How important is a belt?

[Ryan Ross]

Case in point: The weather has been unseasonably warm here, lately. Like as has been said, you're not always going to want to wear a vest or sweater, whether for heat considerations or some other reason. We often speak here about "little touches that complete the look". I think the belt is a huge one of these.

For the traditionalists, I would think a belt would be a big plus, whenever a vest or sweater/jumper is not worn. Both because it seems to be almost universal throughout the history of the tailored kilt, and because for much of that history, and all of the history of the kilt before the advent of tailoring, it was necessary.

Another thing I always think of is that a good belt/buckle can make all the difference. Often times, the belt is skimped on or is worn in a less than ideal matter (maybe it's just not a good belt, or maybe it's worn too tight or too loosely), and I think that can become annoying for the wearer.

Another thing is that often times, it's hard to find a belt that really looks good with the sporran you're wearing at the time; color, texture, and style can all play into this part. The belt and sporran don't have to "match", but I think it makes a really good effect when they do. Artificer seems to be making a lot of sporran/sporran belt/waist belt sets right now, and I love seeing this; on rare occasions, it's possible to squeeze a set out of Ferguson Britt, also. I wish more folks would make that an offering, especially since I suspect that in the old days, belt and sporran were quite often made by the same craftsman.

Finally, you can use your belt to make a statement or add a bit of sittuational relevance to your outfit, in ways that are not possible to do with a vest or sweater.

Since I love visual aids, here's what I'm talking about. I wore this to Mass, last week; chi rho buckle, and the sporran and belt "go" with eachother (indeed, they were made to go together), and I think, produce a nice, simple, clean effect: