Short answers, pulled from the story.
A belt is a flexible band or strap, typically made of leather, plastic, or heavy cloth, worn around the natural waist or near it as far down as the hips. Belts that hold up clothing work by friction, taking advantage of the narrow circumference and compressibility of the torso above the hips, with a buckle forming the strap into a loop usually smaller than the hips.
Men started wearing belts in the 1920s, as trouser waists fell to a lower line. Before the 1920s, belts served mostly a decorative purpose and were associated with the military, and trousers prior to that did not even have belt loops, though trousers with belt loops already existed in the 19th century as sportswear.
Belts have been documented as male clothing since the Bronze Age. Both sexes have used them off and on depending on fashion trends, and in the western world belts have been more common for men, with exceptions including the early Middle Ages, late 17th century Mantua, and skirt and blouse combinations between 1901 and 1910.
Black leather studded belts and studded wristbands are generally seen as synonymous with punk rock, but the style stretches back to the bikers of the fifties, who studded their leather belts and jackets as a form of intimidation suggesting the items were weapons. In the latter half of the 1970s, punks adopted this fashion for the same reasons as earlier rocker movements.
Leather is the most popular belt material because it can withstand being bent, folded, and tightened without being damaged, and genuine leather belts will adapt to the wearer over time. Belts are also made from braided leather, tooled leather, suede, leather-backed ribbon, canvas, webbing, rope, and vinyl.
Belts for formal dress pants are usually 28 to 32 mm wide, a little under an inch, and feature accents such as trapunto straps, beveled edges, a fine stitch gauge, and a tapered tip. Casual belts worn with denim are usually between 35 and 42 mm wide, with one-piece construction and a textured appearance.
Since the 1980s, and more commonly in the mid-1990s, sagging the pants has been seen among young men and boys, with belted waistbands worn at or below the hips. The practice is believed to have originated with prison gangs and the prohibition of belts in prison, where belts were banned for use as weapons and as devices for suicide.