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Equus Leather - English Handstitched Bridle Leather Belts - Official Affiliate and Review Thread

OzzyJones

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You chunkier guys gotta get on that Baker's London tan; if I didn't already have it in 1.3/8 it'd be gone!!
 

LA Guy

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Fok, if you have an image of the type of buckle you have in mind we might be able to do something - depends what it is. I can see why the texture of the Rentetsu is up your street though, its very organic and while I had wood grain in mind rope isn't that different

Charlie
Frankly, I am an indifferent designer. I do best when I am tweaking something which already exists. The Rentetsu, in the same length, but slimmer, made for a 1.25" or even 1 1/8" buckle, would be great. I like the organic look of the striations in the buckle, and I could see it looking really good against a strap with a lot of red in it. '

The Rentetsu and the Wakugi both have this great balance between beautiful craftsmanship and natural imperfections that I have found very attractive.
 

Mr. Six

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I think 1.25" for the buckles would work. I could see a lot of guys who spend more time in the SW&D side being interested, and also some if the CM guys who mix it up. I'd just like to see both buckles offered with other leather colors. (Maybe it was always possible to order the buckles with other leathers and I just misunderstood?)
 

jacktamhk

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Hi, Charlie.

I'm planning to order a West End Bridle Leather Belt to wear with my mid-brown oxford shoes (as shown below) and with navy/black suit. Could you give me some suggestions on the choice of colour, leather width and buckle metal? Many thanks!






Jack
 

NativeTxn

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Hi, Charlie. I'm planning to order a West End Bridle Leather Belt to wear with my mid-brown oxford shoes (as shown below) and with navy/black suit. Could you give me some suggestions on the choice of colour, leather width and buckle metal? Many thanks! Jack
It's really hard to determine based on internet photos - lighting, camera quality, etc. can all have an effect on the color in the picture vs. the color in real life. From the pictures you have posted and the samples I recently received, I would say that either Sedgwicks Oxford Tan or Sedgwicks Hazel would be the best match to the shoes. However, I would strongly urge you to go ahead and order the sample packs for the Bakers and the Sedgwicks leathers so that you can actually hold the samples up to the shoes to compare (plus, the samples are free and so is shipping). While I was anxious to order from Equus, it was well worth the extra 9 days that it took to receive the samples to my door (in Dallas, TX) because it changed what I ended up ordering versus if I had ordered based on the pictures on the web (and I honestly would have been mad at myself had I ordered without getting the samples and not having my expectations of the color I was ordering match what I actually received). As for width and buckle, that is more of a personal thing in some regards, though if you are going to be wearing it with a suit and/or dress/business casual clothes, I would suggest no wider than 1 1/4 inches. As for buckle, that just depends on whether you are a brass guy or a SS guy. In the orders I just placed, I paid the up charge for the nickel buckles because I think the nickel adds a little something that SS and brass don't have, while still being understated and perfectly reasonable for business wear. Best of luck. P.S. Get the samples! :)
 
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Equus Leather

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Frankly, I am an indifferent designer.  I do best when I am tweaking something which already exists.  The Rentetsu, in the same length, but slimmer, made for a 1.25" or even 1 1/8" buckle, would be great. I like the organic look of the striations in the buckle, and I could see it looking really good against a strap with a lot of red in it.  '

The Rentetsu and the Wakugi both have this great balance between beautiful craftsmanship and natural imperfections that I have found very attractive.


I'll speak to the makers and see what we can come up with. I can't see any reason we can't have some variation in width.

I agree entirely about the variation and organic nature of both buckles, thats exactly what attracted me to this buckle range. Just like the Bakers leather you get a sense of the nature of the material and the craftsmanship thats gone into it from its structure and texture, the look and the feel. Its a different look than a lot of our work but I like it very much.


I think 1.25" for the buckles would work. I could see a lot of guys who spend more time in the SW&D side being interested, and also some if the CM guys who mix it up. I'd just like to see both buckles offered with other leather colors. (Maybe it was always possible to order the buckles with other leathers and I just misunderstood?)


We can use any of our leathers with any of these buckles. For the Special Editions Ive chosen a leather I feel compliments the nature of the buckle, as much as anything because its a bit overwhelming to have too much choice. Im more than happy for people to pick what they'd like though, just drop me a message as to what you'd like when you order.

