Accessories have always occupied a special place in a woman's wardrobe. In the past, they were extremely elegant, mainly serving to add expressiveness to the image. Today, however, items can be used to emphasize sexuality. Such an accessory, for example, is a women's harness - a somewhat atypical item in a standard women's wardrobe. Having a certain amount of severity and aggression, the item requires a special approach to selection.
What is it
Devices for fastening military items to the body have appeared in the arsenal of men's suit makers for a long time. At first, these were belts of various lengths, designed for carrying swords, sabres, and swords. Hence the French name - porteépée, where portér means "to carry", epée - "sword". As weapons improved (firearms varieties appeared), as well as field bags of commanders, the designs for fastening them to the body changed. At the same time, more belts were added, the methods of their connection were modified, and the options for putting them on were modeled.
Today, it is difficult to answer the question of what a harness is. It is a collective image of a women's accessory that was presented on the catwalk by American designer Prabl Gurung in 2012. Other world fashion designers picked up this idea, which opened the way for it not only in the world of glamour, but also in ordinary everyday looks. It so happened that the harness ceased to be used in army suits since the late 90s, while it began to appear more and more often in the wardrobes of modern girls.
The rules for wearing are not limited to one location on the body. The described element can be found on the waist, in the area of the chest ribs, on the shoulders, hips. The harness looks like a combination of thin belts connected in various ways, encircling the girl's body in the most unexpected ways. Additional decorations: buttons, rivets, buckles, lacing, locks, engravings. Possibly tassels, fringe.
Purpose of the accessory
Despite the fact that the sword belt is a military accessory, it fits organically into women's suits in military, casual, biker and rocker styles or revealing erotic outfits. Today, few people expect a girl whose suit includes the described item to have a weapon or a dagger on her belt. Rather, such a detail will emphasize her originality, desire to keep up with fashion trends. Successful use of the sword belt can be noted not only in images limited by severity. Modern designers will help you understand why such an accessory is needed, offering interesting options for clothing sets. With the right compositional solutions, a belt can advantageously emphasize the advantages of a physique or smooth out its disadvantages.
Unconditional attractiveness is given to the image of ladies, whose work involves carrying weapons. And if they remove female vulnerability, fragility, then they complement it with determination, eccentricity, brightness. Such features of the accessory are often used by photographers, choosing a characteristic, original image for shooting. Shading with its help the daring, strong-willed character, energy of the girl, masters of portraits create stylish, attention-grabbing pictures.
Varieties
When purchasing such an accessory, a girl should clearly know what to wear the harness with. Compositional solutions depend on its model, color design, and the presence of additional parts. Almost all existing products can be classified into the following groups:
- Classic. They have one belt, clasped around the waist, from which two vertical straps extend to the shoulders.
- Choker-type. Models have a strap around the neck, from which a vertical stripe descends to the waist and then branches out.
- Woven from belts, these are unique corsets that resemble similar orthopedic products.
- X-shaped harnesses. They have a cross of straps in the front or back, depending on the model.
- Leg harnesses or garters. This is a kind of romantic garters, a belt for stockings, which are practically not used today in women's wardrobes. The products are bright, sensually emphasizing sexual attractiveness, courage in relationships.
- Shoulder pads. This is a combination of belts, reminiscent of epaulettes. The fastening is provided in the waist area.
Each of the options has its own recommendations for selection. Thus, models with a choker will emphasize the slimness of the waist and impeccable posture. The corset will fully show the lines of the silhouette, highlighting the chest, hips, waist. X-shaped models are universal, softer, suitable for many outfits. A dress with a harness looks especially interesting. The shoulder pads in them will smooth out the dissonance between narrow shoulders and wide hips.
When looking for a suitable option, you should critically evaluate your figure. Belts that fit tightly to the body can accentuate unwanted details, for example, increase already wide hips or large breasts.
Materials of manufacture
Leather belts are an ideal and flawless option for making a harness. Products made from them look expensive and have a long service life. Usually, well-dressed calfskin is used, moderately soft but durable. However, today fashion allows making accessories from other materials. In second place after genuine leather is its substitute. Externally, it can be ideally similar to its natural analogue, but less expensive. At the same time, the service life of leatherette is shorter, and its durability is worse. The advantage of this option is the selection of any color, texture of the material, the presence of shiny coatings.
A harness decorated with chains looks stylish. It is less strict and limited, softly hugs the waist or hips, and can be made of gold or silver. Suitable additions to such a model are beads, stones, rhinestones, metal pendants, keychains. You can choose a composition consisting of a harness, necklace or bracelets of the same style.
Silicone belts on the body are not uncommon today. Such harnesses are completely harmless and comfortable, their soft material does not rub or cut into the skin. Movements are not limited, but with their significant amplitude, the straps can break. You can find colorless options, models of bright monochromatic colors or colorful, cheerful products.
You can make rubber harnesses yourself. For this purpose, sewing departments offer a variety of interesting details: narrow and wide elastic bands, fasteners, fringe, buttons, hooks, laces, satin ribbons, buckles, caps, patterned elements. The advantage of such harnesses is obvious: synthetic elastic bands smoothly hug women's curves, making them attractive and seductive. And decorative items give the models individuality.
