It's Fashion 101: Belt a piece if you want to add something to an outfit. Over a sweater, around a blazer, or over a dress, putting a belt somewhere belt loops don't exist is one of the most basic style tips around. But, oftentimes, that means the hip belt you're working with ends up way too long for your waist or the vintage rope belt that matches everything has about a foot of slack. Looping up all that excess belt means tying it in a super-simple knot, but we've see it done wrong enough to know this tactic warrants a primer. Do not try to keep wrapping it around your waist. Do not attempt a real knot. And — for the love of all that is right — do not let it dangle in between your legs. This method is the standard for fashion stylists, and we've been employing it even when our belts do fit — yes, we like it that much. Note: This method does NOT work with belts with stubborn notches and pegs that don't let you cinch it tighter than the notches allow, which means that if your belt is too big for those, you might just want to carefully use an awl to punch out a new hole before implementing this method. Watch above to see how it's done, and give yourself a back pat if that's how you've been doing it this whole time.