Kiwigal, I have to laugh at your mention of braces making a comeback. In the U.S., we call them suspenders. When I was in elementary school, I had a pair of suspenders with Smurfs at the bottom (where they clip onto the pants). The fabric stretchy part was rainbow colored. Ah, those were the days!

bj, I am in the same camp: finish the outfit with a belt, yes, but the belt doesn't need to stand out. I like high-contrast dressing, but I am short waisted, and an obvious belt line doesn't do me any favors!

Add a pooch and no wonder I am belt averse.

bj, who would have thought that such a simple accessory could cause so much difficulty for some of us?

I have about 15 belts. I rarely wear them though -- only if I'm wearing a pair of trousers with belt loops and am wearing a shirt that needs to be tucked in. I have a straight body and think belts look horrible on me! lol

Three. Wide black stretchy waist one, thinner black one bought for hips but can do waist cos I punched extra holes and one very skinny black one that came with a dress. I could do with more!

Banoffi, I know that people with a rectangle shape can have difficulty with belts. I have a bit of rectangle in my body shape too, and it can be a challenge!

Anne, I think you are due for some new belts next time you shop!

LOL Gigi, braces can be called suspenders here too! Although suspenders are mostly what hold stockings up!!
Those suspenders with the Smurfs would be sought after now amongst the hipster crowd..

Ha ha, Kiwigal, I'll bet the Smurfs braces would be wonderful normcore wear. The best!

Garters are what hold stockings up in the U.S. It's funny how we use different words to mean different things, and it can be entertaining! For instance, I know that British English speakers often use "knickers" to mean underwear, but "knickers" in America can mean something more like breeches. So if I ever say that I went out to show off my new knickers, it would probably get a raised eyebrow in many quarters.

Several years ago I didn't have many or any? I saw how my Mom styled herself with hers and I borrowed hers occasionally .. Took over one .. Started thrifting a few more ... Hit sale racks ..

Now?
Ugh too late to inventory all of them . Counted one hanger I've got the chain ones on . 15 .it breaks down to:
4 gold
6 silver
1 hematite
3 brass
1 copper
There's two more trays with coiled rows of belts and a repurposed tie rack I use for the elastic wide ones.It keeps the wide buckle part from getting distorted or the elastic permanently dented. As a rough estimate I think probably have somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 belts , give or take 30.
Plus size shoppers often skip belts and I scoop up the bargains! More training by Mom!

I have too many, considering that I don't wear them all that often. I don't love belts because I don't have much of a defined waistline and I'm not much of a tucker. I do tuck in tops under a jacket, though, and lately I've been semi-tucking more, so I wear my belts then.
I should probably purge a few, but it's sort of a low priority since they don't take up much space.

Ashamed to admit I cannot count how many belts I have. I'm a serial belt collector and wear one almost every day. I have to wear them with my BF jeans so I need a size up and prefer wider. I have metallics, cognac, black, white, navy, leopard, and a few studded ones. I have my regular size for dress pants in python, black, metallics etc... I am preferring a 1.5 inch belt but rarely purge belts in case skinny ones come back. I probably need an intervention. I consider belts like shoes and don't spend a lot on them as they get a lot of wear and do eventually look less than great if worn regularly. I always check the sale racks for belts and pay under $25 for all leather belts (probably averages $15)

I rarely sport a belt and rarely tuck, but I still own 4 of them. I've been trying to sport one more often because they can really add some fun to an outfit.

I like to highlight my waist so I have quite a few belts. Around a dozen neutrals (ivory, tan, cognac, brown & black) and 10 in colors (navy, orchid, orange, citron, and multi) and divided half skinny/half wide. I buy them on the long side, in either a woven or braided style or add an extra couple holes with a leather punch so I can wear them at my hips or waist. I don't mind the look of up to 7 holes, and I fold or knot over the extra length.

I've had great luck finding leather belts on the clearance rack at JCPenney for as little as US $1.50 to $3.50.

Jennifer, it sounds like you have been bitten by the belt bug!

Parsley, I know, belts don't take up that much space, so it can be easy to amass quite a few. I have a small belt holder from Bed Bath and Beyond, and I was looking at it the other day and realizing that I could really pile quite a few belts on that puppy before it would become overfull.

Jjsloane, you are a good bargain hunter, to get leather belts for that price! Now that you mention it, I don't see all that many skinny belts around; the wider ones do seem to be more in fashion right now.

Lisa, I am trying to do the same thing, add more fun to an outfit with a belt. But it can be tough to find just the right one if you're not an avid tucker!

Laurinda, I'm always afraid to knot or tie over the extra length for fear of distorting the leather. But none of my belts or woven or braided, which I'm sure makes a difference. It's nice to have belts like that where you can have basically as many holes as you want! My perforated belt from American Eagle has a hole punched at the center of each of the perforated designs, and that functions as the holes for the belt buckle. So you can make it as tight as you want.

Add me to the "belts should finish the outfit/blend in" camp.

7 belts (all solid): 2 cognac, 1 medium brown, 1 cream, 3 dark brown. Or, 2 skinny, 2 slim (3/4"-1"), 1 trouser belt (1.5"), 2 wide skirt belts (1.5"-2"). I'd like to add a 2nd trouser belt in dark brown (would complete some outfits).

Workhorses: Cognac 1.5" trouser belt (trouser/skirt), skinny brown belt (trouser/skirt), slim brown belt (skirt), skinny medium brown bow belt (skirt). Less used: Cognac double buckle 2" belt (skirt), cream slim belt (trouser/skirt), brown elastic 2" belt (skirt).

Alassë, it looks like you have a lot of love for brown belts. Brown is such a common color for belts, but believe it or not, I have only one brown belt (cognac). I think I need more, especially while brown is trending.

I had three belts only and I seldomly use it because I am always wearing skirt. I used it whenever I wear long dresses or loose dresses and I want to give some details to it. I had one in black, brown and nude all of my belts are stretchable and wide.