‘Alexander McQueen was all about the waistline,’ said Irish creative director Seán McGirr following his A/W 2025 collection for McQueen, which carved out the waist in dramatic fashion. It would be a trend that ran through the season: architectural tailoring was nipped at the waist or narrowed with wide-leather belts, suggesting not constriction but a new power silhouette (as such, it was often teamed with a wide shoulder, superhero-style). At Sarah Burton’s Givenchy debut, jackets were meticulously sculpted at the waistline (‘to cut, shape and proportion. It’s what I feel, how I work, and want to do,’ she said), while Kim Jones’ swansong at Dior Men looked towards the pinched-waist Bar Jacket for inspiration.
In keeping with this mood, the belt became the accessory of the season, with iterations at Prada, Jil Sander, Saint Laurent, Brioni and Sacai worn to reshape the body – whether over gowns or blazers, or cinching the waist of an overcoat. But the statement belt has been bubbling under for some time: at Miu Miu’s S/S 2025 show, looping and stacked-up chain belts were akin to strings of jewellery, while other designers – from Hodakova to August Barron and Craig Green – have created iterations that are studded, charm-adorned, painted with florals or furry to the touch. As such, they provide the perfect flourish to an otherwise simple outfit, channelling an au courant desire to adorn ourselves and our accessories (see: the unstoppable rise of the bag charm).
Here, as selected by the Wallpaper* style team, are ten statement-making belts to add drama to any outfit.
The chain belt has become ubiquitous in recent months, with iterations from Loewe, Valentino, Saint Laurent and Chloé capturing a nostalgic, bohemian-inflected glamour. Though it is Miu Miu – which first showed stacked-up chain belts as part of its S/S 2025 runway collection – with which the trend is synonymous. This metal belt, adorned with a crystal flower, captures Miu Miu’s vision of offbeat femininity, designed to be worn over swimsuits and party dresses alike.
Embrace a sense of teenage rebellion with this studded belt from Prada, first appearing as part of the house’s S/S 2025 menswear show where it was looped around the top of the house’s ‘Buckle’ bag. Co-creative directors Raf Simons and Miuccia Prada said the collection was about the liberated spirit of youth, a mood captured in this belt, which has the appearance of having been customised by hand. ‘Youth is the future… it is hope,’ said Mrs Prada at the time.
Cult London-based label Chopova Lowena is known for a more-is-more approach: Central Saint Martins graduates Emma Chopova and Laura Lowena’s collections are a heady college of cartoon prints, charm-adorned hardware and signature plissé carabiner kilts. This belt – a playful riff on the classic Western belt – captures their signature aesthetic, one which has gained them a legion of devoted fans.
Alaïa has long been known for statement belts which shape and contour the body – its wide ‘bustier’ belt, crafted from lace-like laser-cut leather and designed by Azzedine Alaïa during his tenure, remains a bestseller. This belt sees current creative director Pieter Mulier put his riff on the body-shaping style, appearing as three belts at the front and a thick panel of leather on the back.
An altogether more playful take on the trend for layered belts, this triple belt by August Barron – formerly All-In – encapsulates the Paris-based label’s distinctive aesthetic, which its designers say is about ‘main character’ energy (references tend towards the 1980s, from blousy party dresses to Working Girl corporate attire). Adorned with studs, it’s available in a range of colour combinations, from candy pink and brown to classic black.
Demonstrating Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s eye for reduction, this simple black leather belt by The Row makes its statement not through design but tactility. Crafted from calf-hair leather with a shaggy finish, it will add a textural flourish to even the simplest of outfits.
Run out of space on your handbag for charms? This Balenciaga belt – one of former creative director’s Demna’s final creations for the house – provides a solution. Complete with a keyring fastening, it is adorned with an assemblage of Eiffel Towers, beads and miniature Balenciaga keys, with plenty of space for your own tourist trinkets.
Own a piece of runway history: this wide leather ‘corset’ belt provided the defining silhouette of Sarah Burton’s debut as creative director of Parisian house Givenchy, which reimagined ladylike silhouettes in contemporary manner (the sculpted silhouette also featured on meticulous narrow-waisted tailoring). ‘To cut, shape and proportion. It’s what I feel, how I work, and want to do,’ she said at the time.
The ‘Andiamo’ bag – meaning ‘let’s go’ in Italian – was one of the defining handbags of Matthieu Blazy’s tenure at Bottega Veneta, crafted from woven intrecciato leather and secured with a knot-like metal clasp (Blazy has since departed the house for Chanel; his successor is British designer Louise Trotter). This ‘Andiamo’ belt evokes the handbag in its intrecciato construction and matching golden clasp.
This Chloé metal belt was perhaps the defining accessory of Chemena Kamali’s debut as creative director of the Parisian house last year, its looping cursive a reference to a logo discovered on vintage jewellery in the Chloé archive. It also encapsulates Kamali’s bohemian approach: on the runway it was worn over floating lace dresses and a millefeuille of ruffles.