A belt is one of the most frequently used fashion accessories for both men and women, young or old. Their primary function is to fasten the wearer’s pants to not to fall off their waist. However, belts also serve an aesthetic function as many fashionistas use them to complement their look.
But at times, you just need to secure your pants and can’t use a belt for whatever reason. It could be that your pants no longer, but you’re not about to let go just yet. It could be that the pants have broken loops, and you don’t have the luxury of time to fix them. The good news is, there are a couple of ways you can wear your pants without a belt and still look fashionable.
11 Genius Ways to Tighten Pants Without a Belt
1. Pin Those Pants
You can turn that pin in your bathroom drawer, purse, or travel bag into the ultimate tool for tightening your pants. Many people tend to think that these pins only come in handy when it’s time to keep unsightly bra straps or temporarily hemming pants. But at that desperate time, you need to tighten up your pants, and there’s no belt; this little tool can turn into a prominent miracle worker for you.
To use this technique, you’ll need to first put the pants inside out (before putting them on). Next, do a rear-facing fold of the waistband so that it folds into itself. By now, you should be having a fold-like. The next step is to secure the dart-like fold using a safety pin. If you do this correctly, you’ll end up with pants that have gone down several sizes.
2. Buy Elastic
Times are rapidly changing, and fashion is also changing to match modern lifestyles’ fashion demands. Of course, there are still the traditional jeans that come with belt loops ready to serve their purpose.
However, there is another emerging trend; elastic band jeans. Most of these jeans come as 100% denim material. Some are a combination of denim and stretchy fabrics. The elastic is placed in the waistband to be flexible, eliminating the need for a belt.
The waistband is flexible enough that it’s able to fit anyone regardless of the size of their waists. These options remove the discomfort associated with belts by providing flexibility and ease around the waist area.
3. Clip It Up
You’ve got particular pants so suitable for a given occasion, but the waist is too big. You’re not ready to resign to the fact that they can’t wear them. In that case, you can use a trick from the olden days to help you do a quick fix for your pants. You can use a binder clip, strong clothespin, or any tiny clasp at your disposal to gather the fabric around the waist area.
First, put on the pants, get a mirror, and an extra pair of hands to help with the next steps. Gather the material around the waistband and clip them at the rear of the pants. Before clipping, ensure that it’s the size that fits you properly.
Although you can use any of the clips or clasps at your disposal, you can consider getting clips designed explicitly for clothes. The clips will give you a more practical and fashionable choice as their design works more like how you would adjust the straps on your backpack.
Clip the hooks on the waistband of your pants, and then twist it to 90 degrees so that the excess fabric is gathered and secured at one point. This technique can help you cut down the waist size
or 10 inches if you use two clips). You can shop for specialty clothing clips from online stores and are found in varying qualities, ensuring you pick according to your taste and budget.
PS: This technique only works if you’re going before a camera or in a setting that only requires you to sit for the better part of the session.
4. Wear Multiple Layers
The main reason you need a belt is to help hold your pants up. Another good alternative to a belt is to wear multiple layers and then tuck them into the jeans. Pants fall off your waist when there’s more fabric in the waistband, making it impossible for your waist to hold the excess into place.
Some of the extra layers that men can use include a sweater, undershirt, a button-up, or a t-shirt. All these choices help fill up the pants’ void so that the waistband becomes tighter and holds firmly into place. When using this option, ensure you tuck in the extra layers into the Jeans.
The technique is even more effective during cold climates. It’s more like killing two birds with a single stone; you get to keep warm while at the same time keeping your jeans in the right place on your waist. You might even skip using a jacket if it’s something that you don’t like.
5. From Saggy to Stylish
Who said that belts must be leather accessories with holes and a buckle? You’ll agree that fashion is even fancier if it’s authentic. Sometimes, it’s good to rock your style just by thinking a little bit out of the box.
For example, what if you took a long sash and converted it into your belt? Whether patterned, lightweight, or multicolored, the choice is all yours. It’s an opportunity to rock a Bohemian vibe, especially if you like wide-legged pants, suits, casual capris, or boyfriend jeans.
And it doesn’t have to be a sash you’re using in the place of a belt. You can also use a rope as it’s not just meant for docking boats or typing up horses. However, don’t rush for the thick and rough rope hanging around in your garage. The ideal option here is a clean, thin rope of a neutral color, even if it’s a section of a soft curtain cord.
