in a luxurious form-fitting wool sweater dress; but without something to break up the merino monotony and allow for a bit of blousing at the waist, I looked all together too stuffed-sausagey. (And we’re foreshadowing again…)
And then, that old familiar chant came back to me: Waist belt! Waist belt! Turns out this trusty trend is seeing a second wind! The hunt quickly commenced and came to a successful culmination with an extra-wide black leather waist belt with a small, understated buckle. I’m wearing it several times a week with all sorts of outfits (too much?), and I’m love-love-LOVING it!!
Here’s how recent runways are showing the infinite power of the wide waist belt:
Balenciaga Fall 2018
Wear one to define the meeting of a flirty A-line skirt (like this adorable red one on Lindsey’s Kloset) with a playful cropped sweater or big billowy blouse.
Versace Fall 2018
Try a fancy one with an ornate buckle around your tired trench.
Or just go over-the-friggin’-top with a gawdy oversized buckle cinched around a LBD (or this sleek black jumpsuit with plunging V-neck from Lindsey’s Kloset) for a bold statement at your next cocktail party.
Chanel Spring 2019
Slap one around a girly tweed suit for a polished office-appropriate look.
Use one to gather the ruffles of a cheerful party dress and define your shape under all that flowy fabric.
Get with the wide waist belt, ladies! You will thank me!!