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

[Equus Leather]

The Kensington Bridle Leather Belt has £10 off this Holiday weekend. Price now starting at £46 ex VAT, available in 1 1/4" x 1 1/2" widths, ten Sedgwick colours and three finishes (Polished, Satin and Palladium Plated.

 

[Equus Leather]

Hi All,

Couple of development photos for you.

No 1 - one of some new buckles we're working on for the summer

More photos in due course as we get the new collection together! We've been focusing on developing a sharper, square edged contemporary look for the new additions

We've also started stocking some of the Saphir range of products. People often ask is the Saphir stuff is OK to use with our belts, to which we havent had a good answer historically as we hadnt tested it. We've found a source and have tested their saddle soap, neetsfoot oil and Renovateur all of which seem really good and fill different care niches really nicely. The Renovateur in particular does a great job of restoring the shine to the Sedgwick and Bakers belts, we're really impressed by it.

The Saphir and our the rest our leather care range is here

Charlie

 

[aussiejake]

Any plans for calfskin dress belts for the future? At a decent price (to fill a market gap), you'd be onto a winner.

 

[aspasp]

what's the best belt to match the allen edmond strands in walnut?

 

[Equus Leather]



Any plans for calfskin dress belts for the future? At a decent price (to fill a market gap), you'd be onto a winner.

Yup, they are starting to appear on the website in a small way as we develop the design and source leather. Remember we hand stitch literally everything we make, from key fob to lined belt, so we arent aiming to make them cheap. There are a lot more expensive suitbelts out there made less well though

Charlie

 

[Equus Leather]



what's the best belt to match the allen edmond strands in walnut?

There seems a lot of variance in AE Walnut photos about the interenet. Given they seem to have some orange in them Id say maybe our Hazel? Very happy to send samples if it would help? We offer a free sample service to anywhere in the world (including shipping) on the website

HTH

Charlie

 

[OzzyJones]



There seems a lot of variance in AE Walnut photos about the interenet. Given they seem to have some orange in them Id say maybe our Hazel? Very happy to send samples if it would help? We offer a free sample service to anywhere in the world (including shipping) on the website

HTH

Charlie

Was gonna suggest the Baker's Oak brown. The variegation in shades on that means it would complement about any shade the walnut come in without being too matchy

 

[Equus Leather]



Was gonna suggest the Baker's Oak brown. The variegation in shades on that means it would complement about any shade the walnut come in without being too matchy

Yup, its a great leather as long as you understand its variable in colour - I just hesitate to recommend it when people are looking to match shoes unless they're looking to match more on character than specific colour because it does vary. It would certainly be my own choice, particularily given burnished toecaps

Charlie

 

[OzzyJones]

I don't need it to match exactly so find it versatile for more than one shoe colour. Think it'll work with my incoming whiskey shell too!

 

[Equus Leather]



I don't need it to match exactly so find it versatile for more than one shoe colour. Think it'll work with my incoming whiskey shell too!

Its rather lovely. Ive always though belt and shoes that are lovely in their own right and in the same colour family is better than trying to get a perfect match, I know not everyone agrees though...

http://www.equusleather.co.uk/belts...lts/oak-brown-bakers-bridle-leather-belt.html

 

[OzzyJones]

Think I like it more than my Scott! Need to get a 1.5" made for jeans.

 

[Equus Leather]



Think I like it more than my Scott! Need to get a 1.5" made for jeans.

Im the opposite, I love my Scotts, I have a rotation of 3, 1 work belt in 1 1/2" I wear every day (literally - I love it) and a 1 1/2 and 1 1/4" for casual wear and with tweed. I love it, its tremendous leather in my probably biased opinion.

Those who like the Oak Brown should take a look at Bakers London Tan as well. Its made in very much the same way as the Oak Brown, same oak bark tanned hides used for it and the same finishing process so a close cousin but in a different shade. It'll mature to a rich mid brown and goes a lovely rich reddy brown colour if you oil it. Definitely one of the belts in our designed for patination category!

http://www.equusleather.co.uk/belts...ndon-tan-bakers-bridle-leather-belt-html.html

Charlie

 

[jssdc]



Any plans for calfskin dress belts for the future? At a decent price (to fill a market gap), you'd be onto a winner.

What's the benefit of calf vs bridle leather?

 

[patrick_b]

The Scott is my favorite of my small bunch as well. I went with 1 3/8" so it straddles the casual/business casual line pretty well for me. After the Scott, my burgundy west end w/brass buckle in 1 3/8" gets the most use followed by the 1.25" Aus Nut/stainless. The Russet Bakers sees the least wear but is the go to for weekends w/denim. I wore it so much more before acquiring the Scott. The Scott is so versatile and I love how the Bakers leather shows wear and age. It reminds me of shell cordovan shoes in that respect. It continues to look better as it ages. Conversely, the Sedgewick bridle leather looks as perfect today as the day it arrived in the mail over a year ago.

 

[Equus Leather]



What's the benefit of calf vs bridle leather?

It depends on lots of things really, mostly what you want from a belt.

Calf is soft and has a buttery feel. Its thin and flexible so it can only be used for double layer belts, but in that construction it makes thin, soft formal belts. Its a look thats been popularised by the big fashion houses to the degree that a lot of people when thinking of a formal belt are thinking of a stitched calf belt. On the downside calf isnt as robust as bridle - you definitley wont get multi decade wear from one, even ours, and they can be much more expensive because they have to be fully stitched - all our work is entirely hand stitched.

The bridle leather we use is from J &E Sedgwick here in the UK who are widely seem as the best producer in the world. The leather is smooth, firm and dense. It'll last for decades if you look after it, is smooth and smart to look at but is strong enough to be used as a single layer for a belt, so we can make a hand stitched belt for starting at about £60. The downsides compared with calf is bridle isn't as soft or as flexible. If you want a double layer fully hand stitched bridle belt we're one of the few firms in the world who can make you one, and they are very much one of our signature pieces but are around 5 1/2mm thick so some would say more for tweed than pin stripe. A single layer of bridle is more or less the same thickness as a double layer of calf though (give or take) so a single layer bridle leather belt, which is very much our biggest seller, is fine for 99 occasions out of 100 and lots of people all over the world wear them with suits as well as more casual stuff .

As to which is better - bridle leather is undoubtedly the most versatile and the best value for money. If calf is your thing though thats fine, we make that too Its horses for courses and down to your own taste really

Very happy to send samples so you can see first hand - a sample saves many words!

Charlie