Pretty much every part a man's outfit gets significantly more attention than the lowly belt. It's treated more like a utility than a fashion piece, and as such, ends up being a product that's picked up as an after thought, rather than one that's sought out.In reality though, it should be just the opposite. If you're looking to differentiate yourself or make a statement, your belt should be one of the first places that you start.A high quality brown or black belt will add a necessary touch to complete an outfit, while a colorful exotic or statement belt can become the centerpiece of the whole outfit.

In this guide, we'll walk you through how to choose the right belt for your specific situation.Belts typically fall into one of two categories: Dress Belts and Casual Belts.Dress belts are more formal and are typically worn with suits and dressier types of attire. Casual belts are wider and less formal, and can be worn with jeans, shorts, and a multitude of other types of clothes.Occasionally belts can be both dress and casual, but that's fairly rare.

We'll dig into the specifics of each type of belt, and what you should keep in mind when selecting your belt.The biggest rule of thumb that you need to keep in mind when choosing a dress belt is that it should as closely match the shoes that you plan to wear as possible. In a perfect world, the belt would be made of the same material that the shoes are, but that's pretty rare, so instead focus on getting the colors close or the same.

The material of the belt should be "full grain leather". If it says "top grain leather", "genuine leather" or just plain old "leather", then it's time to move on to the next belt. Those terms may sound like the belt is made of the best material, but they're unfortunately code for sub-standard grades of leather. Go with "full grain" and you can't go wrong.

Suede is another material that every once in a while crosses over from a casual belt to a dress belt. It's not going to be the most formal of dress belts, but if the situation is on the more casual side of the dressy spectrum, then it could be worth looking at. The same suede belt could also be used for casual dress too, so fairly versatile.Cotton is not a dress belt material. Don't even consider it.The buckle of the belt should be polished and fairly minimalist without any additional or excessive styling. It should also be only one pronged.

As for buckle colors, polished gold goes well with brown or tan belts, and polished silver with black or navy belts. For other colors, feel free to contact us for our expert opinion.A note on reversible belts: While it may seem like you're killing two birds with one stone by buying a reversible belt, they tend to fall apart very fast (you don't see many high quality reversible belts made by reputable belt makers), and often times the other side of the belt is visible during normal wear, so you'll end up with flashes of brown against your black pants.

Leather is, of course, the most common type of material for casual belts, and as we learned in the dress belts section, you should ALWAYS choose a "full grain leather" belt. This is actually even more important for a casual belt, if you can believe that, as many people wear their belt on a daily basis, and it will tend to break down quickly, unless it's made from full grain leather.

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