WEARING a belt for many women is an uphill task, and most often than not these very important accessories are over looked. Sometimes a woman looks at herself in the mirror and she does not like what she is looking at, not knowing that most of the time, it is not about her figure but the outfit. Adding a belt to an outfit can be an ideal way to make you look smarter and fashionably beautiful.The Obi belt is that one accessory that can change a woman’s look from drab to fabulous! An obi belt is customarily used to be worn with a kimono but nowadays it is no longer confined to traditional Japanese wear, because the designers have thought better of it and have redesigned it to be worn with other clothes other than the Kimono dress.Marc Jacobs is one man who is known to borrow a leaf from other designs, and when he does it-they always come out better than the original design. He took the first step forward and sent his models down the runway in 1999, wearing Obi belts wrapped around their midriffs; people loved them and celebrities like Natalie Portman and Kate Hudson started sporting the accessory immediately.Since then, the fashion world has gone crazy over these Japanese-inspired obi belts and I agree it is for good reason. Extra-wide and figure-flattering, an obi belt creates an instant hourglass shape for any outfit and any figure.A typical obi belt is between 3 and 5 inch wide and is usually fastened at the back, giving a wide flat elegant frontage which was very important for a woman in the Japanese culture. Obi belts are long in lengths, so that it can give the wearer the opportunity to tie it round the waist twice; with many designers taking a center stage in making their own Obi belts, they are now available in various designs, materials and colors depending with one’s choice and affordability.It can be tricky wearing an obi belt, because they are usually worn higher up than a normal belt, and they should cinch you a little above the waist; also when tying the belt make sure it cinches well to draw in the waist to create a gorgeous silhouette, otherwise it will miss the mark as to why you have worn it in the first place.This season though, we are expecting to see more varieties so that women of every height and size can wear their Obi feeling good about themselves. The Obi belts are great to wear with dresses, coats and even wrap cardigans; adding a luxurious touch to your outfit with this beautifully made accessory is an added advantage to your looks.Obi belts are very stylish; they can therefore look great if paired with bold solid colors to heighten its appeal and give you a very contemporary look that you desire. Whether you are wearing your tunics, unfitted shirts, longer-length dresses and long tops-obi belts will spice up that outfit,they can add extra polish to an outfit, define your waistline as needed and even add a bit of edgy look that most of us yearn for.