How to Choose a Men's Leather Belt: Width, Buckle and Colour

For a suit, choose a leather belt about 3 cm wide with a small polished buckle, in the same colour as your shoes. For casual trousers, choose a belt about 3.5 cm wide with a little texture. Order the size that matches your trouser waist so the belt fastens on the middle hole. Those three rules cover most of what a man needs to know about belts.

The belt is the smallest piece of leather a man wears and the one most often got wrong. It is usually too wide, too worn, or the wrong colour for the shoes below it. None of this is difficult to fix. A belt is seen at the exact centre of the body, where jacket, shirt and trouser meet, so a good one pulls an outfit together and a poor one draws the eye for the wrong reason. All the belts below are from the Christopher Noir Leather Belts collection, in genuine leather.

How wide should a men's belt be?

The principle is proportion. Formal trousers have narrow belt loops and fine cloth, so a narrow belt sits flat. Casual trousers have wider loops and heavier cloth, so a wider belt looks balanced.

What makes a belt formal?

A smooth strap, stitched edges, a small plain buckle and a slim profile. The Noir Harrogate is the pattern: smooth black leather with tonal edge stitching throughout, a polished squared buckle with a single prong, a double keeper loop and a rounded tip, at 3 cm wide. It is the belt to own first.

For brown shoes, the Noir Helmsley is its counterpart in espresso, with clean raw-cut edges, a rounded dark-finish buckle and an elongated tapered tip.

Does your belt have to match your shoes?

In formal dress, yes: black with black, brown with brown. It does not need to be an identical shade, but it should be the same family and a similar finish. Polished shoes want a smooth belt. Suede shoes can take a softer, grainier one. In casual dress the rule relaxes, though keeping leathers in the same tone still looks more considered.

Is a reversible belt worth buying?

For travel and for a small wardrobe, it is the practical choice. One strap carries black on one face and brown on the other, and the buckle rotates to switch sides. The Noir Settle is made that way, with a squared polished buckle, a stitched leather keeper loop and edge stitching along both sides, at 3.5 cm wide. One belt covers black and brown shoes in a single suitcase.

When should you wear a textured or embossed belt?

When the rest of the outfit is plain. A croc-embossed belt adds pattern at the waist in the way a pocket square adds it at the chest. The Noir Pateley is a black croc-embossed leather dress belt with a deep, even pattern, edge stitching, a squared buckle and a pointed tip. The leather is genuine leather pressed with the pattern, not exotic skin. Wear it with a black suit or a dark kaftan at night.

For a quieter signature, the Noir Alnmouth is a house belt in smooth black leather finished with a sculpted, curving tip, a Christopher Noir detail.

Which belt goes with casual trousers?

One with some grain and a slightly wider strap. The Noir Hawes is a chocolate soft-grain leather belt with a pebbled surface, a rounded rectangular buckle in a textured burnished finish and tonal edge stitching, at 3.5 cm. It is made for denim and casual trousers and looks right with suede loafers.

What size belt should you buy?

1. Start with your trouser waist size.
2. Choose the belt size that matches it. These belts are sized by waist, from 30 to 42 inches.
3. Check the fit: fastened on the middle hole, with the tip passing through the first loop and stopping before the second.
4. If you are between sizes, go up.

Frequently asked questions

How many belts does a man need?

Three covers most wardrobes: black formal, brown formal and one casual. A reversible belt can stand in for the first two.

Should you wear a belt with side-adjuster trousers?

No. They are designed to be worn without one. See our formal trousers guide.

How do I care for a leather belt?

Hang it by the buckle or coil it loosely, and avoid leaving it in trousers overnight. Each product page advises professional leather care only.

Is a belt a good gift?

Yes, if you know the waist size. If not, a wallet is safer.