A Guide to Belt Stacking: Featuring Iconic Coachella Looks
Layering has always been a great way to add more texture and dimension to an outfit. This year, layering has taken on a new category: belts.
Source: AfroBeads
Accessorizing around your waist has been around for many centuries. Waist beads are where we first see waist/hip accessories. Originating in ancient Egypt and West African civilizations, wearing waist beads was a status symbol. They had many historic uses including body-shaping and celebrating womanhood and sexuality. Today, waist beads are commonly used to celebrate African culture and express your femininity. Stacking waist beads also became popular as many cultures held meaning in different stones incorporated into the jewelry. Now, this representation has moved onto other devices such as belts and chains, mainly for fashion, but it’s important to remember the origins of this style.
As festival fashion makes its yearly appearance, accessory stacking has been a common trend. Specifically around your waist. Coachella fits have been going viral as part of the festival fashion trend, and now since weekend two is over, we are starting to see micro-trends emerging from these outfits. One of my favorites has to be all the belt accessorizing. Influencers have bedazzled their waists by wearing multiple belts, but there is a careful balance between styling and over-accesorizing.
One belt-stacking technique is incorporating different styles of belts. Having variety in your stack is essential for it to look curated instead of chaotic. A good way to achieve this is by having size variety, like combining a thicker belt with a chain belt. Another way is mixing up textures, for example, a fabric belt and a metal belt. Blending basic designs and more intricate designs is another great styling hack. A belt with a cute design will always be a must-have in your stack.
Similar to jewelry, it’s always good to have one “accent piece” that you base the rest of your accessories around. Same goes with belts, having one bold piece that you match with simpler complementary belts is a great way to add variety without making it messy. This bold belt can be unique in size (thickness), color, design, or material. For example, Sophia Tuxford wears a unique butterfly-design metal belt for her day two “bieberchella” outfit. The rest of the belts she wears compliment the color, but add different materials. Picking one or two of these qualities to stand out in your belts is a great way to add contrast, just make sure they still complement your outfit instead of distracting from it.
Another thing to keep in mind when belt stacking in an outfit is where they drape. Whether you want all your belts on top of each other, or spread out along your abdomen, the placement of your waist accessories is important to a cohesive design. PresLee Faith does a good job incorporating this hack into her outfit. Having one belt in the loops of your pant/short and the other around your waist is a common way to spread the love in belt placement. Margaret Kovalcin also does a great job of this, having multiple belts both on her shorts and up her torso.
It’s important to get creative and expressive when it comes to accessorizing. However, knowing when to rein it in is imperative so you can build a cohesive look. Following the theme of your outfit is a great way to make sure your accessories stay on point. When considering belt stacking, matching your waist accessories to your other jewelry is a great way to build cohesion while also adding more detail and texture to your look. A good place to find interesting belts is when thrifting. If you need inspiration I suggest checking out @lillianclairee on TikTok.
What do you think about belt stacking? Leave a comment below!