Whether you’re wearing it to a work site, wearing it with your Sunday best or wearing it as part of your everyday look, every guy needs a reliable belt.

Belts seem like the most basic of fashion accessories, but they can say a lot about your fashion sense. Mastering the basics of belt wearing can do a lot to improve your everyday style whether you’re wearing an upscale genuine leather belt or men or a basic reversible belt.

With that in mind, here are some basic belt-wearing tips:

• Length: Depending on the type of belt you’re wearing, you want to keep an eye on the length. With a casual belt, having an overly long tail looks very awkward. A good rule of thumb is to err on the short side so you avoid having to wrap a long tail around your hip. If you’re wearing a dress belt, such as a genuine leather belt for men, you should have a few inches of leather to the left of your belt buckle once you’ve fastened it. There should be enough of a tail to at least tuck under your first belt loop.
  
  To avoid a fashion faux pas, try belts on in the store to figure out what fits best.
• Buckles: Remember this rule of thumb: your belt is less formal the bigger a belt buckle is. That means a dressy belt like a genuine leather belt for men will likely be small and flat. Casual belts will have larger buckles.
  
  As if that wasn’t enough, your belt buckle should match any sort of jewelry you wear whether it be tie tacs, cufflinks and the like. If you’ve got silver cufflinks for example, a silver belt buckle will help accent those cufflinks. If you’re going for a more casual look, there’s no real right or wrong answer. If you’re someone who loves wearing large belt buckles, wear something that pairs well with them. You’re free to dress as you wish, but staying consistent with a theme will make people take notice.
• Colors: When it comes to belt colors, leather should always match leather. That means if you’re wearing a black suit, wear a genuine leather belt for men that’s also black. Also keep in mind what sort of shoes you’re wearing and pair those with a belt accordingly. Matte shoes go with matte belts, glossy belts go with glossy shoes and so on.
  
  If you go with something out of the norm like an animal skin belt, you have more freedom to mix and match, just keep in mind how much attention you’d like to be paid to the belt you’re wearing.
• Buying belts: There are many types and brands of belt to choose from and there’s a wide range of costs as a result. When you’re looking at buying a belt, keep an eye on three things:
  • Quality: Leather is the most common belt material, but quality can vary. A good leather belt will have soft leather. Older, harder leather is tough to flex and will resist your fingernail if you try to score it.
  • Brand name: You can go out today and buy yourself a belt with a well known brand name. But keep in mind that depending on what you wear, people may not take notice of your belt right away, because, let’s face it, it’s hard to tell from a distance the brand of a belt. Rather than rushing to spend on a brand, focus on quality. A genuine leather belt for men could last you a long time compared to the most well known brand name.
  • Construction: When examining a belt, be sure to check the stitching. Also check the attachment of the belt. If it’s attached with a snap, that means you can change it out. If it’s stitched in place, that’s the buckle you’ve got to work with.

The majority of new consumers in the fashion industry over the next couple years will be between ages 16 to 24 and 25 to 34. If you’re in that demographic and shopping for a new belt, take time to consider the quality and construction of a belt. Once you’ve done so, find one that’s a comfortable fit and goes with whatever look you’re going for.