This is the only reason I approve of my boyfriend’s braided belt…quite convenient for certain situations invovling less-than-waist-sized limbs… 
Getting back to the “Where can I find braided belts?” query - I quite by chance came across a rack of them at the local Walgreens.
Yeah, I wouldn’t expect to find them there either, but there they were, at the end of the antacids and aspirin aisle, next to a table covered in vaguely imported-looking cookies.
I think this problem comes from wearing pleated pants that are too tight, probably because the person has put on weight since he got them. With the pants too tight around the waist, the pleats won’t hang right, but get pulled out of shape. Another issue might be that when an old, dark pair of khakis becomes all puckery and faded, pleats might emphasize their decrepitude.
But I think if you ever heard George Carlin’s “beets” routine, you would know that the real answer is simply that “Pleats” is a silly sounding word.
**Pleats. **…pleats?…PLEATS…Pleats!
It’s not just ill-fitting pleated pants or old pleated pants, though - you will notice that there is extra unneeded pant there. That makes it look like you have extra unneeded person there, too. Regardless of the pants. Flat front pants are almost always more flattering - the “cleaner” line is also more slimming. You don’t really want any sort of visual interest right where pant pleats are, trust me on that.
What’s wrong with pleated pants? What’s wrong with them is that that silhouette is extremely unfashionable at the moment.
You can bitch and moan all you want about the arbitrary whims of fashion. You can try to rationalize your love for pleated pants with charts and graphs and Venn diagrams. You can fight the power and keep wearing your Dockers from 1993.
But it won’t change the fact if you’re wearing pleated pants, you’ll look like a dork.
Interesting that you say that. I note that you’re in Puerto Rico. Braided belts and canvas belts go in and out of year-round fashion, but they do tend to be a staple of summer and tropical fashion. I’d assume that all casual wear in Puerto Rico is summer clothes, so I’d expect that braided belts and canvas belts are always at least acceptably fashionable.
Oh, I forgot to say–
As I said to JR above, braided belts may not be really hot right now, but they’re acceptable summer wear. I think of them as a “preppy” look, so I went straight to Brooks Brothers, and found this nice one:
http://www.brooksbrothers.com/home/start_frames.tem?frames_section_id=233
There are others on the site, too, but that one was very reasonably priced.
As far as the looks of braided belts–there are a couple of problems with them. First of all, they add some bulk around the waist line. If you’re thin, it doesn’t matter. If you’re quite heavy, it doesn’t really make you look heavier. But if you’re just a little on the thick side, for some reason, a braided belt will really add on the visual pounds.
Another problem is that they tend to look worn out more quickly than a plain leather belt. Well, this is only a problem if the wearer doesn’t care for or replace the belt.
So, I’d say keep wearing them if you like them, but consider making a change for the wintertime.