Casual Belts vs. Luxury Belts For Men: What and When to Wear

The right belt can make or break a man’s look. Wearing the correct belt well, signals to those in the know that you’re there too. In this article, we’ll discuss the types of belts every man needs in his closet, how to style casual and dress belts and when it’s time to wear them.

What Types of Belts Should a Man Have in His Closet?

Every man needs at least one formal and one casual belt. It’s often a good idea to have a brown and black formal belt and a few different casual belts. And while full-grain leather belts stay in good condition for a very long time, it’s necessary to replace your belts as needed once they start showing signs of wear. Here are the essential belts that every man should have in his closet.

1. Black casual belt.
2. Brown casual belt.
3. Black formal belt.
4. Brown formal belt.

If you have a full wardrobe or wear more color, consider adding a few colored belts. Belts are an opportunity to make a fashionable statement and say that you’re the kind of man who pays attention to the details in life.

Men’s Casual Belts

You can be relaxed and comfortable while still looking great when wearing a casual belt. Casual belts offer more flexibility in styling, so have some fun with your more laid-back looks.

1. How to Style a Men’s Casual Belt

• Add a pop of color

Choose a belt with colored stitching, or select the color of your choice with a customized Roger Ximenez full-grain leather belt. Choose a color that compliments your skin tone or your wardrobe. For example, if you wear a lot of black and white, a bright color like cobalt blue would stand out.

• Choose colors for the season. 

For example, softer colors work well in the summer, complementing the creams, whites, and khakis of summer fashion. During the winter, darker colors like black and burgundy work well and stand up to the darker and brighter winter tones.

• Try a colorful belt! 

The fashion rules with casual wear are looser, so it’s not essential that your belt matches your shoes, as long as it fits your overall ensemble. A stylish example is the orange mock caiman full-grain leather belt from Roger Ximenez. Orange is a bold color, but it complements neutral-colored clothing like khakis and blue jeans. A colorful belt makes a fun statement piece.

• Consider a textured casual belt. 

Again, since we’re talking about casual belts, this is an area where you can have some fun. One of the most popular styles of textured leather belts is mock reptile leather. Mock reptile leather offers the luxurious look and feel of genuine reptile leather but with more outstanding durability, making them ideal casual belts. Look for mock gator, mock croc, mock lizard, and mock caiman from Roger Ximenez. Another fun, textured belt to wear casually is the suede belt. Suede has a soft, velvety texture that is both classy and relaxed. Choose suede made from full-grain leather for the best wear and durability.  

2. When to Wear a Men's Casual Belt

Wear your casual belts for daily wear, outside of professional attire. These belts are appropriate for when you’re doing chores and on the weekends. Just because you’re running errands doesn’t mean you can’t look put together. Eating out at informal restaurants, outdoor events like barbeques or bonfires, or spending time with friends are all times that call for the comfort and relaxed look that men’s casual belts bring to the table.

Men’s Luxury Belts

1. How to Style a Men’s Luxury Belt

• Go with a subtle color. Traditionally the stitching for men’s dress belts is the same as the color of the belt, e.g., black belt with black stitching. Formal dress rules are stricter than casual wear, but you can show some subtle flair by choosing a different, complementary colored stitching. For example, a black belt with dark gray stitching would work well with a gray suit. For brown luxury belts, consider a brown of a different tone or a subtle gold color.

• Think about refined texture. Many luxury belts for men have texture to them. Give visual appeal to an outfit or bring a look together with a textured belt. Crocodile and alligator leather are classic examples of this quality. They are beautifully textured and also represent the peak of luxury leather belts. Lizard and caiman are additional examples of textured reptile leather. Another favorite textured luxury belt is the pebble grain style. This subtly textured leather offers a beautiful feel and a classic look. Every man needs a pebble-grained belt, especially for the professional setting. The next type of formal, textured belt is called saffiano leather. Saffiano leather is lightly crosshatched, leaving fine lines of texture on the leather. Finally, consider a mock ostrich leather belt. While they have more depth than a pebble grain belt, they are more subtle than a reptile leather. Textured belts pair especially well with smooth clothing, with the contrast highlighting the whole ensemble.

• Choose leather. Full-grain leather is the ideal choice for luxury belts for men.

2. When to Wear a Men's Luxury Belt

Shop Roger Ximenez’s Casual and Luxury Belts for Men

Whether you’re shopping for a casual, everyday belt or a luxury belt for more formal occasions, we’ve got you covered here at Roger Ximenez. Full-grain leather brings its legendary comfortable fit and durability to formal and casual occasions. And each belt we make is bespoke and hand-crafted to your exact specifications. You choose the color of stitching you want for your full-grain leather belt and its size and width. A general rule of thumb for belt sizing is to go one size larger than your pants size. And remember, a belt fits correctly when it feels comfortably secured on the center hole. (If you’d like more information about how to size yourself for a belt properly, please click here.)

1. Roger Ximenez Casual Belts

• Genuine suede

Suede complements any style of pants or shorts and can effortlessly elevate an informal look. Made from premium suede leather, our belts come in five rich colors to suit any style, brown, black, navy blue, gray, and toast. Choose from a variety of complementary colored stitching.

• Mock Croc

Made from full-grain Italian leather, our mock croc leather belts are a set above the rest regarding quality and style. Look great in any setting with our long-lasting, handmade mock croc belts. For colors, you can choose from shadow, black, gold, vintage misterioso, brown, navy blue, cognac, ecru vintage, and purple vintage sunset.

• Mock Caiman

Our deeply colored mock caiman casual belts are ideally suited for outdoor grilling or a dinner out. The caiman skin texture is subtle but adds depth and visual appeal to your wardrobe. For colors, choose from federal blue, saddle, crimson red, and orange.

• Mock Lizard

These full-grain leather belts let your personality through, even with the most casual clothes. Their fine texture catches the eye, and their rich hues will complement the rest of your wardrobe. For colors, choose from cognac, black and brown.

2. Roger Ximenez Dress Belts

• Smooth Italian Calf Belts

These supple leather belts come in 13 vibrant colors. Our belts are made with rich, long-lasting colors that you only see at Roger Ximenez. Choose from turtan, cuero, pumice surf, matte dark navy, ocean surf, hand-stained brown, driftwood brown, caramel, sky blue, and spotty brown.

• Pebble Grain Belts

Made with premium full-grain calf hide, our pebble grain belts are there for you at any professional or formal event. With over ten vibrant colors to choose from, you have the classic options of black and brown, or you could experiment with purple, blue, or pink.

• Mock Alligator Belts

Shop our full array of formal mock gator luxury belts. Our artisan craftspeople make each belt to order. We carry over ten colors, including classic dark gray, matte brown, and yellow.

• Mock Ostrich Leather Belts

Mock ostrich is a luxuriously textured leather with a unique dappled pattern. Elevate any dressy occasion with a black, brown, or cream mock ostrich leather belt. Whichever color you choose, your belt is handmade to last here in the USA.

• Saffiano Belts

These finely textured full-grain Italian leather belts are finished with a delicate cross hatching pattern. These crisscrossing lines are pleasing to the eye and subtly catch the light. We offer our handmade saffiano belts in five colors, black, brown, blue, tan, and orange.