Dear Fashion Kitty,

I would love a tutorial about how to wear a belt over a longer-lengthed shirt. I bought a bright fuschia short-sleeved blouse from H&M because I just loved the color it was so inexpensive, but it is tunic-length and looks strange. I was thinking a belt worn at the waist might make it look better. What are some guidelines you might suggest for wearing belts over shirts?

I would consider my style urban-classic, tailored, well-cut lines, but with accessories and shoes that are a bit edgy. I’m 5’11 and can carry most looks pretty well. I’ve played around with the few belts I own and nothing seems to look right. What would you suggest? —————————————————————————

Thanks for the question, good thing you asked. Nothing worse than pulling a Tyra Banks and belting every single top you own. Anyhow, I do have a couple of loose rules to follow this trend.

1. Pick what you want to extenuate: The top or your Figure. If you want to show the world how tiny your middle is? Add a thicker belt to a plainer shirt to show off your figure. Care to show the world what a gorgeous top you just purchased? Tie a ribbon belt, or a leather belt lower on the waist
2. Choosing your belt: Go with a theme… Have a floral or a hippy style tunic- add something equally soft and flowing (like a braided or ribbon belt). Have a plain shirt that you would like to make more pulled together, go with a thicker more structured belt higher on the waist.
   

Some things to watch out for:

• Don’t cinch too tight
• When wearing a long tunic- make sure your bottom half is simple (no one wants to see bulges from thick belt loops and zippers
• Buy the right belt- I have tons of belts that would look great over a top, but they are too big to cinch around the waist. Check the size based on where on your body you think you will wear it the most.