Marc by Marc Jacobs | Vicky Jo Lee

I, like any other self-respecting fashionista, am very excited about this time of the year. Maybe a tad too much… The reason is, of course, New York Fashion Week, which I am not able to attend in person (tears galore), therefore, I am glued to my laptop trying to stream every possible show or at least go through the pictures of the collections. This is the first year that I am so involved and, I have to admit, it makes me very happy! I know, I know it is becoming ‘uncool’ to give a damn about it as there are many articles going around about what a circus Fashion Week had become, but, being honest, I do not care. It is the biggest fashion fiesta and I am celebrating it! And by ‘celebrating’ I mean Tweeting, Instagraming, blogging, etc. Well, that’s just the way we roll these days…

Anyway, I was watching show after show and I’ve noticed one thing. Belts. Everywhere. Everything is belted, from jackets and coats to dresses, and it looks good, and more importantly, it looks fresh. As seen in Donna Karan, Milly, Altuzarra, Custo Barcelona and others, thin belts (even for outerwear) were dominating; however, Marc by Marc Jacobs belted models with thick boxing belts to compliment the designs screaming of ‘girl power’. It is not an easy trend to embrace as we are used to put our belts on trousers or jeans and it’s there on purpose, although belted jacket or a coat gives a structured and sophisticated look as well as helps to accentuate the female form. It is kind of ‘I mean business vs. sexy’ and it grabs an attention without being too flamboyant.

I was never a big fan of belts (except for my jeans; I need them there, please) but New York Fashion Week just won me over. I give in, put that belt on me! Next season it would be interesting to experiment with belting an oversized, slouchy coat and see how it would change an outfit completely.