It started with a photo of fashion influencer Nina Sandbech at Copenhagen Fashion Week. She was wearing a burgundy overcoat with exaggerated shoulders that she cinched at the waist with not one, not two, but four different belts. The sculptural effect was gorgeous, almost like a menswear-inspired spin on a corset, and immediately stood out from a sea of other street style photos. It even harkened back to Daniel Roseberry’s Schiaparelli 2024 collection, which featured a corset and jacket made of belts.
But then I saw multiple New York Fashion Week attendees rocking the look, too, most with a modest Crosby-approved two belts, but some with three or even four again. Over the past few weeks, in fact, I feel as though I’ve seen nothing but belts, more and more frequently worn in multiples, everywhere I look.
And I’ll admit, I see these gals and do have the thought, “wow, that does actually look very cool.” But the second I try to recreate it I inevitably turn into drunk Gary Oldman. I tried to look into whether these fashion month guests were perhaps wearing a singular belt simply designed to give the illusion of two belts—often the biggest names attending a runway show will be dressed by the brand to showcase the designs, making it easy to ID the various pieces of front row outfits—but alas, I’ve thus come up short. It appears these women really are strapping on a menagerie of belts and finding ways to make it look incredibly cool all by themselves.
So if they can do it, why can’t I?