Read: 5 Fantastic Ways To Dry Jeans Fast (And Do Jeans Shrink After Washing?)
The technique will turn your otherwise saggy look into a stylish nautical look, especially if you pair it up with a loose blouse or high-waisted denim shorts. Try and find a rope of white color and throw in some bits of decorative designs (if you can), as it will help you make a bold statement.
6. Wear Suspenders
Many people consider suspenders to be old and out of fashion. But depending on the twist you throw in, this can turn into one of the most stylish looks that will have everyone complimenting you.
Suspenders are a particularly viable option, given that most of them come from elastic and flexible materials. They’re a comfortable option to belts as they’ll not interfere much with the waist area, leaving you feeling comfy throughout the day. They come in various designs and colors, so regardless of your taste, you’ll find something that matches your needs.
You can stylize and customize your look so that the suspenders blend in with the rest of your style. In other words, it’s not just an issue of them being a necessity, but you can turn them into your signature look.
7. Shrink the Jeans
Also, consider shrinking the waistline’s size so that you don’t have to use a belt. You’ve got several options you can pursue to shrink and up with perfectly fitting jeans. One of the options is to wash the pants in hot water.
Then, dry them using the high-heat setting on your washing machine. It’s believed that if you take a hot shower or bath with your pants on, the high heat will cause the jeans to shrink. It’s a scientifically proven fact that when you expose garments to heat in general, they end up shrinking in size. If you’ve got 100% denim jeans, you stand higher chances of getting the best results with this method. However, you need to use this method if you’re sure you want to shrink your pants’ size permanently.
8. Create a Makeshift Belt
If you feel you’ve had enough of the discomforts and inconveniences of the traditional belts, you’ve got the option of also creating your own. Creativity is essential here, given that you’ll need to take locally available materials and turn them into the ultimate custom belt.
For instance, you can use strings or any other material which is easy to turn into functional belts. The good thing with makeshift belts is that you don’t have to spend any amount since you’re already running away from commercial belts, which can cost an average of $25.
You need to use this approach with an open mind. For one, it might not give you a belt that has an aesthetic appeal compared to the commercially available options. But if you’re only interested in a quick fix to save the day, looks aren’t the priority, so that this method will do the trick.
9. Get the Right Fit
Given you’re already here, chances are you got oversize jeans that are giving you trouble with fitting. Given the times we will live in online shopping where it’s not easy to get what you order, you can anticipate such scenarios.
It’s also possible that you’ll get the right size of the waistline you ordered for but still won’t fit. This scenario is because most brands use what they call the vanity sizing method, which in some cases doesn’t reflect the actual sizes of people. Besides this, there’s another measurement that’s usually ignored by people when shopping for clothes; the inseam measurement.
The best way to deal with this problem once and for all is to visit a tailor and have them take your accurate measurements. Ask the tailor to give you the exact size of your waistline that you should be using when getting new pants and or blouses. That should be the measurement around the midsection of the waist near the navel.
If you get this measurement wrong, then chances are very high that you’ll be buying pants with the wrong sizes nearly all the time.
10. Use String
When you desperately need to tighten up your pants, and there’s no belt near you, why not use a string? With this option, you can either allow the rope to be conspicuous or hide it by leaving your shirt un-tucked.
It’s usually one of the alternatives you resort to when you’ve exhausted all the other options, or you don’t have a lot of time on your hands. Since a string works more or less like an actual belt, you’ll need to determine how tight you need it to be so that it doesn’t cause discomforts.
However, this method is not best for you if you suffer from digestive issues or stomach sensitivity.
11. Tuck in Your Shirt
Sometimes, it’s only some little space that needs filling up in the waistline in such a case, all you need to do is tuck in your shirt, and it will hold your pants up. But if you prefer un-tucked shirts, you can alternatively wear a t-shirt, a tank top, or another undershirt which you’ll tuck in before topping it up with the shirt. It’s a fashionable yet straightforward way of going beltless.
Bottom Line
All of the above are viable options you can pursue to tighten your pants without using a belt. But you’ll agree that if you had the right size of pants, you wouldn’t have to go the extra mile to fix the extra space. It takes a bit of knowing the correct measurements for your waistline so that you’re on guessing or approximating every time you go shopping for pants or blouses.
Belts are a great way to fix loose pants and an even more excellent aesthetic complement to your look. But there are several downsides to it; one can get quite expensive, and two, they might get uncomfortable at times. However, either of the above suggestions should get you a working solution for now.