# Bought belt that is too long, should I cut it?



## 14632 (Jun 10, 2004)

Hello,

I recently bought a reversible (ahem) Donald Trump belt in Buffalo, and it was only when I got back that I realized that it was too long. My waist size is 28"-30", and this belt was 34". I was in too much of a rush, I guess. Anyway, I took it to one of my local Harry Rosen stores here in Toronto, to get an extra hole punched into it, but the salesman came back to me and said that a better and cleaner way to do this is to cut and shorten the belt.

You can't do this with all belts, but because mine is reversible, the buckle assembly can be unscrewed from the leather belt. The belt can then be taken out, cut, and then reattached to the buckle. Here is a pic of a similar belt, by Kenneth Cole (from Macy's website):

https://slimages.macys.com/is/image...0&resMode=bicub&op_usm=0.7,1.0,0.5,0&fmt=jpeg

Is this good advice? Any advice on how to do it? Can I use a regular scissors? Harry Rosen could punch a hole for me, but they say that it will not look the same as the other holes that the manufacturer punched on the belt, and too many holes looks odd, as well. They could not cut the belt for me, as the screws on the back of the buckle were too small for their tools, but they said that I can easily do this myself.

Appreciate all the advice you can give me, and thanks ahead of time for your help!

RQ


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## Rossini (Oct 7, 2007)

I've seen it done by a salesman on a reversible Zegna belt I have. I assume it has a similar mechanism to yours. It took him a couple of minutes, you wouldn't notice the difference and it works fine. I think his advice is probably good - let him shorten the belt.


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## bengal-stripe (May 10, 2003)

RQ said:


> Any advice on how to do it? Can I use a regular scissors?


I have done this, it's very easy.

Do not use scissors but a craft knife and a square angle as a ruler to get a straight cut. Check the length carefully before cutting. 
If in doubt, leave longer, you can always cut more off.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

bengal-stripe said:


> I have done this, it's very easy.
> 
> Do not use scissors but a craft knife and a square angle as a ruler to get a straight cut. Check the length carefully before cutting.
> If in doubt, leave longer, you can always cut more off.


The old carpenters adage applies here...measure twice, cut once. As inferred above, ya can't put it back! :icon_smile_wink:


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## Bird's One View (Dec 31, 2007)

_Any_ belt can be shortened from the buckle end; it does usually require leatherworking tools though. Furthermore for a "like new" appearance you must usually shorten the belt by at least 2 inches; you could do less but evidence of the former length would survive. It sounds like your belt is constructed such that it can be shortened in smaller increments without leaving any evidence.

Furthermore with a set of proper leather punches it is not difficult to add holes that closely match the ones from the factory. The holes must be centered on the belt and evenly spaced, of course.


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## rip (Jul 13, 2005)

It seems to me, at the price DT belts are selling for, that you would be better served just to buy another belt, than spend the time and effort in shortening this one.


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## WhoKnows (May 29, 2007)

Looks like you could shorten it from the buckle end, provided you wish to do so. Could you send it back to get the correct size?


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## The Spartan (Apr 10, 2008)

rip said:


> It seems to me, at the price DT belts are selling for, that you would be better served just to buy another belt, than spend the time and effort in shortening this one.


I have shortened quite a few belts in my time. This one looks fairly easy so should only take minutes at most. Check whether the buckle unclips at the end (i.e. no need to unscrew anything) and allows you to remove the belt. If so, you can simply cut and reinsert it in a matter of minutes.


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## Bracemaker (May 11, 2005)

The whole point of these buckles (I first came across them in the 70's from a buckle manufacturer in Italy) is that the store no longer has to stock a vast range of sizes as they can easily be cut down in store to fit, and do not require anything other than a small screwdriver, a rotary hole punch and a sharp knife. Any cobbler/shoe repairer could do it if the store cannot.


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## 14632 (Jun 10, 2004)

Thanks, everyone! I found my precision screwdriver that opens the belt, and will probably take it to Harry Rosen to get it done. Your help has been invaluable.

RQ


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