The best looking cheap dress belt

Merona Reversible Dress Belt – $19.99

Not available online.  Head in store and be prepared to fish through racks of other belts to find it.

Like inexpensive shoes, over-embellishments and style dealbreakers run rampant in the cheap dress belt market. Less is more, and for whatever reason, it’s hard to find an inexpensive dress belt that isn’t “too” something. Y’know, the buckle is too big, the metal is too flashy, it’s got some weird texture in there, etc…  It’s strangely difficult to find one belt with these three characteristics:

• It’s inexpensive
• The buckle is matte/brushed instead of chrome
• The buckle isn’t oversized or elongated

Hard to believe that Target is the home of a just-about-perfect option.

The Good: This particular model from their Merona line has a perfect buckle.  The size is just right, the brushed silver metal knocks the shine down, and the slightly rounded edges give it more of an elegant look (though a standard squared off dress belt buckle is obviously just fine).  It’s reversible, with a hugely versatile medium/leaning dark brown shade on the grained flip side.  It feels decently well made, and the belt itself doesn’t look like plastic… even though it is.

The Not So Good: Yep, it’s pleather (or, if you wanna spin it, it’s vegan friendly), but it actually feels nice and supple. They stamped “MAN MADE MATERIALS” on the brown side, and it’ll be visible if you’re using the last hole on the belt. And speaking of those holes, these things are made in Small, Medium, Large, etc… instead of exact sizes.  Which is odd, and the size ranges are pretty big.  A medium fits 32-36 waists, so sizing might be an issue with either too little or too much belt left over for some.

It’s not perfect, but it’s a rare, simple looking find in the ocean of gaudy cheap dress belts.  Perfect price, and most of its flaws will be hidden if you’re usually in a blazer or suit jacket.