If you wear a 34″ trouser waist, a belt labeled 36″-38″ will probably be in the right neighborhood. Of course, the easiest check is just to try the belt on in the store, at least wrapping it around your waist over your pants. Just remember that it'll sit a bit tighter when it's worn properly.

Certain types of casual cloth bands have square brass buckles and a brass cap on the other end to feed through the mechanism. Military surplus stores often have these, and other manufacturers have imitated the style as well.

These are traditionally worn “brass on brass,” with no spare belt beyond the buckle once fastened. Since the belt is cloth, you can remove the buckle and trim the cloth down until it's the right length, then clip the buckle back into place.

There are a few common ways of approaching the basic task of holding your pants up. Most belts fall into one of these styles:

Buckles with a tongue: the belt slides through a loop of metal, and a metal tongue is slipped through a hole in the belt to pin it down.

Buckles with a hook: a flat metal (or plastic) plate is attached by slipping a hook on the back of the buckle through the front of the belt.

Buckles with a sliding latch: the belt slides through a metal latch, inside which a vertical peg presses the belt into place.

Braided belts: use a basic tongue buckle, but the belt is made of a woven leather braid rather than a flat piece of leather with punched holes. The tongue can slip between any two strands.

Very similar-looking belts sometimes vary widely in cost. The quality of the leather is one common factor: calfskin is the most common material used for belts, and a good belt will have a soft, supple leather. Flex the belt to make sure it hasn't turned brittle or started to crack. Another good test of leather is to score the back very lightly with your fingernail — if a faint line appears, the leather is still soft and fresh. Old, hard leather will resist your nail.

Construction is the other major factor affecting the price of a belt. Look for small, tight stitching with no loose ends wherever the leather has been sewn. Buckles attached with a snap on the back of the belt can be changed out, while a buckle stitched in place is the only one you can wear with the belt — some men may find the flexibility of a snapped belt worth paying more for, especially in good leather. Belts can be custom-cut at some leather goods stores.

Brand name will also play a factor, but means quite a bit less than the other factors. Your belt is too small for most people to be able to tell at a glance whether it's designer or not. Spend the money on quality instead.