There are times where I question whether or not fashion should be functional. There are other times where I'm firm in believing that it absolutely doesn't have to be. At the moment, I'm in the latter mindset and purely convinced that fashion should be fun, function aside—and fashion month has reminded me of the perfect way to celebrate that mindset and put it into practice. I'm proud to reintroduce you to the useless belt: a belt worn purely for fashion purposes rather than serving its intended function of holding your slightly too large pants up. Runways from New York to London to Milan have been celebrating non-functional fashion and accessories for the sake of accessories, encouraging us to do so ourselves, play with garments and accessories in ways that they may not have been intended for, and see which looks we end up creating as a product of that. We’ve been fed endless useless belt inspiration, from looks that the belt simply garnishes to looks with shapes completely transformed by the belt.
MM6 Margiela Fall/Winter 2026
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Etro Fall/Winter 2026
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Starting with the most recent city of focus, useless belts were ever-present in Milan. At MM6 Margiela, a yellow-green dress with a matching scarf was paired with a brown belt, worn loosely on the lowest part of the waist. Over at Etro, maximalism was all over the runway. For this look in particular, a lace and embroidered boho-style skirt was paired with a leather and lace corset that combined stripes and floral embroideries. A brown belt sat on the smallest part of the waist, cutting off the lace-up details on the corset.
These two examples demonstrate the useless belt's versatility in terms of placement: one on the lowest part of the hip, one on the smallest part of the waist.They are also both true examples of accessories just for the sake of accessories—they're not adding shape or dimension to the garments. Rather, they simply sit on top of the clothes as an accessory on display as something to look at and contrast with the colors and textures of the clothes.
Paul Costelloe Fall/Winter 2026
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Joseph Fall/Winter 2026
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Over in London last week, the useless belts weren't lacking—and we took notes of how to layer them over knits and outerwear for the remainder of winter and when, inevitably and unfortunately, we cycle back into the cold weather. At Paul Costelloe, two trends were embraced in a single look. Not one but two stacked belts were layered over a chocolate brown cable knit sweater with balloon arms and a turtleneck that transformed into a hood—the perfect sweater, arguably. The double stacked belts cinched the waist, adding more shape to sweater and making it appear more voluminous above.
Three trends were embraced at once over at the Joseph show. A fluffy, faux fur, two-toned turtleneck top was accessorized with an oversized statement necklace, a snakeskin bag, and a perfectly coordinated snakeskin useless belt. This belt, worn loosely around the waist, added dimension by essentially cutting off the garment and introducing an additional texture and color into the mix. It also perfectly tied the bag, necklace, and brown leather shorts together.
Carolina Herrera Fall/Winter 2026
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Prabal Gurung Fall/Winter 2026
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At New York Fashion Week, an otherwise entirely black look at the Carolina Herrera show was cut off by a useless belt with a gold leaf-shaped buckle. The sweater that it was paired with featured wide shoulders that transformed into balloon-style sleeves. The belt cinched the waist, adding even more shape to an already dynamic piece. At Prabal Gurung, a lime green dress and top hybrid was paired with darker green trousers. The chiffon top was loose, free-form, and featured intricate draping. A simple black belt with a silver buckle was worn on the waist, cinching in the garment and contributing to the pleats, texture, and dynamics of the draping.
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What was trending once is bound to have its time to shine again. With that said, the useless belt is by no means a new styling technique—we have the aughts to thank for this one. In the 2000s, the it girls of the moment—Rihanna, Jessica Simpson, Paris Hilton, Beyoncé, and our favorite fictional sex writer Carrie Bradshaw, who wore a belt over her bare torso, for example—viewed belts as decorative pieces, rather than something designed for utility purposes, as well as a way to cinch tunics and boho dress, which were ever so popular at the time.
While we can appreciate minimalism and those who favor it, we can also be of the mindset that our clothes and outfits don't need to have purpose other than making us feel good, helping us express ourselves, and serving as the cherry on top of a look.
All this begs the question: what trend from the aughts will cycle back around to the forefront next?
