Merona Reversible Dress Belt – $19.99
Not available online. Head in store and be prepared to fish through racks of other belts to find it.
Like inexpensive shoes, over-embellishments and style dealbreakers run rampant in the cheap dress belt market. Less is more, and for whatever reason, it’s hard to find an inexpensive dress belt that isn’t “too” something. Y’know, the buckle is too big, the metal is too flashy, it’s got some weird texture in there, etc… It’s strangely difficult to find one belt with these three characteristics:
- It’s inexpensive
- The buckle is matte/brushed instead of chrome
- The buckle isn’t oversized or elongated
Hard to believe that Target is the home of a just-about-perfect option.
The Good: This particular model from their Merona line has a perfect buckle. The size is just right, the brushed silver metal knocks the shine down, and the slightly rounded edges give it more of an elegant look (though a standard squared off dress belt buckle is obviously just fine). It’s reversible, with a hugely versatile medium/leaning dark brown shade on the grained flip side. It feels decently well made, and the belt itself doesn’t look like plastic… even though it is.
The Not So Good: Yep, it’s pleather (or, if you wanna spin it, it’s vegan friendly), but it actually feels nice and supple. They stamped “MAN MADE MATERIALS” on the brown side, and it’ll be visible if you’re using the last hole on the belt. And speaking of those holes, these things are made in Small, Medium, Large, etc… instead of exact sizes. Which is odd, and the size ranges are pretty big. A medium fits 32-36 waists, so sizing might be an issue with either too little or too much belt left over for some.
It’s not perfect, but it’s a rare, simple looking find in the ocean of gaudy cheap dress belts. Perfect price, and most of its flaws will be hidden if you’re usually in a blazer or suit jacket.
Anyone else think the belt is too thin for those belt loops?
Not at all, I think that a thin dress belt is typically better than a wide one.
Update: The link isn’t working?
It looks fine to me but I personally would preferred it to be a tiiiiiny bit wider.
A fuller belt would not rides up and down the loops as much and therefore looks even around the whole waist.
I’ve always had issues with reversible belts mechanical pieces breaking. I keep one in my office just in case I forget to belt up, but wouldn’t wear one regularly.
Nerp, it works.
If you have a Coach Outlet near you men’s belts usually run about $30.
http://dappered.com/2012/10/has-fit-and-style-critique-gone-too-far/
For what it’s worth, it’s not even on a human being. Pants are from target as well, and purchased just to give the belt a backdrop up against our new mannequin ichabod (turns out his waist isn’t the same size as mine.)
Doesn’t look like it’s on Target.com for now. Was yesterday. But you couldn’t buy it from their site (one of them in-store only items). Was provided just for reference.
for $29.99 you can get a tumi belt at Century 21. Solid leather strap.
It’s good to know that this option exists in case I’m on the road and forgot to pack a belt or my current belt breaks, or whatever situation may come up. For regular use, I’m going to stick with hunting at Ross or Marshall’s. My current go-to belt is a Levi’s reversible bonded leather belt I picked up at a Ross for $10 that’s fairly similar to the Merona belt.
I have to fundamentally disagree with you on this one, Joe.
You wear a belt more often than probably any other single item of clothing in your wardrobe.
I agree with DucatiSteve’s comment about Coach Outlet. I bought four belts about 10 years ago (yes, 10 years ago) – two black (one gold and one silver buckle) and two brown. They still look fantastic.
Save money on shirts, etc, but invest in a decent belt (or belts). They’ll last you a long time.
Even if you can’t get them on sale (and what’s not on sale thesedays?), the old adage still applies: the pain of a high price will be long forgotten with the years of use you’ll get out of it.
Try yoox.com, nordstrom during its sale, bluefly.com, lastcall.com, even ebay.
And never, ever, ever get a pleather belt (or we’re not getting back together). It’ll wear out in no time.
Sorry Joe, Most of the time I’m in your camp…but it’s pleather man…PLEATHER!
Gotta agree with TallEnglishman and Dru. Me no like pleather. I’d rather go to Goodwill (where I got my daily wearer belt with a brass roll buckle and a English bridle leather which has a beautiful patina).
For twenty? Feels pretty solid. Actually, feels pretty solid for $30 or more. I knew it wasn’t going to be the most popular thing (since the idea of pleather causes many to recoil) but I think in some instances, pleather might outlast poorly bonded leather. And not everyone has access to a coach outlet. The buckle on this thing is perfect too.
Thanks for the extra suggestions though. Just wanted to offer this one up to guys who have specific tastes in buckles and not a lot of cash.
VEGAN FRIENDLY
I have to agree that the buckle looks perfect, but I just can’t agree with the pleather.
You can’t have perfect posts every day!
As a vegetarian, it’s nice to have a good option.
why would you need to buy six dress belts at once?
Who eats *belts*?
I third the Costco leather belts. They are full-grain, and look and feel really nice in-person. The black version is dressy while the brown is a little more casual. I’d have bought one myself but I only look at belts with removeable buckles these days.
I’ve had reversible dress belt from Merona for about six years now and it looks good as new, so I’ll vouch for this one.
I just picked up one of the ubiquitous Amish handmade leather belts on Ebay. You can get one for twenty something bucks and it’s real, heavy duty leather that will last a lifetime.
I can probably guess the answer… but is a braided leather belt ever acceptable? I find them affordable (less than $20 at Kohls with a coupon) and infinitely adjustable and go nicely with both jeans or dress pants.
I’ve always worn cheap, bonded leather, reversible dress belts and I can say that they all have been terrible. With near-daily wearing, they only last a couple years each, and even in that time, with switching between black and brown, the leather starts to get weird and unbond. They just don’t hold up.
I also have a plain brown, full leather belt as my casual/jeans belt that I’ve been wearing regularly for 10 years now, and aside from some scuffing and wear around the 2 holes that I’ve ever used on it, it looks and feels as good as new. At this point, I’m ready to buy a better quality, full grain leather dress belt as well. It definitely pays in the long run.
Looks like a fine belt to me. Leather quality can only really matter to the wearer, remember, so while I get (and agree with, on some level) the anti pleather stance, that’s very much a “heaven forbid I wear INFERIOR MATERIALS” stance. I have the same feeling about sweaters with a lot of acrylic. not a whole lot of rational said. All that being said, some uniqlo’s belts (which run 20, sometimes on a sale) are fantastic, and look 5x the price while being all leather
A plastic belt at any price is not a value.
Go to your local leather store and have them make you a belt. Bring an old one if you like the buckle and they’ll remake it. Made in the USA too.
Try Outback Leather, Laurel, MD.
Cannot wear with a suit unfortunately
Bonded leather is not good. Never lasts. Also, cut one in half and you’ll find the core is cardboard.
This kind of belt is a disposable item. It’s going to wear out pretty quickly and will need to be thrown away. I think investing more in a quality leather belt that will last is ethically better as well as being more satisfying and, perhaps, a better use of scare resources (on both the retail and wholesale level).