I need to take off my belt.

November 28, 2006 10:00 AM

I need a new belt to hold up my pants. The one I have now is about 20+ years old. I'd like one that does not use animal products, uses natural fibers, is about 3/4 wide, thin, durable, and unobtrusive. Any ideas?
posted by GernBlandston to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (14 answers total)

I special ordered mine thru the alchemy function of etsy. That allowed me to pick the fabric, length, width, style, etc. and it was affordable.

Not sure if it's an option for you, but it worked out great for me.

Let me know if you want a specific person recommended to you.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 10:03 AM on November 28, 2006

Hemp belt.
posted by Sassyfras at 10:08 AM on November 28, 2006

3/4" wide? Do you have a string tied around your waist? Kidding.

How about this one?
posted by LoriFLA at 10:11 AM on November 28, 2006

3/4" wide? Do you have a string tied around your waist? Kidding.

How about this one?
posted by LoriFLA at 10:11 AM on November 28, 2006

oops. Double post, so sorry.
posted by LoriFLA at 10:13 AM on November 28, 2006

My husband has one of these in blue that serves his purposes well and also fits your requirements.

And it's cheap, too!
posted by grapefruitmoon at 10:13 AM on November 28, 2006

One of those woven-canvas Boy Scout/army-person belts seems to meet most of your criteria. Not incredibly durable, but what do you expect for a couple bucks?
posted by box at 10:14 AM on November 28, 2006

It's 1" wide, but here's a hemp belt that looks pretty normal. A cotton web belt might be another good idea, although they're usually wider than what you're looking for (my husband just got one from Urban Outfitters but they appear not to have pictures of the one he got - his is the slide buckle kind). Maybe try googling "cotton web belt" and see what comes up.
posted by AV at 10:15 AM on November 28, 2006

Okay, let me preface this with - this will not be a helpful posting in the slightest. But, I'm fascinated by the fact that you only have one belt. Is this a guy thing? I mean, I think I own a dozen belts (and I dare say that, for girls, that's a low count).
posted by AlliKat75 at 10:23 AM on November 28, 2006

I usually only have 1 or 2 belts at any given time. What amazes me more than 1 belt is making a belt last for 20 years. I go through about 1 belt every year or two.
posted by dgeiser13 at 11:00 AM on November 28, 2006

Any ideas?

Yes. Go to a store. I'm not trying to be snotty, but why even bother asking a question like this here? There are stores that sell fabric belts everywhere.
posted by jeff-o-matic at 11:19 AM on November 28, 2006

AlliKat75: I've got one good belt and a couple of worn spares. A black leather belt goes with everything I own that needs a belt.

And yeah, look for a hemp shop, assuming you don't live somewhere that considers them illegal.
posted by krisjohn at 3:03 PM on November 28, 2006

AlliKat75: I'm a bit of a clothes horse. I've probably got ten or so: dress belts in black and a couple of browns, casual belts in black, a couple of browns, and white, plus a couple of D-ring nylon webbing ones. Plus one that doesn't fit anymore, held onto for the day when it does. I'm probably towards the higher end, but there's worse than me out there. I have no idea how one could get by with less than four (dress and casual, in black and brown each) unless one also only owned one pair of shoes.

And yes, jeff-o-matic has it. Go to a department store. Visit the belt section. Buy a belt. Belts aren't rare, even fabric ones.
posted by mendel at 3:58 PM on November 28, 2006

Best answer: What is rare is a decent pleather belt. You won't find one by going to "a store."

You find them at Pangea.

jeff-o-matic: I think our friend bothered to ask the question here because he knows that nice people like us will help him out!
posted by univac at 1:38 AM on November 29, 2006