Charlie
 

Equus Leather

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Hi, Charlie. I'm planning to order a West End Bridle Leather Belt to wear with my mid-brown oxford shoes (as shown below) and with navy/black suit. Could you give me some suggestions on the choice of colour, leather width and buckle metal? Many thanks! Jack
Hi Jack, Nice shoes! As above its probably worth your while to order some samples so you can see first hand. Id say, again as above (thanks NT!) Hazel or Oxford Tan will be good choices and would represent the lighter and darker areas of the shoes. As to buckle, left to my own devices Id always pick nickel but it really is personal taste and all of our buckle metals and finishes work with all the leathers really. More than anything it'll depend what buckle design you like as that'll dictate what buckle metals that are available. Hope that helps! Charlie
 

Riva

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As for width and buckle, that is more of a personal thing in some regards, though if you are going to be wearing it with a suit and/or dress/business casual clothes, I would suggest no wider than 1 1/4 inches. As for buckle, that just depends on whether you are a brass guy or a SS guy.

In the orders I just placed, I paid the up charge for the nickel buckles because I think the nickel adds a little something that SS and brass don't have, while still being understated and perfectly reasonable for business wear.

1.25" it is max for me. Can't go above that as the belt loops would be stretched too much.

I found the nickel buckles to be very versatile but if it's a very formal meeting or an evening event I'd still prefer SS. Brass is too yellow given the current trend for rose gold. Actually if there is a rose gold plated buckle I'd get one in a heart beat as it would match with some of my RG watches.
 

jacktamhk

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It's really hard to determine based on internet photos - lighting, camera quality, etc. can all have an effect on the color in the picture vs. the color in real life.

From the pictures you have posted and the samples I recently received, I would say that either Sedgwicks Oxford Tan or Sedgwicks Hazel would be the best match to the shoes. However, I would strongly urge you to go ahead and order the sample packs for the Bakers and the Sedgwicks leathers so that you can actually hold the samples up to the shoes to compare (plus, the samples are free and so is shipping). While I was anxious to order from Equus, it was well worth the extra 9 days that it took to receive the samples to my door (in Dallas, TX) because it changed what I ended up ordering versus if I had ordered based on the pictures on the web (and I honestly would have been mad at myself had I ordered without getting the samples and not having my expectations of the color I was ordering match what I actually received).

As for width and buckle, that is more of a personal thing in some regards, though if you are going to be wearing it with a suit and/or dress/business casual clothes, I would suggest no wider than 1 1/4 inches. As for buckle, that just depends on whether you are a brass guy or a SS guy.

In the orders I just placed, I paid the up charge for the nickel buckles because I think the nickel adds a little something that SS and brass don't have, while still being understated and perfectly reasonable for business wear.

Best of luck.

P.S. Get the samples!
smile.gif

Quote:

Many thanks NT and Charlie for your detailed suggestions! So I guess now I should be a little more patient and wait for the samples to arrive first - just ordered them. Really looking forward to getting my first Equus belt!
 

NativeTxn

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Quote:
Quote:

Many thanks NT and Charlie for your detailed suggestions! So I guess now I should be a little more patient and wait for the samples to arrive first - just ordered them. Really looking forward to getting my first Equus belt!
My pleasure. I think you'll be glad you waited. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk
 

Equus Leather

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1.25" it is max for me. Can't go above that as the belt loops would be stretched too much.

I found the nickel buckles to be very versatile but if it's a very formal meeting or an evening event I'd still prefer SS. Brass is too yellow given the current trend for rose gold. Actually if there is a rose gold plated buckle I'd get one in a heart beat as it would match with some of my RG watches.


No reason we can't do rose gold plaiting I don't think - happy to check it out if you like? The firm that does our palladium plating should be able to do it for us.

Charlie
 

MacktasticGDogg

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Well, my long awaited Metta Catharina strap has arrived. I think it looks great and as Charlie mentioned before, it has a very distinct smell. I think it kind of smells like some smoked beef jerkey...LOL!

I decided to take on the hair raising task of punching the hole on this strap. It's nothing I haven't done before, but this is far and away the most expensive strap I've ever laid my hands on, so the pressure will be high to get the hole punched in the right spot.

Anyway, some crappy i-pics of the strap:

700


With the watch mounted:
700


I think I'm going to like it a lot. Now to get the hole punched correctly....
 

MacktasticGDogg

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...Got the hole punched on the Metta Catharina, and I think I might have made it a bit too snug. It's wearable, but hopefully it will loosen just a little bit down the road. I'll get used to it either way though.

A few a little less crappy i-pics:

700

700

700

700


Good work, as always, Charlie!
 

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