Time to ditch your belts? The Side Tab is the way to go.
Like pen with paper, champagne with celebrations, tacos with Tuesdays, the belt has iconically been paired with pants throughout fashion’s history. However, what does wearing a belt essentially mean? Wearing a belt means adding an extra accessory to your outfit—unlike the clean pocket square or the helpful cufflinks, the belt is a high maintenance accessory that does not always behave itself. A day in the life of a belt wearer requires tightening, unbuckling, consistently feeding a prong through a loop, the digging of leather into the stomach, and often the unsightly look of your waistband gathering and folding if your pants are on the looser side. This would all be worth it if the belt played a part in accentuating your assets, however, for the George Costanzas of this world, the belt can break up the body and make them look even shorter.
This is where we introduce the Side Tab—gentlemen, there’s no longer a need to pull up your pants. Side tabs are the alternative to belts and belt loops on a pair of pants. Instead of feeding a belt through your pants to keep your pants in place throughout the day, side tabs sewn onto the pants are a simple way of adjusting the tightness as your waist may fluctuate and inflate throughout the day. Side tabs can come in the style of buckles or button tabs, working in a pulling system, where the strap can be pulled and the waistband can tighten. So why else are we fervidly telling you to bin your belts and swap them for these little slabs of heaven?
Simple and swift is the way to go
If you ever choose to wear a belt, this should be an accessory, not a necessity. A pair of pants that are custom and tailor-made to fit should sit on the waist comfortably, without the need for a “pull up”. This should be the same case for side tabs—customise your tailored pants so that the side tabs are simply an addition to tighten the waist when needed. Unlike the tedious process of manoeuvring a belt however, the side tab simply requires a swift pull to the side to tighten the waist. Drank too much water so that you're running to the bathroom every ten minutes? The side tab will simplify the process of pulling the pants on and off.
Blending over belting
Let’s be honest here—the belt is an accessory that can appear chunky, old-school and when worn for an extended amount of months or years, crinkled through the need to constantly bend and feed it through your belt loops. Side tabs however are conveniently sewn in as a part of your pants, blending in with the material, and adding a clean and crisp touch to your pants. When creating a custom, tailored pair of pants, side tabs are a simple and subtle addition, as they are made with the same fabric as your pants. Whether you choose to tighten or release your pants, there will no longer be gatherings at the waist—your pants will neatly tighten with a simple pull. The last thing you want in a stylish outfit is an old-school belt—gone are the days when you need to add this old-fashioned accessory to keep your pants from falling.
When researching for this educational piece, we tried to find a scientific, statistical backing as to how many times a man undoes his pants during the day—we were unfortunately unsuccessful, however through our own knowledge, experience and market research (amongst the team), the answer is...a lot. It’s therefore time to bin your belts and swap them in for the side tabs, a more swift, subtle, simpler alternative in keeping your pants up—the battle of the buckle is officially over.
