Bought one of these about a year ago and only Bought a new one because I've shrunk a bit I think, back then I wore about a 40 in pants (lower on the hips) and ended up with a 44 belt which I wore at the middle hole, I wear about a 38 now or women 16 (and usually at the top of the hips./waist) and got a 40 strap that goes to the first or second hole depending on how high I wear my pants that day.The slight crease that gets better over time has developed shows almost no signs of wear it is an incredibly high quality belt and if I resize again I will be back for a third!