Silver belt / Plaque belt
Some bunads had a silver belt / plaque belt as a distinction between married and unmarried. If you had a silver belt with plaques, you were married, and if you had a belt with only belt buckles and no plaques, you were unmarried. Sotra is an example of this distinction.
Today, the plaque belt is not used for this distinction, but is basically used to decorate the bunad even more, and get even more bunad silver. Plaque belts consist of a leather or fabric belt, belt plaques and a belt buckle. Depending on what kind of bunad it is for, there can be a purse plaque to hang your purse on, a knife plaque for your knife, bores, a lap belt, etc.
It's easy to calculate how many belt loops you need: Measure your waist (preferably with your bunad on) and subtract the length of the belt buckle. Then divide the rest by 3. (Usually, anyway, because most plaques are 3 cm wide). This gives you the maximum number you can fit. Then you can think about whether you want to subtract 1 piece to get some "air" between the buckle and the first piece on each side. And whether you want space between the plaques. Ask us if you need help.
