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Summer is my favorite time of year, in fact I wait for it all year long. Spending several weeks at the beach this summer filled my heart with happiness. My girls played in the sand and loved jumping over the waves, I read several books, we went on family bike rides, listened to the ocean, and felt the warmth of the sun. Our dog loves the morning walks on the beach as well.
What do you love about summer?
As an adult, I only seem to go for bike rides when I am at the beach. Maybe it is because the beach is my happy place and I enjoy being outdoors so much more when I am there. I purchased this beach cruiser bike on sale four years ago at the grocery store and it is holding up very well. That was $88 well spent! I digress, onward and upward to sundresses and belts.
Let’s move on! Belt or no belt, that is the question and that is what we are here to discuss today. The answer? It depends!
A Quick Lesson on Body Types and Belts
Depending on your shape and the design of the dress, it may be beneficial to add a belt. The sundress I am wearing in these pictures has an elastic waist and it certainly works but due to my hourglass figure, I could use a little more help defining my waist. Both options are fine, but I find the belt gives it a little something more both in waist definition to balance my proportions as well as an accessory for a style statement. I use this trick of adding a belt that did not come with the dress often even if I am wearing a longer floral dress for fall or winter.
In addition to hourglass shapes, this concept also works well if you would like to create a more defined waist for athletic builds (where your waist is not as defined and your shoulders, waist, and hips have roughly even measurements).
Pear shaped bodies can handle a belt as well as long as it falls at your natural waist as opposed to the hip area. The belt will show off your slender waist and upper body. However for an apple shape, I would tend not to gravitate toward adding a belt but instead allow a beautiful A-line or tunic style dress to show off your legs.
The belt I am wearing in these pictures is from Lilly Pulitzer circa 2011 and I wear it all the time but sadly it is no longer available. However, I linked a braided belt from Amazon that is similar in style (and only $9.99).
A braided belt is perfect for summer and a great addition to sundresses that could benefit from a defined waist for your body type or to add a styling piece. The straw color is very versatile for summer but a metallic or brown braided belt is another great option.
Try Something New
At the end of the day, the best way to see if a look enhances or doesn’t flow with your style is to try it on at home or out and about for a few hours. See how you feel, do you feel more like yourself (or who you want to embody?) or is it not quite right? It’s okay to play around with different options depending on the day and your mood. How else do we find new options we enjoy but to try something new! Try different colors/shades or thicknesses in a belt to see what you like.
The main point is that you can try a belt with a dress even if it is not purchased as a matching set. Or if it does come with a belt, you can always feel free to try another one that you have in your closet. The possibilities are endless, you never know until you try!
Any questions on body shape or what size belt to wear with your dress? Please let me know in the comments below or email me!