New Engine-Turned Belt Buckle and Belt Strap from Belts.com

For Christmas, my brother was generous enough to give me an engine-turned belt buckle with my monogram on it. I had previously given him one, and he returned the favor this year. It's a 1-3/16" Trafalgar buckle, in 22K gold plate over brass (neither he nor I had sterling silver in our budgets).

Although I was excited about the buckle, I was confronted with the challenge of getting a belt strap for it. Straps from Dann Online start at $60 for the glove leather models, and only go up from there (to $375 for genuine alligator). Leather straps from Brooks Brothers are normally $88, though they're currently on sale for $66. Still, I was in search of a less expensive option.

I had heard about belts from Belts.com, and in looking at their selection of Dress Leather Belt Straps, I was impressed not only with their variety, but also their prices (many start at just $16.95). However, I noticed that all of the straps came with holes in them, and due to the way that engine-turned buckles are made, the holes are unnecessary.

So I contacted the folks at belts.com asking if their dress belts were available without holes. I received an email back from Jason at Belts.com who informed me that no, their dress belts could not be ordered without holes, but suggested that I look at their "Make Your Own Width or Size" belt straps. These are plain leather belts, but the length, width, and color can be chosen by the customer, and Jason suggested that I simply note on the ordering page that I wanted it made without holes. For just $20, I figured it was worth a shot.

The belt came today and you can see it in the picture above. It did indeed come as I requested it, without holes, and the 1-1/8" width worked perfectly for my 1-3/16" wide buckle. It seems to be well-made, and the leather seems to be pretty good. It is, however, fairly thick (it measures between 4 and 5 mm in thickness), and could be considered a bit unrefined for pairing with this style of belt buckle. These things won't keep me from wearing it, but I will be looking to upgrade at some point in the future.

If you have a similar belt buckle, I would recommend the Make Your Own Width or Size option from Belts.com if you're looking for a less-dressy strap to wear with your belt. However, I really wish that they would consider offering their dress belts without holes, as I would pick up their alligator grain and smooth leather straps in a heartbeat. I'd even be willing to pay a $4 or $5 premium for the option. I'm not really sure how their manufacturing process works, but it seems like it wouldn't be that hard to keep some holeless belts in stock, and I'm sure there are some engine-turned buckle owners out there who would love to have some less expensive choices. Oh well, maybe one day...

Leather Man Ltd. grosgrain leather tab & buckle belts

It's no secret that I am a fan of belts, as indicated by my previous posts on the subject (here, here, here, and here), but the one at the top of my list right now is the grosgrain leather tab & buckle belt from Leather Man Ltd.

Obviously the love child of an emblematic belt and a grosgrain belt, two staples of a preppy wardrobe, this belt offers the casualness of grosgrain, but is made a little more formal by the leather tab and buckle. Additionally, it's a more practical choice as the d-rings the typically come on grosgrain belts can be a pain. Also, like most belts from Leather Man, they're pretty affordable at only $28.

To be honest, the selection of grosgrain patterns that Leather Man currently offers for these belts is simply OK--it could be better. However, these are some of personal picks, all of which would make an easy transition from summer to fall.

Volunteer Traditions

You may remember my post back in December about the Southern state flag belts being sold Traditional State/Volunteer Traditions. While I recommended the products back then, I hadn't actually put my hands on any of them. Well, a couple of weeks ago, Mason, the founder of the company, offered to send me a few of their products to check out for myself. While they had previously been selling their products under both the names "Volunteer Traditions" and "Traditional State," they recently decided to consolidate things and sell them all under the (original) name "Volunteer Traditions." While there is always the threat of isolating potential non-Tennessee SEC, as I told Mason, I think that it was wise move and that "Volunteer Traditions" is a solid name. The products for states other than Tennessee are sold under their new "Heritage Line."

Mason sent me one of their new Georgia flag hats, an Alabama belt (I went to school in Alabama), as well as a pair of Croakies and a koozie (that's a whole nother post, though). I know that Daryl from Southern Gent and Jay from Red Clay Soul recently talked about how good their products are, but really, once I got my hands on them, I was impressed.

The belts are made by Leather Man Ltd., who, in my opinion, make the best emblematic belts on the market, and these are certainly no exception. The backing is khaki-colored, and looks really good with khakis. Also, the flags are slightly bigger than the flags on another flag belt I have, and I think this makes them look even better. The hat is probably where I was most impressed. While I am not a big "hat guy," I do own my fair share and wear them from time to time. While Jay noted on his post that the hats are not too shallow, I would like to point out, that the hat is not too deep either (that being my number one complaint about a lot of hats). In fact, I would say that the hat is the Goldilocks of hats, and is basically just right. The koozie and Croakies are both solid as well, and I've got to say that I really like the dog logo on the koozie.

