Anatomy of a Budget Dress Belt

Strait City Trading Company offers a line of inexpensive dress belts, many for $6.00 and most for less than $10. On the other hand, click over to coach.com and take a look at their dress belts. The cheapest one there today (6/3/06) costs $58.00. Strait City Belts come stamped "genuine leather", so what could account for the fact that Coach belts cost 10 times more?

Strait City Trading belt: three layers, surface, core and backing

Coach belt: two leather layers, surface and backing

Thicker Hide Costs More

An expensive leather belt starts with a long strip of thick unblemished hide. The Coach belt pictured here consists of two leather strips stitched together. The images are taken of the end of the belt where the compostion may be seen.

How can manufacturers provide you a belt for $6.00? They use thinner hide. Look at the Strait City Trading belt end. This belt has 3 layers. A surface layer and a backing layer, just like the Coach belt. The difference is that the layers are much thinner, and, to give the belt a comfortable "feel" a core layer is added between the surface and backing.

The World of Synthetics

In some cases the surface layer on Strait City belts is a simple thin layer of hide. In other cases the layer consists of a synthetic material containing at least 51% leather fiber. The former give a more natural look but is somewhat delicate; the latter is often used for embossed surfaces and tends to wear better, just like leather is no longer used for soles of most practical shoes.

The Value of a Brand Name

Buying a brand-name article presents the consumer with a dilemma. A good brand can represent quality. But in business a brand commands a premium price, so the question of value is an entirely different matter. Coach belts are great, but directly imported, independently distributed belts like those at Strait City Trading can be a good value.

Time is Money

Quality leather can stand a fair amount of abuse and still look good. Just think of a leather flight jacket or even the popular "distressed" look today. A budget leather belt, because of the thin surface layer requires more care. Take time not to subject the leather to anything that might tear it; be careful not to scrape the belt against the buckle when fastening; and you can realize the value of a nice looking belt for a low price for a good long while.