About BIFL dress belts

Submitted by Cattotoro t3_zdp8x7 in BuyItForLife

I've been struggling to find a pair of BIFL dress belts for formal occasions.

The belts need to look conservative (plain, no patterns) and the width should be 1.25 inches. My waist size is about 28/29 inches. Color wise I want one to be just black and the other one should be compatible with this pair of Allen Edmond dress shoes (Walnut Brown).My budget is under $150 per belt.

I was looking at Highland from Hanksbelt, but the smallest size they have is 32 inches, is it ok to cut off the buckle end of the leather by a few inches? The concern I have is that cutting off a few inches will loosen threads and eventually ruin the belt. If it's safe to resize, the black Highland should do for the black dress shoes.

The other Highland is oak color, which looks a bit reddish, it does not look pair-able with the shoes I mentioned above. Does anyone have any thoughts about this or any other recommendations?

I'm also open to other brands/suggestions if the belts are easily resizable. I'm pretty mad at myself now because I just spent $35 on an one-time emergency use belt ($19 reversible belt + $15 resize fee ( I don't have the screw driver to do it myself)) for a wedding that's coming up this Saturday. I doubt I'll use it again after the wedding, plus I have this fear that it will snap at the buckle at some point. I do have other good leather belts but I slowly realized they don't look ok on suits (after looking at some old wedding pictures).

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Comments

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RupturedDuck1942 t1_iz3b0ds wrote

Maybe I’m missing something, but you could get a leather punch and add a new hole to be able to cinch to smaller waist.

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Cattotoro OP t1_izvjaln wrote

Yea I've had cobblers done that for me, but they only know how to do holes that are perfectly round, you can even buy those hole punchers yourself. Punching extra hole will leave too many holes on the other side so that's my last resort.

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moxjake t1_iz2qyiz wrote

If you wear a 28 or 29 pants, I'd think a 32 belt would be just fine. I wear a 34 pants and a 38 belt.

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Faeglantina t1_iz3y5h9 wrote

Yeah, you should add two inches to your waist size to get your belt size. Id it’s still not small enough, I think a cobbler will punch an extra hole so it can be cinched in tighter.

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laxman202 t1_iz2lkqs wrote

Check out Grip6 they have a big selection of colors and style, they also have a awesome lifetime warranty.

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Cattotoro OP t1_iz3oq8g wrote

They look cool but I need leather belts

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xenapan t1_iz3n8sb wrote

The fact you are buying this for a wedding and not for daily work basically says it all. I buy a lot of things BIFL but dress leather belts has never been one of them. Go to a thrift store and find a $10 belt that meets your needs most of them are brand new. I got one to begin with and as time passed and I needed a different color, and a plain one... My entire life I've never needed more than the 3 I have. You definitely don't need BIFL for weddings as someone who has been in what feels like a million of them due to having a large family.

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Cattotoro OP t1_iz3p4jg wrote

I plan to use the two pair of belts at least four days a week, how often do you use yours? It could be a great idea to check out goodwill, thanks for the tip.

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Faeglantina t1_iz3xvvx wrote

You can find that kind of thing on eBay. You might actually find something really, really nice.

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Cattotoro OP t1_izvkqtp wrote

Noticed the options on eBay are much cheaper than the equivalents on Etsy!

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BvilleBuds t1_iz7cgnr wrote

Check out N Star Leather. They’re also on this subreddit occasionally.

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Cattotoro OP t1_izvlawk wrote

>N Star Leather

It seems to have some cool products but I think their belts are not compatible with suits. I already have what they have.

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MrTrout1 t1_iz2nszu wrote

I’ve worn a Kore Essentials belt every day for a couple years now and it’s held up super well. I’d say its BIFL if only using for formal occasions. They’re gun belts so very rigid. But my favorite feature is the nearly infinite track adjustment system. Definitely recommend

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RuleLevel4653 t1_iz4jznr wrote

If your budget is $150/ea and you are looking to match the AE walnut I recommend looking at their basic wide dress belt. It's just over the 1.25" width (1.38") but would match the shoes nicely. As for BIFL, had to say but for the frequency your wearing it you should be good for many years.

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Cattotoro OP t1_izvkxly wrote

Thanks for the rec but I think the AE belts are not worth the price they are charging.

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Citizens_for_Bob t1_iz653mb wrote

General Leathercraft has high quality belts with many customization options. One really cool feature is the holes are punched in a zig-zag pattern which makes it more finely adjustable for fit. Their main business is weightlifting belts, and I ordered a dress belt on a whim purchasing a new lever for a weightlifting belt. After using the casual belt a few times, I ordered a couple others in different colors and unless a dog chews it or my weight changes a lot I really am set for life.

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hotassnuts t1_iz68u5b wrote

Tanner goods has a 28inch black 1.25 belt

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Cattotoro OP t1_izvl3t8 wrote

yea they seem to hav some good options!

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