How to choose
Knowing the features of the correct choice of unusual accessories, as well as studying photographs showing how to wear a harness, you can competently create a fashionable image. Before purchasing, you should think about which part of the body you want to highlight and which, on the contrary, should be left “in the shadows.” Thus, girls with large forms should be careful with models that emphasize the size of the chest, hips or shoulders. But a choker will suit this case best, as it will visually lengthen the upper part of the body.
The choker is not suitable for those with a short and wide neck.
Girls with broad shoulders and well-defined biceps should only buy shoulder pads if they want to achieve the look of a powerful, physically developed athletic figure.. In another case, a classic version will suit them, softer and not so categorical. A leg harness is rarely worn in public, except when it is part of a professional dancer's costume. Here, the choice is rather a matter of taste and depends on a number of individual characteristics.
Another important factor influencing the overall appearance of the figure in a harness is the width of the straps. The principle is: the narrower they are, the fewer restrictive rules for wearing. Wide belts require you to choose clothes for them so that they do not take all the emphasis. Therefore, the ideal choice for such a harness is a white (or other light) shirt, a strict single-color dress, or classic trousers and a turtleneck. A large figure does not need wide belts. On the contrary, narrow stripes will remove its massiveness, add femininity and neatness.
What to wear with
What is a harness for and what is it good to wear it with – these are questions that many girls and women ask themselves. There is no clear answer, but it is worth experimenting, for example, combining it with a blouse, T-shirts of different lengths, sweaters, outerwear and even romantic dresses. The result can be a good set of images:
- Gothic. The harness is used in the upper and middle parts of a black suit or dress. The corset, choker, and classic models are acceptable. Since the predominant material in clothing is black leather, other colors of accessories are unacceptable.
- Military. The appropriate color scheme is khaki, black, gray. To create the image, a classic shoulder belt is recommended, complemented by dark over-the-knee boots (possibly with belts), leather gloves, a hat or coat. Trousers should be tucked into boots, hair should be combed smoothly.
- Steampunk. Brown and black tones prevail. Harness models are complemented by leather vests, outer shoulder pads, skirts with numerous pistons, buttons, buckles. Pockets, covers, mini-bags are attached to the accessories. Chains and buckles are allowed.
- Casual. A style in which the harness feels "in its place". It can be used with trousers and a wide skirt, classic shirts and a sports T-shirt. The clarity of the lines does not have to be observed, so the choice of models depends only on the features of the figure.
- Minimalism. A special combination of styles and designs. Dresses with a minimum of details and decorations are easily and naturally complemented by belts made of thin chains that smoothly envelop the body and freely fall down. The suit is elegant and often gentle. This option is acceptable for an evening dress or a quiet walk.
- Hippie. The use of belts should emphasize slight carelessness and shapelessness. Bright colors are not needed, clearly defined lines of the silhouette too. The belt only outlines the waist area, and the outgoing straps slightly outline the elements of the figure.
You can decorate a coat with a belt, especially if it has a loose cut and a minimum of details that complicate the style. Fastened to the belt, the vertical straps go to the shoulders, emphasizing the girl's slimness and even gait. The bottom of the coat can be flared. The main thing is that the entire product is tailored to the figure.
Color combinations
Recommendations on how to choose the right color for a harness are based on generally accepted norms for combining shades. The contrasting execution of a suit with such an accessory has limitations. Among the possible options, the following combinations are the most harmonious:
- Tone on tone. Any color choice. The main thing is that it is identical on the belt and shirt, dress.
- Contrast. You can choose a combination of a warm shade on the clothes and a cold shade on the belt. Example: a turquoise blouse and bright red belts.
- One shade range. The color of the ensemble is not limited to one tone. Some of the components have a more saturated color or are made in its different variations.
The ideal option would be a white blouse and a black (or brown) harness. This look looks strict, democratic, and stylish.
How to avoid mistakes
In order not to overdo it with the use of a harness and not to look ridiculous, under no circumstances should you do the following:
- Use a lot of additional jewelry. Various chains, bracelets, massive watch straps, voluminous earrings are undesirable neighbors with a strict belt. In addition to the fact that there can be no harmony in such ensembles, the overall image will only suffer from such a combination.
- Choose bright and eye-catching decor in clothes. Lace, bright embroidery, appliques with rhinestones, beads, satin ribbons do not go well with leather belts on the body. Ruffles and tulle draperies are not desirable. The best option is a monochromatic calm style or the presence of a small print.
- Complement a business suit or other office-style clothing with a shoulder belt.
- Use a harness without taking into account the features of your figure. You need to choose the model, width of the belts, their color, the presence of additional decorative elements wisely.
- If you have a rather curvy figure, broad shoulders and poor posture, you should refrain from wearing a shoulder belt.
A harness is an accessory that can add extravagance to any look. The main thing is to choose it correctly in accordance with the chosen style and features of the figure. Lovers of everything bright and flashy should definitely have this accessory in their wardrobe.
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