How to Tie a Renaissance Belt

In the Renaissance, some belts had buckles, others didn't.

The belts that people wore during the Renaissance didn't always have a buckle with a prong that fitted into a hole. Some were a long piece of leather with a ring attached at one end. The leather was looped into the ring and wound around to keep it in place. The rest of the leather belt hung straight down. Both men and women wore this belt, but men would wear it around their waists, while women tended to wear it on their hips. The belt wasn't used to keep pants up, but rather to hold necessary items. A man might put his sword under his belt, and some people would hang a pouch from it.

Instructions

1. Wrap the belt around your waist and insert the end without the ring through the ring. The ringed end can be worn on your left or right. Pull the belt snugly around your waist if you are a man, or allow it to sit on your hips if you are a woman.

2. Bring the leather end up under the belt, from the bottom, between your shirt and belt.

3. Bring the leather end down, over the front of your belt, through the loop that was formed when you brought it up. Pull tightly on the leather and you have formed a knot that will keep the belt in place.

References

• Twin Roses Designs: "How to Tie a Leather Ring Belt Picture Tutorial
• Elizabethan Costume: Elizabethan Accessories