Top: Giordano

Belt: Alta Linea (from David Jones)

Skirt: Diana Ferrari (http://www.dianaferrari.com.au/)

Boots: Duo Boots (http://www.duoboots.com/)

Isn’t it fabulous when you find a belt that actually manages to fit properly, and doesn’t make you look like a pillow with a piece of string tied around it? It makes up the trifecta of holy grail accessory shopping along with handbags-with-straps-that-don’t-fall-off-my-shoulder and high-heels-that-actually-feel-comfortable-after-I’ve-bought-them-and-taken-them-home.

Belts for those of us size 16 or up can be difficult to track down, and always inevitably end up being pleated pleather. Which is fine, honestly, but it’s nice to get a decent piece of leather that will hold your pants up too.

I don’t know quite why it’s so difficult to get good quality belts for plus-size waists, but I’ve found one or two in my time.

In the shops some brands to look out for are Fiorelli (http://www.fiorelli.com/) whose XL is reasonably generous; I bought a stunning red belt from Jag (http://www.jag.com.au/) recently (though it falls under the pleated pleather heading). I also had some luck with brands called Cynch (http://www.cynch.co.nz/) and Bon-Ton (http://www.bon-ton.com.au/).

Or, of course, there’s the Internet: Torrid (http://www.torrid.com/) always has a good size range of belts, and occasionally there’s a few on Evans (http://www.evans.co.uk/) including this rather cute rose detail belt: