Best basic black calfskin dress belt?

[VACPA]

I'm looking for a high quality basic black calfskin dress belt with a plain rectangular silver-colored buckle. What would be some good choices? Paul Stuart has been praised, but the belts on their website are too flashy for my tastes. I've also heard good things about Crookhorn and Trafalgar, but hasn't their quality declined in recent years (like Coach)? There's always Allen Edmonds and Alden, though I've read that Crookhorn makes the belts for AE. Martin Dingman has come up before, but I don't know much about them. Opinions and feedback are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[sloaney]

Zegna and Ferragamo have some nice understated ones. Brooks Brothers also has nice ones for around $45.

 

[j]

I always see basic black calf Zegna belts at Loehmann's when I go there, often for ~$30. If you can't find your own size, a shoe repair shop can cut a bigger one down and restitch the buckle for $5-10. Then it will fit you perfectly, even if you're in between sizes.

 

[Tyto]

I have basic calfskin dress belts from Brooks Brothers and from Ben Silver. I think the Silver belts are by Trafalgar, but I can't prove it. Both are very supple, have a nice sheen, and have basic, understated buckles.

Brooks' sale is still on, so you can pick a belt up there for around $40, and I saw belts in the outlet portion of Ben Silver's site a couple of weeks ago--don't know whether they're still there.

 

[Drinkwaters]

We stock a basic black calf skin belt from Martin Dingman, it comes with two buckles, brass and silver in a rectangular shape. The belt is edge stitched and it a great quality belt in a low gloss finish. Martin Digman has been creating leather products since his partnership with Cole Haan in the earlier years, before Nike purchased them. I think you could be very happy with this selection, we sell a boat load of them to people who want a basic.
The price is $60.00 plus shipping.

Best Regards,

Gary

"VOTE" www.cbs4boston.com/alist Please!

 

[Margaret]

Originally Posted by j

If you can't find your own size, a shoe repair shop can cut a bigger one down and restitch the buckle for $5-10. Then it will fit you perfectly, even if you're in between sizes.


Oh, sweet -- why have I never thought of that? The styles I like best never seem to be available in the size I need. Is this easier to do with certain types of belts than others?

 

[rilian]

I'm eyeing this one from Cole Haan: http://images.colehaan.com//is/image...id=450&hei=450 http://www.colehaan.com/colehaan/cat...uctGroup=10554 $110 retail. Waiting for a sale.