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While Hermes ties are known for their vibrant colors and printed patterns, the Hermes belt is even a bluff statement because of the boastfully “ H ” buckle. It is an instantaneously recognizable product with retail prices of $ 800 and more – it has become a very popular status symbol. But is it worth the price tag ?
In the world of luxury brands, Hermès is surely an iconic one, with prices to match. For men, they ’ re celebrated for their neckties, which can be seen on Wall Street bankers and russian Oligarchs alike. In this episode of our ongoing follow-up series Is It Worth It ?, we examine the Hermes “ H ” knock and see if it ’ sulfur worth your hard-earned money. If you Google the term Hermes belt, one of the beginning questions that will pop up is, “ Are Hermes belts brassy ? ” so nowadays, we ’ ll spirit at not alone at the timbre of materials and the craft, but besides how it can be incorporated stylistically into an outfit–and we ’ ll hash out if it ’ mho tacky or not. ( By the manner, it ’ second pronounce ehr-MEZ, not HER-mees, Her-MIS, or anything else. )
A Brief History of Hermès
Hermes was founded in 1837 by the German-born Thierry Hermes. At inaugural, he was a godhead of harnesses and bridles for the carriage trade. That besides explains why Hermes has had a passenger car in their logo since 1950. Over the years the ship’s company became well known for their saddles, with customers including russian czars. In 1880, the family moved the Hermes workshop to the world-famous 24 Rue uracil Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris. If you want to, you can visit the shop there today. You can flush find slide fastener jackets barely like the ones they first base introduced in the 1900s. In fact, they made a golf crown for Edward, the Prince of Wales at the clock, and it was a complete bangle .
In 1880, the family moved the shop to 24 Rue u Faubourg Saint-Honoré In the foremost half of the twentieth hundred, Hermes had a big align of clothing, accessories, watches, handbags, ( including the celebrated Kelly and Birkin bag styles ) and fragrances. Despite those batting order extensions, by 1970, Hermes ’ popularity was declining, and many attributed to the fact that they still heavily relied on natural materials. The refuse continued slowly until 1978, when fifth-generation Jean-Louis Dumas took over as artistic director and president. Under his watch, the caller focused heavily on leather goods, equally well as silk products .
always since then, Hermes hasn ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate equitable increased their sales, but besides established their stigmatize as the drawing card in luxury. today, it ’ sulfur considered to be the 33rd most valuable stigmatize in the earth. In 2019, about 30 % of those sales came from leather goods ; among them, the celebrated Hermes H belt. So is it worth it ? Read on to find out .
Hermes introduced a wide array of products before focusing on leather and silk products in 1978
A Closer Look At The Hermès “H” Belt: Price
First of all, we have to look at the price. On their web site, you have to spend $ 790 at a minimal to get the belt, but you can easily spend up to several thousand dollars depending on the leather that you ’ ll choose. interestingly, you can only buy a warp and a belt together, but when I purchased it online, the order ratification broke out the buckles and the belts individually. The buckles are priced at $ 355 ; the belts ( or “ straps ” as they call them ) started at $ 425 and I got some others for $ 455 .
tied though that might seem like a batch, compared to the genuine crocodile strap $ 4,900, these about seem bum ! For this review, I bought three classical H belts in different leather color combinations, in the size 95, 100, and 105 ( which stands for centimeters ). If you want to get the size in inches, barely divide these numbers by 2.54 .
The buckles are priced at $355; the belts start at $425. Size-wise, I suggest you measure around your waist ; when I did that I came up with unlike measurements, because the torso is flexible, and so I decided to get three sizes. I ’ megabyte gladiolus I did because the only belt that fit was the smallest one. If I hadn ’ thymine done that, I credibly would ’ ve ended up with a 100-centimeter belt, which would ’ ve been excessively large. Of course, if you ’ re at the shop you can figure out the good sizing right then and there .
One thing I in truth like about the Hermes merchandise is that it ’ s a modular belt system. In other words, the buckles work with unlike belts ( a hanker as you get the belts in one width ). here, I bought a belt in a 32mm width ( about 1.25 inches ), but they besides have 38mm width ( about 1.5 inches ). On top of that, the belts are reversible, meaning with 3 buckles and 3 reversible belts, I should be able to get 18 different combinations. unfortunately, one discolor is black twice, so that reduces it to about 15 different combinations. even not bad !
Measure around your waist and get the size that is closest. Raphael chose the smallest because the other ones would be too big for him.
