User talk:Sunweiming

leather belt

definition

leather belt,it's accessory of apparel made of cowhide or other annimal skin.it is a flexible band and worn around the waist. A belt supports trousers or other articles of clothing, and it serves for style and decoration.

History

Belts have been documented both for male and female clothing since the Bronze Age. Both sexes used them off and on, depending on the current fashion, but it was a rarity in female fashion with the exception of the early Middle Ages, late 17th century Mantua and skirt/blouse combinations between 1900 and 1910. Art Nouveau belt buckles are nowadays collector's items.

In the military, belts have been worn for centuries; at times for utilitarian use, but in certain periods, particularly the latter half of the 19th century and up until the first World War, the belt was strictly a decorative part of the uniform, particularly among officers. In the armed forces of Prussia, Crimea, and other Eastern European nations, it was common for officers to wear extremely tight, wide belts around the waist, on the outside of the uniform. These tightly cinched belts served to draw in the waist and give the wearer a trim physique, emphasizing wide shoulders and a pouting chest. Oftentimes the belt served only to emphasize a waist made small by a corset worn under the uniform, a practice which was common especially during the Crimean Wars and was often noted by soldiers from the Western front. Political cartoonists of the day often portrayed the tight waist-cinching of soldiers to comedic effect, and some cartoons survive showing officers being corsetted by their inferiors, a practice which surely was uncomfortable but deemed to be necessary and imposing.

In modern times, men started wearing belts in the 1920s, as trouser waists fell to a lower, natural line. Before the 1920s, belts served mostly a decorative purpose, and were associated with the military. Today, most men wear a belt with their pants; women tend to wear them for more decorative functions.

Since the mid 1990s, the practice of sagging has been popular at times among young men and boys. This fashion trend consists of wearing the trousers very low on the hips, often exposing the underwear and buttocks of the wearer. This urban style, which has roots tracing to prison gangs (and the prohibition of belts in prison, due to their use as weapons and devices for suicide) has remained popular into the 21st century, particularly among pubescent boys. A belt may or may not be worn with this style - if a belt is used, it is cinched tightly at the mid-buttock region, with the effect that the trousers of the wearer are being held up by genitalia underneath. Many public schools now enforce belt-wearing, often only for the male population, and requiring the belts to be worn tightly at waist level with a tucked-in shirt. Types of Belt Buckles Belt buckles are used for closing and adjusting belts around the waist, including one or two pieces that may interlock, attached to an end or both ends of a belt. Often highly decorative although always functional, belt buckles may be made from plastic or metal. Most belts will include standard buckles although it is possible for users to buy separate buckles to build up a collection or simply to replace those that are damaged.

Types of Belts

Braided -- a casual sport belt made by braiding three or more strips of leather or fabric together.

Camp -- is made from individual links of leather. Named for a craft belt that was often made at kid’s summer camps.

Cincture or monks belt -- sash belts worn by clergy and consist of a twisted rayon, silk or rope belt with tassels or knots at the ends.

Cowboy -- a heavy tooled leather belt with large metal buckle

Cummerbund -- traditionally worn with men’s formalwear it’s a wide satin or taffeta belt with pleats and adjustable tabs in the back. From the Hindu "Kamarband" or "loinband".

D-Ring -- an adjustable belt of leather or woven cloth fastened by pulling the end though two D-shaped metal rings.

Elastic -- belt made from stretchable, elasticized fabric

Gaucho -- Spanish for Cowboys of South America, belt made from medallions of leather and metal.

Reversible -- one color on one side and a different color on the other with a buckle that twists.

Sam Browne -- named for a British army general, who having lost his left arm couldn’t support his sword without this special belt. It’s a broad leather belt with a light strap that hangs over the right shoulder.

Sash -- any belt of soft material that loops over and ties in a knot or bow rather than buckling. Self -- a belt made from the same fabric as the pants garment

Surcingle -- a webbed belt woven in plain or striped fabric fastened with a metal buckle through which a harness leather tab is pulled.

Wampum -- Native American Indian belt made from colorful shell beads and traded like money.

Types of belt buckle

Available types of belt buckle options you can choose from include:

Tang buckles - tang buckles feature a metal ring plus one or two flaps with hinges called tangs attached to the base. The belt goes through the ring and is secured by tangs, which you push through one of the holes in the buckle along the belt. These are the most secure and are normally found in majority of leather belts.

Snap buckles - made up of two pieces, one with clasps with springs on both sides and the other hollow with sides open, snap buckles have each piece found on one of the belt ends. To fit into the buckle's hollow piece, the clasps are squeezed and snapped into place, locking the pieces together. Typically used for woven belts, these are normally made from plastic materials.

Clip buckles - clip buckles come with thin metal plates that fit over a belt end and have the belt inserted through rails on the back and then secured by magnetic or spring clips. Found on western-style belts, they are usually the most heavily decorated of the types of belt buckle options.