Do you want to learn how to wear a chain belt this season? From fashion tips to outfit ideas this guide has you covered.
Chain belts are trending and I’m excited. As a young teenager during Y2K, this accessory was the “it piece”. You could instantly make any pair of black pants or flare jeans look cute. And since it was junior high, where you’d be sent to the principal’s office for showing midriff, this was the next best option.
As a grown woman, I’m happily revisiting this trendy piece with fresh eyes. In this post, I share why the chain belt is a must-have piece in your wardrobe, stylish ways to wear a chain belt, where to buy the best chain belts, and additional fashion tips for making the chain belt your own.
This post is all about how to wear a chain belt.
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Why Chain Belts Are A Must-Have Accessory
Chain belts have expanded their reach beyond boho chic or as an accessory for trendy teens and 20-somethings. As regular belts have grown in versatility throughout the decades, the chain belt has kept pace from one fashion moment to another.
The history of the chain belt goes back to medieval times when elaborate metal belts were seen on off-duty knights or as a flex by the wealthy at court. Flappers and Jazz Age fashionistas dawned metal chain medallions with drop waists and lace in the 1920s. Karl Lagerfeld made the chain belt mainstream in the 1990s through his designs at Chanel. Early 2000s pop stars like Christina Aguilera and Aaliyah re-birthed the piece as the “It Girl” belt, styled with low-rise jeans and a pierced belly button.
Use a chain belt to instantly elevate an outfit from casual to chic, or use it to cinch the waist of a summer or spring dress. It’s jewelry for the waist, hips, or even around your neck (e.g., with a basic tank and baggy jeans, like my teenage daughter wore at the Childish Gambino concert last summer). You can wear it as a statement piece to a basic outfit or to accent a more stylish look.
Regardless of style, the chain belt is a must-have accessory in any wardrobe.
5 Stylish Ways To Wear A Chain Belt
Let these chain belt outfit ideas serve as style templates that can be adapted and reused with your wardrobe or capsule, season after season.
1. Chic & Elegant: A Chain Belt Over A Dress
Elevate a minimal dress by cinching the waist with a chain belt. The belt polishes the outfit, taking it from day to night. Cinching the waist creates shape with loose fabrics and flowy styles, and you can also add a matching jacket that hits the same spot. Styling with a longer chain belt that hangs down helps create a vertical line down the body, minimizing volume at the hips.
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2. Casual Chic: Chain Belt With Jeans + Button-Down Shirt
If your style is French chic, styling with a simple chain belt is the perfect way to incorporate an accessory that will remain timeless in your wardrobe. It adds a youthful vibe to a collared shirt with jeans and pointy-toe flats. While denim styles are ever-changing, a chic belt is a piece you can always incorporate back into your everyday outfits for a touch of personal style.
Related Post: My Formula for Everyday “Casual Chic”
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3. Modern Classic x Edgy: Chain Belt With Leather Pants + Lady Jacket
A chain belt can also add character to an outfit, especially if you love to mix and match different styles. A lady jacket is a polished piece but juxtaposed with something edgy like faux leather pants creates something more unique and eclectic. This chain belt outfit is perfect for a smart casual office, a baby shower, or brunch in spring or fall.
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4. Cold Weather Chic: Chain Belt Outfit With A Sweater
If you’re a fan of how oversized knits make you feel, but not how they make you look, this chain belt outfit idea is for you. Use the belt to cinch the waist of your sweater over a pair of jeans or trousers. Winter sweaters are often too chunky to French tuck, but this styling method will keep you cozy without the frumpy. Perfect for the office over a collared shirt and a pair of trousers too!
Related Post: 8 Key Style Tips For Cold Weather Outfits
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5. Dressy Casual: Silver Chain Belt With A Skirt
If the throwback “chain belt with a mini skirt” trend is too Y2K for you, a more sophisticated option is styling a chain belt with a longer midi or maxi skirt. When a statement necklace is too much, a chain belt may be just right because it’s worn lower on the body. Wear a chain belt fitted near your waist, or hook it looser, creating a drop waist look, perfect for a date night styled with a slip skirt, adding a personal touch of chic.
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Choosing The Right Chain Belt For Your Style
When purchasing a chain link belt, it’s important to consider the following questions when determining what piece to choose and how much you want to spend. Most importantly, the piece should be versatile to go with many looks in your wardrobe and make you feel great while wearing it.
- Which metal do you prefer? Gold, silver, or mixed. Complexions with warm undertones look best in gold, while cool undertones look best in silver if that’s important to you.
- Do you look best in shiny metals or vintage finishes?
- Do you want to make a statement with something chunky or heavily embellished; or do you prefer something dainty and minimalist?
- Opt for a larger size chain belt if you want more versatility in the size of clothing you wear
- Where do you want to wear your chain belt? Work, going out, every day, or all of the above?
- Where on your body do you want to wear your chain belt? Hips, waist…get creative?
- How much do you want to invest in this piece? Is it a trend you want to try, or are you seriously committed?
- What style of belt will go best with the rest of your wardrobe?
- Lastly, do you see yourself actually wearing this piece and having fun with it?
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Where To Buy The Best Chain Belts
The vintage market is the best place to find unique chain belts. All the ones I styled in this article are currently in my daughter’s wardrobe, passed down from her mom-mom.
When purchasing a new chain belt, boho chic stores like Free People and Boot Barn are your go-to for embellished looks. However, more polished styles can be found at department stores and retail shops on the high street.
Here are some of my favorites:
Final Thoughts: How To Make A Chain Belt Your Signature Accessory
My best tips for styling a chain belt:
- Easily elevate a basic T-shirt and jeans
- If it looks good with jeans, try it with a denim skirt
- Try a layered look with a chain belt over a blazer or soft trench coat
- Wear it as a necklace with a knit dress
- Layer multiple chain belts with a maxi skirt for the ultimate boho outfit
- Try a thin chain belt with a pair of trousers for a chic office look
- If mixing metals, stick to one finish (shiny or vintage)
- Keep necklaces minimal (or go without)
- Minimal to no embellishments on the area of the clothing where the chain belt is worn (because the chain belt is the wow piece)
- Any outfit you can belt may also look great with a chain belt instead (that is, experiment with every outfit)
I hope this post inspired you to pull out your chain belts and begin styling, or to add one to your existing wardrobe. What’s your favorite way to style a chain belt? Let me know in the comments. 🌹
This post was all about how to wear a chain belt
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I’ve worn chain belts with a few select pieces for years. Not daily, but with an outfit here and there. I wear them hip level on dresses with a soft jacket most of the time. Sometimes with a skirt, blouse, jacket combo, but that was less often.
Love your cropped jeans and jacket outfit best. I’ve lost 35 pounds. A few more pounds, and I think I’d enjoy sporting such a look.
Thanks for the new ideas.
So glad I picked up my chain belts at thrift stores over the years.
Now I can wear them more regularly for a while!
Ty!!!!!
Thanks again
Raine,
This makes me so happy to read! It’s on my list to go thrifting soon and I am definitely going to look for some unique pieces. I wore one of the chain belts out to a concert the other night with a pair of velour wide-leg flares and a rib-knit top…and it was a hit! So excited for more outfits. Happy styling!