As much as I do miss having 1.0's visible belts, it was a necessary change for the game that was ultimately for the better, as having a visible belt appearance restricted gear design greatly in 1.0, in that each body and leg piece needed to be designed with every belt design in mind to avoid clipping, and, well, given we're seeing complaints here in ARR now about clipping issues with weapons and miqo'te/au ra tails and ears/horns in the latest 'flashy' gear, this is clearly something SE are never going to go back to.

It's the price that had to be paid for more elaborate gear design.