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Riddle: What Do Belt Buckles and Belvedere Vodka Have in Common?

Posted on May 22, 2008 by admin Filed Under Articles, Fun | Leave a Comment

Answer: Both are products representing a “luxury lifestyle”. Of course, to buy that line of thinking you’d have to define luxury as drinking red bull and vodka and performing public fellatio. Perhaps Paris Hilton is the target audience? It would probably not be the definition of luxury if you were a reader of Wired, the magazine in which the ad first appeared–seriously flawed marketing, as Freddy Nager points out in his Cool Rules Pronto column.

But ad placement and overtly sexual innuendo are not the problem with this ad. The problem is in the styling. Seriously, folks. The “satisfied” chap with the belt buckle is not a jet-setting hipster, he’s a cowboy and when have you known a real cowboy to drink Belvedere? And how do I know he’s a cowboy? Well….
1. His shirt is bright white and entirely tucked in. Hipsters buy withered second-hand shirts and tuck them in only behind the buckle for that disheveled, “I’m not trying too hard” look.
2. His denim is crisp, lacks stretch and pulled taut around the family jewels. No low-rise, skinny jeans for this guy.
3. He’s erect…er, standing up straight. Hipsters slouch.

So, I’ll ask again. What do Belt Buckles and Belvedere Vodka Have in Common? Answer: Aside from the fact that they’re both nouns, nada. Long live cowboys who work a full day, tuck in their shirts and respect women. I’m off now for a quick game of tennis and a relaxing shiatsu massage…just as soon as I finish drinking my Schlitz on the rocks.

In My Opinion…

Posted on May 20, 2008 by admin Filed Under Fun, Special Buckles | Leave a Comment

So many belt buckles these days are less about holding up your pants and more about sending a message. Often, the message is sexual, whether blatantly so or rife with innuendo. The big banana buckle, recently featured on fashionably geek, is a prime example. The blogger highlighting the belt buckle asks, “do you have the balls to wear the big banana belt buckle?”
He should have asked whether you have the balls not to. In my experience, boys who’ve told me they have big feet have only…ahem…big shoes. Wasn’t it Churchill who said “Walk softly and carry a big stick?” In short, don’t advertise your strengths. It either diminishes them or suggests you’re compensating.

Pick of the Week: Plain = Polished

Posted on May 19, 2008 by admin Filed Under Collecting Belt Buckles, Pick of the Week, Special Buckles | Leave a Comment

Big, brazen belt buckles are fun but simplicity never goes out of style. The clean lines and classic shape of the belt buckle at left make it an ideal match for those occasions when understated elegance is in order; think weddings, interviews, client meetings, etc. It’s sterling silver, fits belts up to 1″, won’t tarnish and can be engraved (a great gift). Plain doesn’t have to be boring. In this case, plain is polished and put-together.

Battlefield Belt Buckles

Posted on May 14, 2008 by admin Filed Under Collecting Belt Buckles, History, History of the Western Belt Buckle, Special Buckles, Vintage Belt Buckles | 1 Comment

Anyone into vintage, military or just plain collecting belt buckles has gotta check out John Gawne’s incredible collection of 20th century military buckles. The author of Finding Your Father’s War has collected more than a dozen buckles from World Wars I & II and all are used or “have seen action”, as he puts it.

Gawne’s collection includes belt buckles recovered from battlefields as distant as Estonia and familiar as Pottsdam. The above buckle is a WWII German military buckle that features the notorious Gott Mit Uns (God With Us) signature logo. Gawne found it at Gorp en Roovert, a remote battlefield on the Dutch-Belgian Border.

These buckles aren’t made for wearin’. They’re made for admiring. And for reflecting.

Flower Power: Femme Belt Buckles for Spring

Posted on May 13, 2008 by admin Filed Under Articles, Fashion | Leave a Comment

Everything’s coming up roses…and tulips and orchids. According to a recent Pittsburgh Tribune article, scarves, dresses, blouses and, of course, belt buckles are all subject to fashions’ current flower frenzy. It may have something to do with the return of Sex and the City–recall Carrie’s wonderfully wacky outfits and huge flower pins–but it may also just be Spring. Six months of black wool trousers, snow boots and an insulated overcoat that makes you look like the Michelin Man would drive even un-girly types to don pink rose petals.

But you don’t have to be Elle Woods to pull off these looks. The buckle at left follows the trend without taking it too far. Etched in plastic and reminiscent of bakelite, the tattoo-like design is simultaneously vintage and rock star. Clip on thin black belt, wrap around waist of pencil skirt, step into 3 inch croc heels and, voila! Up-to-the-minute fashion without having spent a fortune. As one online clothes hound noted, the best way to keep apace with trends is via accessories. And what better accesory than a beautiful belt buckle?

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