A Note on Modular Belt Systems
even though the monetary value of a modular belt system is generally higher, you ’ ll very get a set more flexibility. If you think about the cost-per-buckle-and-belt-combination, it ’ s a fortune less than regular belts. This is the primary reason why I designed the Fort Belvedere belt system to be modular, so you can mix different colored belts with different buckles and get the spirit you want ; that ’ s particularly handy when you travel. so, quite than traveling with five to six different belts, you can maybe merely bring 2 straps which are reversible and 2 buckles, and you should be all set .
Configurations & Materials
In terms of configurations, you have many possible options. There are lots of different belts, colors, and leather textures, and you ’ ll find all kinds of H buckles in colors such as gold and silver. Example buckle styles include the Constance buckle ( which has a serif just on the outdoor ) or the classic H warp ( which has a serif on the away and inside of the vertical H strokes ) .
Buckle Metals
In terms of alloy, Hermes doesn ’ metric ton contribution a bunch of information on their web site ; most listings say that the buckles are “ permabrass. ” To me, it looks like a brass buckle that is then goldplate or platinum-plated which is precisely what we do at Fort Belvedere deoxyadenosine monophosphate good, because it ’ s a great combination of solid materials that will senesce well ( depending on the thickness of the plat ). That being said, I find it quite disappointing that a knock that sells for therefore much money doesn ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate tell me what the materials are actually made of beyond good “ calf leather ” or “ crocodile leather. ” For a product in this category, I ’ five hundred truly expect more information .
Hermes doesn’t share a lot of information in terms of metal on their website; the most a listing say is that it’s a permabrass evening though you can ’ t find them on their web site today, Hermes used to sell hearty 18-karat or 750 amber buckles ; you can still find them sometimes on places like 1stdibs, but expect to pay more than $ 20,000 for just a heave without the belt. not many people know about this, and I have a acquaintance who years ago bought an Hermes H belt on eBay that was equitable advertised as a “ ash grey heave with a belt. ” When it arrived it was actually the 750 18-karat white amber heave, and he was able to sell it for several thousand dollars and made a good profit !
You can still find vintage gold buckles online, but expect to pay more than $20,000 for just a buckle without the belt.
Leather
In terms of leather, Hermes typically uses differently textured leather and different colors on the front and the rear of the knock. In general, they appear to be chrome-tanned. All of the leathers I ’ ve seen from Hermes are of outstanding, ace quality. This includes the unique textures added to the belts, and it seems to me that the argue they do this is to make it much more unmanageable for people to fake the belt ( because as an expensive status symbol, H belts from Hermes are frequently faked ) .
The leather has a firm affect, and it decidedly appears to be pigmented and coated to get that claim texture that they want. In terms of unfitness, I would say it ’ randomness between a average awkwardness and piano. For belts, I typically prefer a slightly stiffer leather, because over clock it will soften up automatically, and if it was excessively soft to begin with, it would good get out of determine preferably promptly .
Hermes’ belt leather has a firm touch close examining a belt ’ randomness holes, you can see if the leather was semi-aniline or aniline-dyed. For exemplar, the cognac brown leather is aniline-dyed all the manner through. The black leather, on the early handwriting, has a white leather colored bottom and a colored black coat on top. On their red and medium brown combination belt, both of them are aniline-dyed but then have a pigment coated lead. The key signature orange Hermes belt has leather that is aniline-dyed with a top coat of semblance, and the black leather is, again, white on the bottom and just black on top .
While it seems that the belts are relatively thin and that they just consist of two layers of leather, looking through the holes, you can tell that there is a third base line leather in the middle. As their belts are reversible, having a texture is actually a good mind, because the leather on the inside will always be creased. If you have a pre-embossed blueprint, it will crease along those lines and it won ’ thymine age as cursorily .
The black leather has a white leather colored underside and a dark black coating on top.
Hermès Belt Construction & Workmanship
In terms of construction, the Hermes belts are crafted with a high quality of contingent and preciseness. For example, the stitch concentration is very consistent ; it ends properly in the corners and the distance to the edge is always the lapp. Unlike their watch straps, these belts are sewn by machine. If you Google for Hermes watch straps, you ’ ll find tons of video showing you how they are sewn by hand. For the belts, they ’ re all machine-made, and not made by hired hand .
traditionally, a hand-made belt would be welted by a saddle sew ( the lapp sew used on the sole of a request shoe ), using one screw thread with needles at both ends. On the other handwriting, with a machine, you actually have two threads. While they ’ re technically not quite as stable, modern machine engineering has advanced a set and it ’ s a full stable seam or welt. Of path, a belt is besides longer than a watch strap or a shoe sole, and because of that, the thread would have to be in truth long, and making it by hand would be quite catchy .
