The leather belt, a member of the accessory family, is often an after-thought purchase (if even considered at all). As much as the belt is functional, it is ultimately an article that complements an outfit and adds further appeal.  

Contrary to popular belief, one shouldn't just wear a belt out of necessity. Put simply, the role of a belt should not be to keep one's suit pant from falling but rather, should be worn because it complements an overall look.

When deciding on a new belt, the biggest question (and mistake) men make is how to correctly match your belt to your outfit. Well, we're here to lend a hand. Let us elaborate...

When in doubt, match your leathers (i.e leather belt with leather shoes). Pay particular attention to the shades, also; for example, you should match your brown belt to the particular shade of brown shoes exactly. Wearing a camel coloured leather belt with a pair of dark brown business shoes is careless and no matter how much thought you put into the rest of your outfit, will look unkempt.

Once again, match your leathers. However, this does not apply to every style. A patent shoe should always be worn with a patent black belt, but when you experiment with different materials and finishes in your footwear, what should you do? With the wider range of styles available for a dress occasion, suddenly it’s no longer so black & white.

If you have difficulty matching the colour of your dress shoes exactly, try pulling out a particular tone within the leather to accentuate the colour. Same goes for texture - don't think you have to find a velvet belt to go with your velvet loafers - the same colour belt is more than fine.

Fortunately, this occasion provides much more versatility and freedom than the formal styles. Not being tied to a certain uniform means you have room for expression in your belt choice – style, size, colour and type.

This doesn’t mean you can’t keep it straightforward; in fact, it’s probably best to keep the colours and material relatively simple unless you’re specifically looking to make a statement with your belt. Although the leather colour rule still applies, you may want to vary the shade to avoid taking your colour matching to inappropriate levels.

Another option would be to tie in your belt with the overall look by matching to another element of your outfit instead, such as your watchstrap, wallet, colours in your tee or your chinos. This particularly matters when wearing a white sneakers - don't go searching for a white belt! The key to remember is even though your belt may not match your shoes, all the different elements when put together to form the whole outfit should look effortless but thoughtful.