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Functional Belt Buckles Revisited

Posted on March 11, 2008 by admin Filed Under Articles, Special Buckles | Leave a Comment

A couple days ago I wrote a snarky post on “functional belt buckles”, wondering who the heck needed a belt buckle that doubled as a gun. I’m no legal expert, but isn’t that considered a concealed weapon? Anyway, I’m not 100% changing my view but a website explaining a few uses for the knife belt buckle did make me rethink the issue. Click here for the full story.

Reboot your Wardrobe

Posted on March 9, 2008 by admin Filed Under Articles, Fashion, Fun | Leave a Comment

Cowboy boots, like big belt buckles, are hot. Frankly, I never thought they weren’t–see 1999 article on the popularity of line dancing and its attendant wardrobe in the UK and 2005 blog on summer must-haves in NYC–but I’m of Southern heritage and am, therefore, a bit biased. I now live in Williamsburg–a Brooklyn neighborhood whose residents are known for their wacked out clothes and permanent state of ennui–and am fascinated by the tendency among city folk to appropriate southern style.
Witness the number of twenty-something trendies kicking up their heels in vintage cowboy boots. They’re on the catwalk, on the red carpet, on a bikini-clad Britney Spears at the beach (I wouln’t recommend this look).
Urban guys and gals eager to go a little country should follow one basic rule: don’t overdo it. Vintage cowboy boots look great on women in skinny jeans and a whispy blouse. For men, dark denim and a fitted, tucked-in-only-at-the-belt buckle tee are great complements to well-worn cowboy boots. Saddling up in western wear suggests a cowboy lifestyle, so unless you’re herding cattle or bailing hay, leave the boot, belt buckle, big hat combo to the originals.

900 Year-Old Belt Buckle Found in Sewer

Posted on March 7, 2008 by admin Filed Under Articles, History, History of the Western Belt Buckle, Special Buckles, Vintage Belt Buckles | Leave a Comment

This medieval belt buckle was found in a collapsed sewer in Perth. The sewer water prevented the buckles copper alloy construction from decomposing. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to buy it on ebay but it’s nice to know the fashions we follow are so deeply rooted in history. For the full story, click here.

My Belt Buckle Made the Dean’s List….

Posted on March 7, 2008 by admin Filed Under Articles, Fashion, Fun, Special Buckles | Leave a Comment

Ok. This is too much. A recent eHow column on “How to Buy a Belt Buckle”–umm, find one you like, retrieve wallet, pay cashier, leave store??–advised that shoppers look at functional belt buckles as one option when choosing a buckle: “A new trend is buckles that serve a purpose other than holding your pants up.” The author goes on to explain that many belt buckles “hold small flasks, pocket knives, throwing stars or even very small firearms.”
What? Very small firearms? Who came up with this?..a vocal group of high-fashion criminals concerned that carrying a gun the old-fashioned way, in their pockets, made them look fat? I guess “Don’t Mess with Texas” is more than just a slogan on the wall at DFW.
Despite the articles misguided examples, the suggestion that “functional” belt buckles are gaining popularity is dead on. Target sells a bottle opener belt buckle and buckles that hold the wearers ipod are sure to be a hit among young’ns. Just steer clear of the belt buckle/concealed weapon combo. Lockdown at Folsom Prison no longer includes a free Johnny Cash concert.

Everything Old is New Again

Posted on March 4, 2008 by admin Filed Under Articles, Collecting Belt Buckles, Fashion, Special Buckles, Vintage Belt Buckles | 1 Comment

When I was young we called old stuff “antique”. Today, it’s vintage. And, according to fashion mags and ezine articles, vintage is in. To my dismay, it’s often referenced in the form of Punky Brewster type legwarmers and metallic Members Only jackets. If you don’t know what either of those are, be grateful.
Anyway, I found a great story of a guy whose friend stored all his 70’s belt buckles when he went away for college. The friend returned them more than twenty years later and, as their original owner explains, his kids went nuts for them. The point is this: Get your vintage on. Dig through Dad’s closet and Mom’s jewelry box. And don’t fret if your padres didn’t hang on to their flare jeans and big belt buckles. Vintage stores and stoop sales have plenty of fun stuff to satiate your “antique” appetite.

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