Odd Man Out Tightens the Belt

October 14, 2016 12:22 PM

I am in need of a new belt, and in possession of a waistline an odd number of inches in diameter. As men's belts typically only come in even sizes, I can't find one that buckles properly at the third hole, and my Google skills have been unable to dig up a satisfactory answer to this question: A belt one inch too long or one inch too short -- which will make me look less of a schlub?

(Advice on custom-made belts and alterations is welcome, but it's not really my question.)

posted by Devoidoid to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (18 answers total)

You can take the belt to a shoe repair place and have a hole punched wherever you are. You can also buy a leather punch and punch all your belts to your heart's content.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 12:24 PM on October 14, 2016 [4 favorites]

...a belt that you give a shoe repair place $10 to shorten for you. It's like getting pants hemmed. If you're not a standard size, it's the cost of doing business.
posted by Kreiger at 12:24 PM on October 14, 2016

Best answer: Too loose is better than too tight.
Signed,
Sucker for men in properly fitted suits
posted by cocoagirl at 12:36 PM on October 14, 2016 [2 favorites]

This might be a decent alternative... Mission Belts
posted by ApathyGirl at 1:31 PM on October 14, 2016 [1 favorite]

Another vote for getting a shoe repair place to punch a hole. They might not even charge you for it.
posted by radioamy at 1:43 PM on October 14, 2016

What will make you look bad is a belt that is too tight. Other than that, who looks at belts, anyway. If it really bugs you, there are a variety of buckles that are continuously adjustable - no hole!
posted by SemiSalt at 1:49 PM on October 14, 2016

Came to mention shoe repair joint. I don't buy leather, and they've not only been able to customize belts for me (shorten, taper corners, cap with metal, and reinforce a buckle hole) but the shop I lived near in Mt. Pleasant, DC, years ago had a sign up about making a belt to order from scratch. Some dry cleaners and tailors might be able to work with a too-long belt, too.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 1:49 PM on October 14, 2016

This is the kind of question where I go to the Ask Andy forums. Here are two threads, but tl;dr: Longer is better than shorter for any overhanging belt.
posted by homesickness at 2:03 PM on October 14, 2016

i think people are not understanding?

the problem isn't that there's a hole missing. the problem is that it will be on either the second or fourth hole when comfortably fastened. apparently this is a thing.

i would say you want fourth hole.

but i vary by a hole or so depending on the clothes i'm wearing and how much i've eaten anyway.
posted by andrewcooke at 2:24 PM on October 14, 2016 [4 favorites]

Does your weight fluctuate? If so, do you gain weight or lose weight more easily?

Could you do something like a D-ring or braided belt?
posted by kevinbelt at 2:52 PM on October 14, 2016

I backed the MagBelt on Kickstarter. You can now from their website. It basically eliminates this problem. You don't get the slipping of a regular D-ring or other tab style belt because the magnets keep the ends tight. They're super high quality. My husband LOVES his and wears it everyday. I also love mine but don't wear belts as often. But as a tiny lady I also have that problem and my husband's wide hips gave him that problem too. You can also use it without the buckle.
posted by Crystalinne at 3:01 PM on October 14, 2016 [1 favorite]

I have the solution! You need a "ratchet belt!"

A ratchet belt has no holes, no traditional buckle. Instead, it works like a zip tie. Where you would have a buckle there is a tab that grabs onto a number of teeth. Lifting the buckle unhooks the tab from the teeth (sort of like unhitching a seat belt).

If that doesn't make sense, here's a brief video I googled up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbVMT5W789I

The advantage is the teeth are about a quarter inch apart, so you can get an exact fit every time.
posted by gritter at 3:11 PM on October 14, 2016

yeah def check out Mission Belts. I love mine and so does everyone i've gotten it as gifts for.
posted by pyro979 at 4:32 PM on October 14, 2016 [1 favorite]

I would say it's better to pick a belt you buckle on the 4th hole because you're more likely to find yourself on a day when you're feeling a little bloated and need to let it out a hole, than a day when you're feeling extra slender and need to ratchet it up. Also life being life, you're more likely to gain an inch in the waist over the next few years than to lose an inch.
posted by drlith at 5:11 PM on October 14, 2016 [1 favorite]

Nthg ratchet belts. I have mission belts in all the colors. Couple clicks either way and success!
posted by M Edward at 9:07 PM on October 14, 2016

4th looks better than 2nd or you can trim a belt to length and add a metal end tip. The prices range from a buck to $stupid.00.
posted by ridgerunner at 10:00 PM on October 14, 2016

personally i think trimmed belts look odd. normally a belt has extra space between the holes and the end of the belt - you lose that when you trim.
posted by andrewcooke at 4:11 AM on October 15, 2016

Response by poster: Many good suggestions, quite a few of which Ive already considered, but cocoagirl gave an answer from the specific perspective I was hoping for, which for better or worse I elected not to include in my question. One inch too long it is!
posted by Devoidoid at 8:15 AM on October 17, 2016