Belt and buckle bumbling

[lukeyrobertson]

Hey opositive, is that belt one that attaches via a velcro system or by the small buckle system on the back of the belt? Very nice choice. I'm drawn to the circular buckles for some reason. Prices seem very good, too. Thanks for the heads up.

[Tobus]

So Artificer and Tobus, do you think a black belt and Sam Brown buckle would be OK with an Argyle (I kinda think not but... maybe)? Better for day, I think.

I've certainly seen it done. That style of belt/buckle with a tweed Argyll gives it a more casual look, to my eye. It would be fine for day wear out-of-doors. But personally, I think it might be a little strange if worn with a Barathea Argyll when trying to dress things up. This is one of those little nuances that gives day wear such a broad range of dressiness.

I've also seen some nice round buckles with various celtic designs. Does the rabble think they would do day OK?

Personally, I think the round buckles can only do day wear. And again, more on the casual end of the scale. I've never been a fan of round buckles, though. There's something about the shape in that particular location that seems to jar my sense of aesthetics. And it almost borders on looking 'costumey' to me, but perhaps that's just my own personal bias. There are plenty of folks who like that look, and if you do as well, then go for it.

i had seen the picture tobus posted (or something similar) before and really liked the embossed belt and pewter buckle, but i liked the celtic dogs buckle a bit more than the antiqued plate.

Just to clarify, the belt I showed above is not embossed. It's tooled. There's a big difference! Embossing is done by a machine that simply presses a design onto the leather with a wheel, and gives a very shallow indentation. Tooling is cut-in by hand and requires hours of labour with a mallet and stamping tools. It gives a much deeper impression in the leather, as well as adding stiffness due to the compression of the leather.

Most vendors who sell belts with designs on them are selling embossed belts. They're cheap to make and can be done in mass production runs. But a tooled belt is truly a one-of-a-kind item, and no two will be the same. If you're ever looking for a unique, custom belt that will really stand apart from the embossed ones, find a leather worker that is willing to do the design and tooling for you. It's well worth the money if you want your belt to stand apart from others. Not everyone likes belts with designs on them (the traditional Scots seem to prefer plain belts), but if you do like designs, tooling is the way to go.

Here's a comparison of my (black) embossed belt and my hand-tooled belt. Notice the difference in depth of the impressions. Also, here's a better photo of the buckle I showed earlier.