Apr 02, 2019

Suspenders & Belt Rule: Should You Wear A Belt With Suspenders?

It may be one of the most vexing style rules for men: should you wear a belt with suspenders? Sure, the suspenders accomplish the role of the belt, but does the look really work if you ditch the belt entirely? Here’s everything you need to know about the suspenders and belt rule.

Should You Wear a Belt With Suspenders?

You might be used to the look and feel of a belt when you’re wearing a suit, but there’s a good rule of thumb when you’re wearing suspenders that you’ll want to stick to. It’s pretty simple. Here it is: Don’t wear the belt.

Why is this, exactly? There are two basic reasons:

Both suspenders and belt accomplish the same practical purpose. Wearing them both at the same time suggests that you may be out of fashion and using these accessories purely for decoration. It’s not a great message to send.
The combination of a belt with suspenders ends up creating a rectangle shape out of your torso. This isn’t the silhouette you should want when you’re wearing your best clothes.

Even those who aren’t aware of this “fashion rule” will likely think something looks “off” about your outfit when they see a belt paired with suspenders. Fortunately, there are some easy rules of thumb you can use to avoid fashion faux pas like these in the future.

Avoiding Common Fashion Mistakes When Wearing a Suit

If you were completely unaware of the belt-with-suspenders rule, we can’t blame you. There isn’t exactly a manual you can refer to. Here are some tips to help you avoid other common fashion faux pas when wearing a suit:

Match your socks to the color of your trousers. This isn’t to say that you should pair the colors exactly. But let’s say that you were wearing these Performance Dress Khaki pants in Navy. A pair of blue or black dress socks would go perfectly well with them, while a pair of white athletic socks would make you look like you’re dressing yourself for the first time.
Keep your bottom jacket button unbuttoned. These days, suits are typically two buttons. You’ll want to be able to go from a buttoned look to an unbuttoned look in one action. Which button should you use for this? Simple: the top button. Keeping the bottom button unbuttoned has a more natural look when you only need to keep one button closed. As a general rule, you can keep the top button cinched when you’re standing in formal occasions and unbutton it when you’re about to sit down.
Show some dress shirt cuff. If your suit jacket is so long that it won’t reveal any of your dress shirt’s cuff over your wrist, it’s probably too long. You want to “pop the cuffs”—that is, show some of your dress shirt underneath—for a proper fit at the end of your sleeves.

Don’t wear your suspenders with a belt, follow these simple rules with your suit, and you’ll be well on your way to men’s fashion mastery. And don’t forget to start off on the right leg with a quality pair of trousers. Shop Berle tailored trousers today!