If you haven't looked at the Volunteer Tradition website in a while, be sure to pay it a visit. They have expanded their offerings, and from what I have tried out, they are solid. Also, their prices are still very good. While Mason didn't indicate whether they have any other states in the works, here's to hoping.

Civil War Belt Buckles

Whether you live north or south of the Mason Dixon, I think that you would have to admit these belt buckles are pretty sweet.

Basically they're replicas of buckles worn by soldiers on both sides of the Civil War, and are actually available all over the internet. You can find them easily by Googling or searching on Ebay for "civil war belt buckles," and since I haven't ordered one myself, I don't really have a particular purveyor to personally recommend.

However, after doing some poking around, it looks like the ones from CivilWarBuckles.com (pretty descriptive URL) look like they might be one of the better options. All of their buckles are made from casts of actual Civil War era buckles, so they don't get much more authentic without finding a 150 year old belt yourself. Aside from the classic "US," "CS," and "CSA" buckles, they've got a ton of other ones to choose from, including a number of states, which are all available in three different finish options: "Normal," "High Polish," and "Old Dark Antique Look."

Virginia buckle

Additionally, most of the ones on the internet come with three hooks which you use to attach it to your belt. That isn't really a standard mounting method for belts nowadays, but it looks like CivilWarBuckles.com lets you choose from some other mounting options, which might make them easier to work with normal belt straps.

South Carolina buckle

Finally, they are only $17 with $5 for shipping and handling, so they're a pretty good deal, whether you want to display your patriotism or your Southern heritage.

Compare the ones above to this actual unworn Civil War era buckle

It should be noted that all of the images here, except for the last one, came from CivilWarBuckles.com and can all be found on their website.

Oyster Belt Buckle and Strap

It is (presumably) a well-known fact that I am a sucker for belts. Well, the other day, Joe Gannon, of his self-titled blog, posted on Twitter about the oyster belt that he purchased from North River Outfitters, made by the Oyster Belt Co. ("Kind of as creative as the Dave Matthews Band."). This is a great looking belt, and Joe indicated that both the buckle and strap are made in the US, which is fitting since the oyster is a fine and delicious creature that is enjoyed by people all along the eastern seaboard and Gulf of Mexico, from Maine to Texas. It's pretty much the bald eagle of the ocean.

At $75 for the buckle and $50 for the strap, it is kind of steep, but I'd say it's probably worth it, and would make a great gift, especially for someone whose birthday is in April...

25% Off at Traditional State

You may have seen my post last week about the Southern states flag belts being sold by Traditional State. Well, company founder Mason Jones emailed me yesterday to pass along a 25% off code that you can use on any orders placed now through the end of the holidays (I don't know if that means until December 25th or December 31st). When you place an order through the website, enter the code "christmas09" in the Apply Promo Code box. With the code, belts come out to around $22, which is a steal. I believe that Greg from Manifold Destiny already took advantage of this yesterday.

Unfortunately, Mason did confirm for me that there are no plans for a Virginia belt in the foreseeable future, but hopefully they'll get to it someday.

For the rest of you, I hope that "Santa" is able to take advantage of this deal.

Belted: Emblematic belts

I love belts, probably much more than most people. I think that they are a nice, yet subtle way of adding a little something extra to what might be considered a boring outfit. And I have a lot of belts, probably too many. My favorite type, however, are probably emblematic belts. These are usually made of canvas with a ribbon of some repeating pattern sewn in, and have a leather tab and buckle. At some point, I decided that when I go out of town, especially to a place I have never been before, I would try to buy a belt from that place as a souvenir. Here is my collection:


Purchased one summer a few years ago on a trip down to St. Simon's Island. This is where I grew up going to the beach.


Purchased from Perlis when I went to visit my college friend who lives in New Orleans. The only drawback is that the ribbon part is not as wide a most emblematics traditionally are. As a result, I feel that the canvas-to-ribbon ratio is off.


Purchased from O'Connell's in Buffalo, NY (a.k.a.- "Mecca") when I went to visit my friend one winter.


Both purchased at J. Press in Boston, during a family trip up to New England. Made by Leather Man, Ltd. The lacrosse belt probably gets the most wear out of all of them.


Purchased from Murray's Toggery Shop on a day-trip to Nantucket during the same trip to New England mentioned above.


Belts purchased so that I would actually have something orange to wear to Clemson games during grad school. The bottom one was "custom made" for me by Leather Man, Ltd. before I actually got to school (little did I know how easy it was to find this style all over town).


Purchased at M. Dumas when I lived in Charleston last summer.

I have a couple more in the closet that I didn't include because they weren't technically "souvenir" belts. Out of all of these, I must say that the ones made by Leather Man, Ltd. are probably the ones I like the most. That is because for the tab, they only use a single piece of leather, instead of two pieces stitched together like most of the rest do. For whatever reason, I think this style works better and lays flatter. Additionally, I think that they are well made, and their website gives you the ability to really customize your order, which I think is great.