Would you believe that prior to a few years ago, I never wore belts? Never, ever. I figured that as a plus-size woman, they would never be flattering on me. And I still think that’s true of the traditional, through-the-beltloops-belts that go with pants. But, I have discovered the benefit of wearing a wide belt with skirts and dresses, especially my full skirts from Pinup Girl Clothing and The Oblong Box Shop!

Because a nice, wide belt, when paired with something that doesn’t have set loops, can be worn where you want it to be, you can position it at the narrowest part of your waist, which is slimming. Now, that’s still a relative term for me, as my waist is, well, hard to find (for the record, I blame the five c-sections), but it really does help, plus, it’s visually interesting, especially when you have belts in different colors. I wear a basic black belt the most often, because it goes with almost everything, but I have found that a green belt that came with a dress, and a coral belt I bought specifically to go with another dress a few years ago, are really fun additions to my outfits. I’m also experimenting with a new white belt I bought at Pinup Girl’s last sale, and while it fits a bit tighter than I would prefer, I think it, too, will become a wardrobe staple!