Traditionally, a hand-made belt would be welted by a saddle stitch which is the exact same stitch that you use when you sew on. That being said, 99 % of belts today are machine-stitched, and not hand-stitched. At the lapp time, with a price tag of $ 790 – $ 825 and up, you can decidedly get a saddle-stitched, hand-welted belt. In general, the craft and the craft of Hermes products are all very clean ; the holes are precisely in the center, and they ’ re spaced apart with the claim same distance. The edges of the knock are cut and then burnished, which is a process of using a hot iron and wax and rolling on it multiple times until the border has a politic finish that looks pleasant to the center. This is the way most belts are finished .
The holes on Hermes’ belts are exactly in the center. They’re spaced apart with the exact same distance.
A Note on Skiving
A higher-end way to finish off edges is to start with a wider assemble of leather and thin down the edges of the inside ( besides known as skive ), and then fold over the edges and sew everything together. That means the top and bottom edge of your knock actually has full outside leather and no cut edge that ’ randomness visible. In my opinion, that doesn ’ thymine just look courteous, but it is besides a higher level of craft which takes more time, more materials, and is typically more expensive–and that ’ s the rationality we do that with our Fort Belvedere belts .
A skived and sewn edge is a hallmark of a higher-quality belt. Unlike the paints and the wax used during buff, which may come off with a distribute of movement over the path of a few years, the edges on our leather belts will always remain intact because they are in fact, leather and not just wax and paint.
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Belt Sizing
In terms of size, each swath has one hole at one end and three at the other, so you can adjust your knock a little bit. sometimes people besides punch in excess holes, but bear in mind that people may think that it ’ s a forge if always you try to sell it again. You can get the belts in 9 sizes ( in 5cm increments ), 80 centimeters to 120 centimeters. This covers shank sizes to 31 ” to 48 ”. As mentioned earlier, I chose the middle size but in fact, only the humble size fits. When in doubt, I constantly size a number down. The way you ’ re supposed to measure is to take the distance around your waist where you wear the belt ; if it says 100, then you would be a size 100 ( or in my case, 95 ). Keep in judgment that I ’ megabyte already on the tightest alteration hole, so I couldn ’ t make it any close .
You can get the belts in 9 sizes in 5cm increments, 80 centimeters to 120 centimeters.
Belt Manufacturing & Packaging
Unlike with early manufacturers which frequently outsource production, Hermes produces all their leather goods in France, which is a relatively high-cost state. If they own manufacturing facilities, that keeps high manufacture standards .
In terms of promotion, there ’ s no doubt that Hermes provides a premium have. Their signature orange boxes have finely framed edges in dark brown–not black, because total darkness is much what fake boxes will use. The logos are all neat, inside you have neatly folded white tissue newspaper without any Hermes logo, and you ’ ll find two little cotton bags, one for your buckle and one for your belt out. Of course, the orthogonal orange box arrives with the signature brown Hermes ribbon. As a give, these make a beautiful instruction long before you open the corner .
Hermes provides a premium experience in terms of packaging. You noticed we ’ ve talked quite a bite about the leather ; this is because we could judge its choice from the greater come of information provided. meanwhile, there actually international relations and security network ’ t any information on their web site about the buckles. Like I said, I think they ’ rhenium boldness, and they ’ re nicely made. There are no pugnacious edges and they are beautifully polished. The translation with a front that has a brushed look besides has polished edges, and the backs of their buckles constantly have a sort of flat finish which is identical reproducible. This shows they have care to detail .
An example of the “H” buckle in a gold finish.
Hermès vs. Other Belt Systems
If we compare just the price, Hermes is always a lot more expensive. For example, from Duret Paris you can get a request knock for $ 1,400, which is hand-stitched ; you can have folded edges, you can have anything you want. The same belt at Hermes costs $ 4900. Of course, Duret is Duret and Hermes is Hermes, therefore if the status symbol is crucial to you, then a little manufacturer or a craftsman can ’ metric ton give you that. That being said, the custom belt comes in one size, and while you may be able to make it reversible, it doesn ’ t have the unharmed system that Hermes offers you .
You can get a bespoke belt from Duret Paris for $1,400, considerably less expensive than Hermes If you want to have more of an apples-to-apples comparison in terms of belt systems, possibly you could look at one from Fort Belvedere, or there ’ s besides Montblanc ; you can get high-quality calf belts, high-quality buckles that are interchangeable and sometimes reversible. The belts from Montblanc and Fort Belvedere are besides stitched by machine. The Montblanc belts have a cut-and-burnished edge which is less expensive to produce, while the Fort Belvedere belts have a folded border which is more expensive but besides more beautiful and durable .
obviously, you don ’ thyroxine get the H heave with either the Montblanc or the Fort Belvedere belt system, but you get other authoritative buckles that are very attractive. I have no estimate where Montblanc sources their leather, but it seems to be of high timbre. At Fort Belvedere, we source our leather from the same tannery as Hermes does for their belts .
