Sometimes belted cardigans, blouses, tunics and coats can look gorgeous on the hanger, but odd when you try them on. This is often a case of incorrect belt loop positioning. Even if a garment is the right size and fit, belt loops that are positioned either too high or too low tend to look unflattering. Belted styles need to tie at the smallest part of your natural waist (unless they are specifically designed to fall low on your hips or high under the bust).

But don’t let the incorrect belt loop positioning of a garment put you off before you’ve tried the following:

• Take the belt out of it’s loops and re-position it correctly on your waist. If the garment looks flattering after this adjustment, you can either alter the belt loops, or cut them off and tie the belt without threading it through belt loops.
• Try the garment without the belt. Tailored garments don’t always need belts to give them shape, so it’s worth a try just to make sure.

I have seen people trying to make the most of unflattering belted styles by tying the knot loosely at the back (like a back tie). This is not a good look, especially when the garment is double breasted. If a belted style still doesn’t work after repositioning, don’t buy it.

Left: belts are lower then natural waist, which is not what the style intended.
Right: belts are positioned correctly at the smallest part of the model’s waist.