I needed three more dollars to get free shipping.

I was contemplating what I should add to my cart, when I remembered that I had been meaning to get a garter belt. The only one I had was one that I made, and it was seriously lacking in class and subtlety. The belt that I'm reviewing just happened to be the cheapest one that came in my size, and I was not opposed to its aesthetics, so into the cart it went. Thanks to buyout, it was a little under ten dollars.

WARNING: Pics of me below! Should you be opposed to my pasty white less-than-perfect body, divert your eyes!

This came wrapped in hot pink tissue paper, like many items do.

Here is the item, all pristine:



This came with two small loops, presumably for hanging. I don't know of anyone storing their garter belts via hanger, but then I don't go around asking people how they store their garter belts. In any case, it's impossible to wear this without the loops sticking out, so I did away with them.

The belt is a band of lace with four adjustable garters attached. Simplicity.



All the measurements I thought were important. Note the total length around the belt, unstretched, is 31". This belt is extremely stretchy, however. More on that later.



I apologize for the blurriness of this photo, but it's the one that best illustrates the pattern on here. There is a wavy line that encompasses the entire band. Each undulation makes for a wide space and a narrow space on either side of the wave. In each wide space is a flower, and in each narrow space there are four hearts. Kinda cutesy and girly, but I dig it.



I collaged some of the pictures because I have a surprising amount of photos for a simple garter belt review. Anyway...

It's a funny thing. Every garter belt I've ever seen (besides the one I made, which has buttons since I made it specifically for my industrial net stockings) has this type of grip, but, for some reason, some are insanely difficult to fasten for reasons unbeknownst to me. LUCKILY, the ones on these particular garters are very easy to fasten. Huzzah!

Unfinished lace. I'm sure some people have a problem with it, but I don't. It makes the lace more comfortable. Also, I have plenty of undies with unfinished bands like this. Although they may be a little rough, they never seem to get rougher, even when I machine wash them, which brings me to my next pic.



Even though this pic speaks for itself, I shall reiterate: !!!
I know some people machine wash the things that say to hand wash, but I am not one of those people. It doesn't really bother me to hand wash things, but it's nice to see that I can buy pretty lacy things that give me permission to throw them in the washer.

Sizing Info

Fantasy Lingerie's size chart says that an XL fits:

Waist: 32 1/2" - 34 1/2"
Hips: 44 1/2" - 46 1/2"

Me:

Waist: 32"
Hips: 42"

Okay, now for the pics of me wearing this:





The three pics above are how I wore this belt for the entirety of yesterday. It worked very well in this position. Notice how the band is a little higher on the sides, as that is where it is resting on my hip bone. The circumference of this particular part of my body is 40 1/2".

Below are the pictures of ways I wish I could wear this, except for it's not practical.



I'm aware that it's unrealistic to think I'd be able to wear this in different ways, but I thought I'd include these in case other people are like-minded. Perhaps someone would be able to wear the belt this high if they had a larger waist, but I can't say for sure.



This is how the belt is worn on the product page. This may be good for short periods of time or in the bedroom, but from a functionality standpoint, the sides start to crinkle up and the belt wants to slide down. This isn't just because I'm below the size range for the hips. It's because of human anatomy.

More Sizing Info

This product runs small, which worked to my advantage, personally, but won't work for everyone. The FL size chart says 44 1/2" to 46 1/2" for the hips (where this was designed to be worn), but it really maxes out at about 44". Hence, DON'T ORDER THIS TO ENCOMPASS A PART OF YOUR BODY OVER FORTY-FOUR INCHES. Additionally, if you are at the top end of the OS range, you should probably order up.

For obvious reasons, I was skeptical about this belt, but it was inexpensive and pretty so I thought it was worth a try.

I wore this garter belt for about twelve hours yesterday and it performed very well. I was surprised that I didn't have to adjust it or straighten it out (that I remember anyway; sometimes you get so used to adjusting clothing you don't think about it), given that it was just a band of lace with four garters attached to it. I was fully prepared for the worst. I even brought a backup garter belt to school, should this one fail on me. I'm elated to say that it didn't.