The history of fashion can be split into two eras: Before Belt (BB) and After Belt (AB). BB was a time when belts were functional: they held up your trousers, stopped the builders bum or peek-a-boo thongs, tightened the tiny-bit-too-big bottoms that you couldn’t bear to part with. They were the sister of the braces, cousin to the drawstring; they had a purpose.
And then along came the early noughties. Whilst most of the globe worried about whether a Millennium bug would fuck up our computer systems and essentially end the world as soon as it struck 00:00 on 1st January, 2000, little did we know that we would soon have a much larger problem to contend with. The biggest fish of all to fry. That our biggest challenge was still ahead of us. This was something that would infiltrate every part of society without us really even realising it until years afterwards, when we’d look back on those formative years – the early noughties – with bewilderment, incredulity, because of the state we'd let ourselves get into thank to one humble fashion item.
That’s right, I’m talking about The Belt.
Low and behold, the noughties had begun and we’d entered AB. This era would be home to belts of all shapes and sizes which, crucially, were destined to be accessories. There was the coin belt (I’m looking at you, Sienna Miller), the studded belt (I’ll take the blame for this one) and the elasticated waist cincher which was not complete without a complicated metal clasp in the shape of a butterfly or flower. Becuase it drew the eye in, right? At least, that’s what Trinny and Susannash preached to their followers, along with the ‘wrap top’ being the only upper-garment a woman with large boobs should wear.
But just when you thought the belt, as a useless bit of material hanging around your waist, was dead, Kylie Jenner comes along thrusting her elasticated, gold-clasp belted waist into our unsuspecting faces. In well fell swoop – namely, her early birthday celebrations – she assured us that, no, the trend was not dead and gone. The elasticated belt, with the gaudy clasp, was here. Loud and proud.
I’ve thought about this situation long and hard since I saw that belt sashaying into her Snapchat (not by itself, of course – it is not a magic belt). I’ve wondered where on earth she could have got such a thing. As far as I'm aware, no self-respecting retailer stocks these any more. Was it custom made? We know her jumpsuit (in which she looked absolutely banging, don't lie) was Balmain – a big proponent of waist belts, sure, but I refuse to lay the blame of this particular belt at the door of Olivier Rousteing.
But whilst we contemplate the creation – and now the existence – of this accesory, the fact remains that this belt lives on. We've slept easy in the years since these belts disappeared from the mainstream. We've unassumingly gone about our lives thinking that we'd returned to BB, a time where belts were practical, functional addtions to our outfits, not as ad hoc seatbelts. But it was all a lie. The waist-cinching belt never went away and Kylie Jenner, for one, wants to make sure we never forget that.
Like this? You might also be interested in:
Ever Wondered How Kylie Jenner Does Her Make-Up? Look No Further.
Follow Chemmie on Twitter @chemsquier
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.