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

[justinkapur]



That depends on body type and personal style. I think 31mm should be suitable for most people given the thickness of the belts. 38mm is too burly unless you're a really buff guy.

I wear both my 1.25" and 1.5" belt with jeans. Some denim has different size belt loops so that helps me decide.

 

[Equus Leather]



What width should one go for for pairing with jeans?

Turnaround time?

That depends on body type and personal style. I think 31mm should be suitable for most people given the thickness of the belts. 38mm is too burly unless you're a really buff guy.

I wear both my 1.25" and 1.5" belt with jeans. Some denim has different size belt loops so that helps me decide.

Re turnaround, it depends on the style, but say 5 weeks at the moment? We're catching up after the Christmas break.

For width, all of the above is good advice. Maybe the sweet spot is 35mm or 1 3/8" though, Im starting to wear that width more than anything. There arent a huge selection of buckles but the range is growing as time goes by.

Charlie

 

[Equus Leather]



It would go even better, Equus style I'd say with the new 2017 SARX047:

That would look amazing wth Midnight Blue Alligator..

 

[Equus Leather]

Hi Guys,

We've just put a load of Clearance belts on the website, mostly excellent condition that were rejected by QC because we're made to the wrong size or a few with cosmetic marks. We're just about to send a mailshot so they wont hang around ver long, theyre mostly poloar sizes and combinations, lots of Stainless West Ends!

http://www.equusleather.co.uk/clearance/belt-sale.html

In other news, just before Christmas I got some amazing leather from Bakers.

This is the text of a blog post I wrote about it that includes some background for thise who dont know the story. We have the leather live on the website as an option for our wallets, watch straps available soon

Russian Calf or Cuir de Russie

We’ve been lucky enough to secure some rather special leather from one of our favourite and most important tanneries, J &FJ Bakers of Colyton in Devon. Leather has been tanned on the Colyton premises since Roman times, and Bakers are the last oak bark tanners in England, and one of the most famous and significant traditional tanners in the world.

Since the discovery and salvage of the wreck of the Metta Catherina in the Bristol Sound in 1973 there has been a huge amount of interest in Russian leather. The Metta Catterina sunk in a storm in 1786 with a hold full of Russian leather, which was largely in usable condition when salvaged after 200 years on the seabed, a testimony to the remarkable characteristics of the tanning process. The secrets of Russian leather where a closely guarded and where lost without trace in the dark and destructive days of the Russian revolution, but was a major export for the country for centuries and used for book binding, small leather goods, furniture and items for military service. The special tanning process produced leather that was resistant to weather, insects and time and with a famous, distinctive and pleasantly smoky smell of birch bark and as a result was a major source of income to the Russian exchequer. The leather found in the Metta Catherina is generally identified as Reindeer, but records suggest the vast majority of leather exported was in fact calf, as the leather from the wreck may well also be.

Many people have tried to recreate this leather, some claim to have succeeded, but as a company with some experience working with the genuine Metta Catherina leather we can say everything we have seen up to now has varied between awful and just a poor imitation. However, Bakers have spent a number of years, a lot of experiments and close collaboration with Russian speaking historians and French experts on the leather and have come up with a leather that’s so close to the original its in our experience indistinguishable in its looks, feel and smell (a vital part of Russian leather). This shouldn’t be too surprising given their tannery and methods are as close as its possible to imagine to those of pre Revolutionary Russia.

We’re excited to be working with this great leather and we plan to use it as the original was, for wallets, watchstraps and other small leathergoods. We hope they survive as well as the Metta Cattherina leather has!

 

[Riva]

I would've gotten probably 4 belts off that Clearance if I don't already have them. That Shackleton if only 31mm would be exactly the same as the one in the workshop right now. Would've been a nice saving.

 

[zissou]

Really interesting Russian calf, Charlie. Perhaps I need a small wallet from you.

 

[Riva]



Really interesting Russian calf, Charlie. Perhaps I need a small wallet from you.

Hopefully the prices are also more in line with modern leather as this isn't the actual antique batch.

 

[zag73]



That depends on body type and personal style. I think 31mm should be suitable for most people given the thickness of the belts. 38mm is too burly unless you're a really buff guy.

