A Little Piece of Americana

I wanted to share with you all a little something I picked up the other day. I was at one of those multi-vendor gift shops... you know the ones; not quite an indoor flea market, not quite a retail store, and not quite a yard sale... something different but strangely reminiscent of each. Some vendors sold antiques, some hand-made jewelry, some books and other assorted knick-knacks.

One glass case caught my eye. It had shelves that rotated with the touch of a button, displaying tie bars and vintage cufflinks and intricate costume jewelry. In the center of one shelf rested my new acquisition. This brass Levi Strauss & Co. belt buckle.

Now, I don't know how old this is... possibly 1970's, but it's incredibly cool and with Levi's new merchandising and design director Erik Joule (the man behind the collaborations with J. Crew, Opening Ceremony and more) continually adding excitement to the brand, I had to buy it. I definitely see old Levi Strauss collectables like this becoming more and more sought after. I had actually left the store and gone home, having been accompanied by one exhausted 4 year old, but when I couldn't get the buckle out of my head 3 days later I went back and rejoiced that it was still there. Mine.

This buckle is the type that one would see on one of those woven Boy Scouts type slide belts, as can be seen from the photo of the back. The problem is that all of the replacement straps I've seen since buying this buckle (including a pack containing 3 interchangable color options actually made by Levi's) are just a bit too wide, so I'll let you all know how it turns out after a visit to the Army & Navy store. Hopefully I'll be able to sport the buckle soon. I tried a leather belt strap that wasn't too wide, but it was far too thick for the hinge mechanism on the back of the buckle. I'll keep looking.

In the mean time, if anyone knows anything about the vintage of this particular buckle, let me know. I think it will be a perfect compliment to my growing wardrobe of heritage American items.

Until next time,

Cheers!

-Paul

Making Your Skin Crawl

Hello again; pardon the sebatical! The week has been quite busy. I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas. Today we're talking belts. I used to think that a man needed only one belt in his wardrobe: a reversible belt, brown on one side and black on the other, with a swiveling buckle allowing for an easy change between colors. Then, my shoe wardrobe began to expand, and I realized that different shades of brown required different belts. There is no way for one to appear as if he knows how to dress when his chocolate-brown wingtips are paired with with reversible belt "stock" chili-brown.

So I began to collect belts in varying shades of brown, keeping my reversible belt for use with black shoes, which I wear much less often. After amassing sufficient brown shoes and belts to match, I began acquiring more black shoes, and realized that a chintzy, reversible belt made my good shoes look cheap, and that one high quality black belt was required to complete my collection. I chose the belt in the bottom photo, a sleek looking alligator number from Ralph Lauren, with a silver buckle (if you don't wear gold jewelry, buy only silver buckles: NO gold). This did it. Not only does the belt look great, but simply having it inspires me to wear black shoes more often.

All of that being said (and thank you for bearing with my brief history of accessory consumption), I wanted to offer a suggestion for finding a classy belt. Exotic skins, such as lizard (top picture) or the aforementioned alligator are a little bit dressier than the smooth calf-leather belts that are more commonly seen. They can, however, be dressed down and worn with jeans. I like the exotic skins because they set the wearer apart a little bit more from the rest of the crowd. Everyone and their proverbial brothers sport belts without any character. Grab some attention from those who want to give it by having an accessory that pops!

Do remember, though, that it is very important that one invests in good belts. Cheap belts may be initially easy on the wallet, but the corrected grain leather (if leather at all: a lot are "pleather") will show wear very quickly and will crack and crease. The belt will eventually require disposal, but before it's thrown away the inferior belt will diminish the overall appearance of a polished outfit, cheapening the look of every other component.

One doesn't need to spend a fortune. Genuine alligator belts cost several hundred dollars, but high-quality embossed leather belts can be found for well under $100. One of the belts pictured above is the genuine article, and the other is embossed leather. Can you tell which is which? My lips are sealed, but the one that sells for well under $100 is still of exceptional quality. Just resist the temptation to spend ten bucks on a dress belt. You're all worth more than that.

Until next time,
Cheers!
-Paul

P-Dubb's Endorsement: The Plaque Belt

Yeah, that's me. P-Dubb. That was my handle from my years as a deejay. Another lifetime.
Any-hoo, today I am assigning the title of "staple" to the monogramable plaque belt. Pictured above is an offering by J. Crew, available only from their catalog or online (not in stores). They call it their "English Leather Plaque Belt." This is the version that I own, and at $55, I felt that this slide-buckle belt was a must have. I love the old English vibe of this style belt. I almost want to spit-shine the damn thing before I go out on the town in it. I haven't had it engraved, and I don't know that I will. If I do, it would be kinda groovy to have an expletive engraved on it for fun. Just to see how many people lean in to read it...
These belts can be found from different sources: I think that J. Crew's rendition offers a nice value. Also pictured (below) is Ralph Lauren's version that looks virtually identical (as in... could have been made by the same silversmith identical), but his buckle alone sells for $150, sans leather. Steep.
The versatility of this belt is wonderful. Dress it up with a suit or dress it down with jeans and boat shoes. The options are plentiful, and because of this, I dubb this item, the english leather plaque belt, a wardrobe staple.
Until next time,
Cheers!
-Paul