Club Chair Bulletin #13
Belts and welts
What’s he been up to?
The Belt Battle
When one engages with an incremental process of development in any practice, there’ll be a point where one aspect drags behind the others. Currently, when considering “practice” to mean my insatiable clothing search, that aspect is now my belts.
By this point I like to believe that I have a pretty good handle on what to get from where, apart from for belts. I keep going back to the question: “where the hell do you look for decent belts”
Small Favour: If you wouldn’t mind, please share this post, or the club as a whole, with a friend who you think might be interested, it would mean a whole lot. Please also subscribe if you haven’t yet, again, it makes a big difference.
The challenge isn’t finding an exquisite belt, of course one could look to Maximum Henry, Drakes, or SFC, just to name a few. The challenge, unfortunately, is that your trusted club chair is not in a place currently to spend £150+ on a belt, especially since I actually need two, one in black and one in brown.
Belts are an item which seem subject to a lack of midrange. It’s a wider issue in all enthusiast spaces I think, the average consumer becomes increasingly unbothered by quality whilst the enthusiast is obsessed with it, and willing to pay, and thus a chasm opens between the ultra-cheap and the uber-expensive.
So, in short, if anyone happens to have some belt reccs somewhere in the range of £30-£50 please drop them below.
Spying Post-Microtrend Michaels
At some point in the past year, the fashion conscious at large went all in on Moc toes. Clark’s Wallabees and Paraboot Michaels had a moment in the sun.
I love the Michael, it’s a great all weather piece, chunky without actually extending into being a boot, and recognisable. It fills the space of a derby in a manner that feels nicely separate from anything too traditional, and it runs pretty comfortably from city into country.
My first love from Paraboot will perhaps always be the Chambord, but it’s pretty damn hard to fault the Michael, except it’s recent zeitgeistiness.
It seems to me though that we’re perhaps coming out of the other side of that period. I’m seeing a lot of Michaels coming up secondhand for cut prices currently, so if you aren’t bothered by being a little last-year (which you really shouldn’t be), then the next few months could be the time to pick them up for a steal.
Recent Acquisition: Dartmouth Sweatshirt
Eight colleges in the Ivy League, and yet one that seems to be the favourite when the Ivy dresser comes to look for merchandise to style.
I’m not sure what it is about Dartmouth College, I’d posit maybe the appeal of the dark green, or the general reputation for being more rugged and remote.
There is, of course the matter of scarcity, Yale and Harvard branded clothes can be found very easily in Mall/ High Street stores, Priceton’s black and orange aren’t quite as appealing as the white and green of Dartmouth.
That feels like a lot of chat for a £5 sweatshirt that I wear to the gym, and yet this is something I’ve been looking for for some time now, so I’m glad to add it to the wardrobe.
On the Radar
Denim & Supply
Any effort to produce a comprehensive list of Ralph Lauren diffusion brands seems to omit at least one.
As of late I’ve been coming across increasing amounts of Denim & Supply, the short-lived Ralph diffusion brand from the early 2010s. It falls into the camp alongside Rugby of lines meant to appeal to a younger audience who, at the time, had pretty much abandoned the classic American Prep that Polo had profitably provided for past decades.
Denim & Supply can be pretty hit or miss, design wise, just given the time period in which they were made, but there are certainly some gems to be found. Cues were taken from the RRL playbook here, just delivered at a lower commitment to quality. That said, the quality here is still probably going to beat out other mall brand pieces from a similar period.
You’ll probably want to give the jeans a miss, but there’s a really nice selection of western shirts knocking about for very cheap. Ripstop puffer jackets, embroidered field coats, studded denim shirts and real-tree camo. In a way, a lot of it feels quite ahead of its time.
It’s not RRL, but it’s also not a million miles away, if you’re a fan of Ralph’s more cowboyish sensibilities, then it’s worth checking out.
Sanders x Burrows and Hare Aldwych Loafers
Another addition to the list of beef roll loafers that aren’t Weejuns. These are a interesting take, with a far less exaggerated moc toe and a chunky welted sole.
The result is a shoe that is both sleek and rugged at the same time, really nicely done. I’d put these in the same camp as something like the Solovair penny loafer, an all weather loafer with more visual weight, but with the presence of the beefroll they enjoy just a bit more Ivy flair.
I’ve gotten belts from Berg&Berg, Natalino, and Velasca Milano at ~$60 on sale.
Tory Leather makes great belts, the 1” is especially good with the spur buckle