I've got the 38mm belt and it goes perfect with jeans. The narrower a belt is, the more formal it is. The loop holes on trousers and jeans provides the clue. I wouldn't wear a 31mm with jeans.

 

[Riva]

Charlie, I just submitted an order for a laced belt in which the only option is for brass roll buckle. I'd like stainless. It is possible right?

PS: I just realized this makes the 5th belt not yet shipped from Equus. The addiction is too strong

 

[Riva]



I've got the 38mm belt and it goes perfect with jeans. The narrower a belt is, the more formal it is. The loop holes on trousers and jeans provides the clue. I wouldn't wear a 31mm with jeans.

The leather is thicker than normal fashion branded belts so 31mm is still usable in my case with denims. Same concept as small but thick watches vs large but thin (Rolex vs IWC).

 

[Equus Leather]



Really interesting Russian calf, Charlie. Perhaps I need a small wallet from you.

Hopefully the prices are also more in line with modern leather as this isn't the actual antique batch.

Yes, it is. Really interesting stuff and ideally suited to the way that Bakers work. Prices reflect the research thats gone in to it, but there isnt the huge rarity premium there is with the original (which surely must have run out by now! It wasn't that big a boat!). We charge more than a premium but volume calf like Baranil, but less than exotics like Ostrich or Alligator

 

[Concordia]

Are there other shades available? The original is based around chestnut, but runs from light tan to almost black, depending on the kind of abuse it suffered.

Also, FYI, the Duke of Cornwall allowed salvage only if the premiums was kept to a reasonable sum. I do not know what that amounts to at the moment, but it used to be less than 500/pair. New & Lingwood sometimes carry loafers that would provide a more current gauge.

 

[Equus Leather]



Are there other shades available? The original is based around chestnut, but runs from light tan to almost black, depending on the kind of abuse it suffered.

Theres the one official shade, reddy, browny blacky. There arent skins that have the really light (i always though somewhat ugly) yellow the Metta Catherina could have, but I think that was an artefact of the immersion, and I havent seen a hide thats predominantly dark. Overall a reddy brown with black artifacts and scars, really attractive

 

[EKarlsson]

Hi guys

I need to new belts, so I figured I would try Equus (wich to me seems to be top of the line). I do, however, need some help to match the color of my shoes.

I currently own two pairs of dress shoes. One of them is mahogany brown (medium brown with a bit of red). Here’s a picture: http://www.herringshoes.co.uk/herring/chalcombe_derby-shoe/mahogany-calf
Which one of Equus bridle leathers do you think is the closest? Australian nut? Conker? Hazel? (Personally I think the australian nut would be too dark and the hazel to light, so maybe conker?)

The other pair is dark brown (it’s very dark, but in daylight clearly not black). It’s the one called Coimbra: https://www.skoaktiebolaget.se/coll...ts/carlos-santos-patina-service#&gid=1&pid=11
Australian nut? Dark havanna?
Is there any possibility to get samples of the different colors? I don’t really trust my monitor.

Best regards,
EKarlsson

 

[Riva]



Hi guys

I need to new belts, so I figured I would try Equus (wich to me seems to be top of the line). I do, however, need some help to match the color of my shoes.

I currently own two pairs of dress shoes. One of them is mahogany brown (medium brown with a bit of red). Here’s a picture: http://www.herringshoes.co.uk/herring/chalcombe_derby-shoe/mahogany-calf
Which one of Equus bridle leathers do you think is the closest? Australian nut? Conker? Hazel? (Personally I think the australian nut would be too dark and the hazel to light, so maybe conker?)

The other pair is dark brown (it’s very dark, but in daylight clearly not black). It’s the one called Coimbra: https://www.skoaktiebolaget.se/coll...ts/carlos-santos-patina-service#&gid=1&pid=11  
Australian nut? Dark havanna?
Is there any possibility to get samples of the different colors? I don’t really trust my monitor.

Best regards,
EKarlsson

The Herring matches better with Baker Oak Brown.

The Carlos Santos with Sedgewick Australian Nut.