Never Buy Another Belt Buckle Again!

Posted on July 23, 2008 by Stuart Kerty Filed Under Collecting Belt Buckles, Fun, Novelty, Video | Leave a Comment

The Egokast is a video-playing buckle with 3″ LCD screen. Sure, you might be able to show videos on it. Or maybe you can run their exclusive looping Egovideo graphics that look strangely like screensavers from the early nineties or lava lamps from the late sixties. Or if you really want people staring at your crotch for hours on end, perhaps you can preview a few pirated blockbusters before they come out on the big screen.

We are not going to bore you with the specs. You got the wrong site baby. We don’t care about the megaflurtz, giga-pixars, or screen revolutions. If you want the techno-geek stuff, go check out Gizmodo elsewhere on the interweb. We’re here to talk about buckles.

Egokast has made leaving the house wearing only one belt buckle as archaic as sporting a Walkman with only one cassette. What if your tastes change while you are out? Whether tapes or buckles, maybe you can carry one or two extras in your pocket, but you can’t carry your entire collection everywhere you go!

Or can you?

The real undiscovered killer app here is for collectors to be able to wear all their buckles, all the time. Simply photograph all your buckles and run them in an endless slideshow! Or for even more control, create “playlists” based on themes that fit your outfit, such as rodeo, rhinestone, or retro.

Yes, the Egokast is the buckle collector’s answer to the iPod. Instead of 10,000 songs in your pocket, it’s 10,000 buckles on your belt!

Forget the Prius. Mermaids Are the Original Hybrids!

Posted on June 18, 2008 by Stuart Kerty Filed Under Fun, History | Leave a Comment

This weekend welcomes the return one of the craziest events you will encounter anywhere in the country. The Coney Island Mermaid Parade is the nation’s largest art parade and an opportunity to see some of the most beautiful, most glamorous, and most wackiest people that New York City has to offer.

Founded in 1983, the Mermaid Parade pays homage to the long-forgotten Mardi Gras which ran here every year from 1903 to 1954. The parade kicks off the summer in celebration of the history and mythology of Coney Island, the birthplace of roller coasters and hot dogs, and once a world-renown vacation hotspot that has fallen into some disrepair, but is in the midst of a revitalization.

The parade is a fantastical aquatic-themed free-for-all, with participants donning zany and often sexy homemade costumes to transform into mermaids (merpersons?), Poseidons, sea monsters, or any other ocean mythology that creative and slightly bent minds can conjure up. Imagine if you will Disney World if they fired all the censors and lawyers!

Whether you march in the parade or not, you can share your love for these enchanting Sirens with the wrap-around mermaid belt buckle from RedElephants. These graceful hand-poured metal beauties slither around your belt, meticulously finished in bronze or silver with crystals. Legend says that mermaids would drag sailors down into the deep, but on Saturday, they might simply drag you onto the boardwalk to dance. To learn more about the parade and the history and future of the area, visit Coney Island USA.

Since the future of Coney Island is unsure as new development is changing the face of the area, harken (seriously, when was the last time you harkened?!) back to the iconic Steeplechase Park with the buckle from Lola Staar, featuring the mildly demented smiling face “Tillie”, named after park owner George Tilyou. Ahh, you can almost feel the thrill and the queasiness of the Parachute Drop!

Paraskavedekatriaphobia

Posted on June 13, 2008 by Stuart Kerty Filed Under Fun, Novelty | Leave a Comment

It’s a warm, moonlit summer evening. You and your sweetie sneak away from your friends around the campfire and head into the woods near the lake to be alone. You hold each other and gaze peacefully out over Crystal Lake.

Suddenly, you see the moonlight glint unexpectedly off something in the dark. You squint through the blackness and make out the faint image of a hockey goalie mask and are struck by the sudden realization that today is Friday the 13th! You let out a terrified shriek in anticipation that at any second Jason Voorhees will hack you to pieces with a machete! Eee-Ahhhh!!!!

Oh, wait. Never mind. That’s just your shiny new belt buckle from Halloween Town.

Paraskavedekatriaphobia is the fear of Friday the 13^th. While it is completely silly and irrational to be scared of an ordinary day of the week, it is perfectly reasonable to be terrified of being butchered by a machete-wielding maniac in a mask, since stuff like this happens all the time to people just like you.

So, in celebration of Friday the 13^th (the only one in 2008!), enjoy a little slasher film nostalgia with the only belt buckle that you might just want to lock safely in another room when you go to sleep at night. That is, if you are able to sleep…

Exhibit a Little Self-Controller

Posted on June 5, 2008 by Stuart Kerty Filed Under Fun, Novelty | Leave a Comment

If your joystick is not getting enough exposure lately, it’s time to take your game to the next level.

NESBuckle has found a way to take gamers out of the darkness of their parents’ basement and into the spotlight of fashion streetwear with a line of buckles featuring authentic controllers from Nintendo, Sega Genesis, SNES, and Atari video games.

If you fondly recall battling Bowser or Doctor Ivo Robotnik, or consider Pong to be the apogee of digital gaming, here’s your chance to impress your date with your sense of style and nostalgia. And if you haven’t yet got up the nerve to start dating, we are sure your mom will be impressed too.

Big for Boys, Thin for Girls: Summer Belt & Buckle Trends

Posted on May 30, 2008 by admin Filed Under Articles, Fashion, Fun, Vintage Belt Buckles | Leave a Comment

stevenspwns buckle collection Shoulder pads are back. High waisted trousers are back. Even grunge is back. Ugggh…remember grunge? Growing up, my family didn’t have a lot of cash so I’ve never understood looking intentionally broke and dirty. But that’s another story. The point is retro, old-school, whatever you dub it, is in and belt buckles play a big part in the revival. Fashion mags and style blogs are touting vintage belt buckles for men and slender, waist-accentuating belts for women this summers go-to accessories.
I’m a believer. Memorial day weekend was the first actual summer-like weather we’ve received in New York and I got a glimpse of what summer fashion will look like. A friend hosted a BBQ wherein I counted no less than 17 uber-cool belts/belt buckles on attendees. Most of the gals wore cotton floral dresses with gladiator sandals (I don’t get this combo but, again, another story) and cinched their waists with multiple thin belts. The fellas–surprise, surprise–diversified. One cool cat paired madras shorts with a pewter “Don’t Mess with Texas” buckle and white polo, a la Anthony Kim (see previous posts on the PGA/western belt buckle connection). Another went Williamsburg ironic with jeans, tee and and an “I heart Jesus” buckle. When I asked him about religion he told me he was Jewish. I heart New York.
Whatever your take, sift through Mom and Dad’s closets, stop by a stoop sale or log on to my personal fave, amazon, for second-hand belts and belt buckles with patina and a past.