Thursday, February 7, 2013

Full Metal Belt: Born to Shine

You’ve seen it. Its shine caught your eye. And if you’re like me, you can’t get it out of your mind. It’s the sleekest, chicest accessory to hit the red carpet.
It’s The Belt of the Season, made of solid, smooth metal.
Before the metal belt made such an impact at award shows and A-list parties, it appeared in early 2012 on the runway for the fall Calvin Klein Collection and in the lookbook for Stella McCartney’s fall evening line.  We saw McCartney’s gold version several times last year from her favorite “Saskia” gown. The “Most Worn Dress of 2012” was sported by Gwyneth Paltrow, Shalom Harlow, Brooklyn Decker and Kira Miro, to name a few.
Raf Simons also used it to nip waists and add modern edge to his debut for Christian Dior Haute Couture. His fall 2012 collection reimagined the groundbreaking premiere of Dior’s “New Look” from 1947.
Later that year it topped more looks from geometric print dresses at the Juanjo Oliva show to Prabal Gurung’s black and white ensembles.
A metal belt used to evoke childhood memories of my brother practicing to be a WWE professional wrestler in our living room.  Luckily I survived those matches intact and I can appreciate today’s metal belts, which seem equally futuristic and rock & roll.  The accessory’s allure is that it adds that little something extra to make almost any dress more edgy, yet polished. 
How to Rock It:
(Almost) Any Dress - Seriously. A metal belt will give some sass to a romantic dress with lace or ruffles and put a simple, sexy dress over the edge.  Consider adding a jacket or long cardigan over or under the belt.

A Skirt and Top Combo - See above.  Plus it will accentuate the waist even more. 
I think a metal belt would look very bad ass with a leather pencil skirt and a simple top.  For a tamer outfit, pair it with a flowy midi skirt.
Skinny Jeans - Pair it with dark skinny jeans, a boxy cropped top and booties for a rocker look; a tunic sweater and flats for a casual day or a sexy tank top for a party look.
Additional Note: Keep jewelry minimal or even better, wear none at all.  If you must, try multistring mixed media pieces, a metal cuff bracelet or stud earrings.

 

Photos courtesy of Getty, InStyle/Dara Kushner/INFphoto.com and Joseph Kerlakian/Rex
 





UPDATE 2/10/13: Natasha Bedingfield continues the metal belt’s reign at the 2013 Grammy Awards!  That and her matching gold clutch add a little rock and roll to her red lace Emerson gown.
Photo courtesy of Getty and The Huffington Post

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