It's time to stop being afraid of Garter Belts.

Garter belts are probably the sexiest lingerie item on the market and yet it is still the most feared. It's time to ban together and get to know garter belts, how to wear them, where to buy them and why they are one more amazing item to have in your little black book of seduction.

What are Garter Belts?

Garter belts, also known as suspender belts, are a special type of belt that is worn by a woman to keep her stockings up. Plain and simple - that's it. While this completely fabulous accessory can come in a variety of materials, styles, and colors, for the most part, the garter belts feature four (or more) straps that are approximately 2-4 inches long. The straps, in most cases, are adjustable to fit any leg length. At the end of each strap, there is a clip for attaching stockings. In the back of the belt, there is a set of fasteners - and just like a bra, these fasteners allow a woman to adjust for sizing. Get to know your Garterbelt with the images below.

Great Amazon Thigh Highs

Great Amazon Garter Belt

A Short History of the Garter Belt.

Garter Belts have been around since the 14th Century and were used by both Men and Women to hold up their stockings. For a very long time, ladies stockings were made by sewing a sheet of fabric together at the seam. That seam was usually right up the back of the leg. Garter belts were necessary as it allowed a woman to keep her stockings up on her leg. In 1939, Du Pont created the first pair of nylon pantyhose - while it may be fair to assume that garter belts were no longer necessary after the invention of pantyhose, that was not the case. Garter belts became highly popularize during the 1940’s - wearing these stockings was in fashion! And that fashion required a garter belt.

How to Wear a Garter Belt in 5 easy steps.

Wearing a garter belt can require a bit of practice. Don't be afraid to learn. Here are five easy steps to guide you through:

Step 1: Put garter belt around the waist. Make sure the straps fall down on your leg.
Step 2: Fasten the hooks - they are hook and eyes just like a bra. To make life easier, slide the belt over so that the front is the back and the back is the front, essentially the fasteners should be on your belly. Once you’ve adjusted the belt to a comfortable fit, reverse the garter back. Keep in mind that they do make completely elastic garter belts with no hooks.
Step 3: Put stockings on. Traditionally, garter belts are worn with fashion stockings (fun fabrics patterns, styles and colors) or stockings that do not feature a silicone band. This style of hosiery is made with a welt and a shadow welt at the very top. However, garter belts can also be worn with thigh highs (which features a silicone or an elastic band at the top). The silicone or elastic band style is by far the easiest to find.

Step 4: Attach garter belt to stockings. By far, this is the most tricky part of the process! To start, you’ll need to open the clip up by sliding the silicone nub out of the loop. Then, place the welt of your stocking in between the silicone nub and the loop. The intention of the welt is for attaching garter belt clips; thus this part of the stockings is made with a double layer or nylon. Once you are ready, slide the nub so that it fits into the smaller loop. Next, repeat this three times for all of the other clips. Note: This is where the advantage is for wearing thigh high stockings as you do not need to attach any clips to the stockings. But let's be honest, you're still going to do it anyway because it's one big delicious sexy look.
Step 5: Adjust your straps. Similar to a bra strap, the length of a garter belt strap is adjustable. If you are going to be sitting a lot, you may want to make the length a little longer. For photoshoots, it may be better for the straps to become a little shorter. Our tip here is to adjust the length that is the most comfortable for you.

Garter belts are incredibly sexy when worn with a great pair of thigh highs. This seductive look can be worn under clothes to be revealed later, or it can be the only thing you're wearing! The best thing is that you can decide on the many different ways to enjoy this style.

How to style your Garter Belt for Maximum Awesomeness.

Garter belts are fantastic with a sexy pair of thigh highs. Black is the easiest color to find - but remember they come in wide variety of colors and styles. Pairing a garter belt with thigh highs will make you irresistible to your loved one. Trust me on this one.

Great trends are the black or red seam up the back leg, fish nets in the traditional small net or the NEW super hot large net and you can never go wrong with lace. Don't forget a GREAT shoe to complete the look.

Garter belts and thigh highs are perfect for your boudoir photo shoot, costume parties (with a cool corset) or a special night of adventure. You can even wear garter belts and thigh highs under your work clothes and feel a little dangerous and a lot naughty. There are lots of ways to wear this look, the most important thing is to have fun!

At the Hello Boudoir portrait studio, we are always happy to help you with a how to lesson during your shoot. We stock a couple garters for you to try in our studio closet and provide a list of places to shop when you book your session.

Practice makes Perfect. Get to it.

Try this easy set under $15. It's a perfect starter garter for you to practice with. It comes in this sexy black and red.

Try this Garter for under $15 on Amazon

Try these Thigh Highs for under $10 on Amazon

6 Comments

May 9, 2023, 9:50:41 AM

Daphne Ellenburg - Done.

May 9, 2023, 9:42:31 AM

Daphne Ellenburg - You are very Welcome! Happy to help. xo

Apr 27, 2023, 5:52:54 PM

Daphne Ellenburg - You are so welcome!

Mar 30, 2023, 12:10:24 PM

Kelly - Love the little tutorial! Lingerie is my new obsession so just trying to learn

Dec 23, 2021, 7:27:38 AM

Anne - add to your email please

May 27, 2021, 2:32:02 PM

Sheila - Thanks for the tutorial .It was very helpful.

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