Concho Belt - Native American Fashion

Images from Native America have been appropriated in many forms of art over the years. For example, painting and sculpture have a significant number of Native American imagery which have proven quite popular amongst collectors of this type of art.

Nowadays, the designs of Native American imagery have also been appropriated in the fashion world as hats, jackets, and styles of clothing, which were borrowed from the Native American culture and grew a great deal over the years. Perhaps the most well known of these types of appropriations would be the success of the sales of Navajo hats in the 1970's after the incredible success of the Billy Jack movies.

Today, while most folk do not wear Navajo hats any longer, a great number of folk will purchase the concho belt, a style of belt that can trace its origins to Native Americans. A concho belt is most definitely not a belt that is cranked out on an assembly line. The concho belt is, more often than not, a belt that is hand crafted and personally designed and custom made to order. Needless to say, a concho belt can end up costing quite a bit of money for those who wish to buy one.

Concho belts that are churned out in assembly lines, such as the ones you are likely to find at Macy's, will still cost you well over a hundred dollars and they are not even the real thing! Typically, they will be made out of leather and adorned with large shells and metal symbols and/or figurines.

Although called a belt, the concho is not intended to hold your pants up. In fact, they cannot even be pulled through belt loops in the majority of cases, as they are bulky and highly ornamental. Instead, it is meant to be worn over an item of clothing as a decorative touch.

As such, it is highly recommended to seek out a legitimate craftsman who is offering the top shelf conchos that have made these belts famous and highly prized worldwide. Because the Concho belt serves a merely ornamental purpose, it is possible to find some extraordinarily beautiful designs.

One of the classic ways of wearing the Concho belt is with a pair of denim blue jeans and a crisp, white button-down shirt. Tuck in the shirt and let the belt hang over the jeans and around the hips. For a more casual look, the shirttails can be left out and the belt can be worn over the shirt.

For something dressier, women might want to consider wearing a plain black dress and wearing the Concho belt around the waist. Similarly, these belts look very fashionable with plain black pants or a dark skirt. Match with turquoise and silver jewelry--like earrings and a necklace--to pull the outfit together.

Because of the ornate nature of these belts, it is best not to have too many conflicting patterns or colors when wearing one. Stick with solids rather than prints when choosing pants or dresses, and avoid mixing too many different colors in one outfit if you plan to accessorize with a Concho belt. You should also avoid any colors that conflict with the stones in the belt. For example, if your belt features turquoise, you may want to avoid wearing bright greens or oranges. In addition, if you must wear a print of some kind, a simple striped or checkered pattern is probably your best option.