Montblanc‘s belts are burnished and have a cut edge The three calf leather belts I bought from Hermes cost $ 2,440 which is about $ 813.33 per belt. At Fort Belvedere, if you buy one belt out and one heave together it costs $ 240 ; if you buy 3 of them their costs go down to $ 210 per knock with a buckle. That ’ s a huge monetary value dispute of 70 % ! If you take into consideration the bulk discounts, it ’ second even a 75 % discount for the Fort Belvedere system .
Yes, even at Fort Belvedere you get a nice giving promotion but obviously, Fort Belvedere doesn ’ triiodothyronine have the cachet of Hermes. At the Gentleman ’ randomness Gazette and Fort Belvedere, we ’ re all about high-quality products and a high level of craft. We ’ ra not condition symbols ; we just make products for people who value well stuff and if that ’ s what you want, you ’ ll get a phenomenal price. If you want a condition symbol from a celebrated brand, in very recognizable promotion, then Hermes is decidedly the way to go–but be prepared to pay a draw of money for that .
Are Hermès Belts Overpriced?
In a word : yes, I think they are. But at the same time, when you buy their stuff, you end up with a quality product and not good garbage like with other brands ( the regretful state of the Louis Vuitton duffel bag bags come to mind ). If you look at it more from a numbers position : for $ 800 you can get a beautiful customs belt made with all the bells and whistles with high timbre, but it ’ s not a modular organization .
If you want to remain at approximately the lapp degree of choice in terms of leather and craft and the flexibility of a modular belt system, then rationally, going with a Fort Belvedere belt will be a lot less expensive. even a Montblanc system would be a bunch less expensive flush though it ’ s a draw more recognizable of a trade name. Of course, some people fair enjoy wearing choice products and they don ’ thyroxine wish to advertise any particular stigmatize. This is why at Fort Belvedere, we don ’ t have logos in visible positions on our belts, because that would be tacky .
For $800, you can get a beautiful custom belt made–but it’s not a modular system.
How Do Hermès “H” Buckles Make You Look?
When you wear a boldly colored belt with an H buckle from Hermes, you signal to others that you want to make a bold statement, that you are full-bodied, and that you can afford to buy this thing which is the definition of a condition symbol. The problem is, literally and figuratively, it makes you the center of care in a kind of exhibitionist way. indeed, even if you assemble an otherwise absolutely elegant or dapper-looking kit, the belt will overshadow anything and it will precisely say, “ I ’ m rich people. I can afford this. I have the Hermes condition. I am a VIP, ” And that ’ s assuming people aren ’ metric ton barely thinking you as a douchebag or a exhibitionist .
Even if you assemble an otherwise perfectly elegant or dapper-looking outfit, the belt will overshadow everything. besides, they ’ ra quite noticeable, brassy, and reflective, and they actually draw the other person ’ mho look down towards the fork area and off from your face. however, you obviously want people to look into your eyes and not down there. By the way, that ’ south besides the lapp argue why you shouldn ’ metric ton wear ties that are excessively hanker, because they have that lapp impression. personally, an Hermes belt feels like a huge waste of personal style, I ’ d rather be recognized for my sense of dash or my liquid body substance than the fact that I can afford expensive items. After all, I could find other items of the lapp choice for a batch less .
A Word on Counterfeit Hermès Belts
It ’ s technically not that difficult to fake a knock and warp, even though Hermes does a bang-up job of paying care to detail. From afar, a juke $ 40 Hermes belt looks reasonably a lot like the original, but some people may think of you as person who wears fakes and is trying to impress them. Because of the senior high school risk of fake products on the market, we recommend you only buy from an authoritative Hermes dealer, or at least a dealer who specializes in those kinds of products and has a repute to lose if they sell you something fake. besides, keep in mind that the belts and the buckles are separate, so you might wind up with an authentic buckle and a imposter strap, or frailty versa .
Only buy from an authorized Hermes dealer!
How Can You Spot A Fake Hermès Belt?
1. Leather
First of all, a genuine Hermes belt out is always made out of two different leathers, with a color and a texture on the front side and the buttocks, and it is lined with a third gear leather which you can see when you look at the holes .
2. Stitch Work
Those leather pieces are neatly stitched together by machines, the stitches are at the ends, the stitch density is the same, and it doesn ’ t vary between the edges. They may have tone-in-tone or line sew, sometimes varying between sides .
Pay attention to the leather and the stitch work.
3. Texture
Hermes belts feature a nice distinct texture on their leathers ; if that ’ mho miss, if it ’ south just two-dimensional, it ’ s likely a fudge. To learn more about different leathers and the textures that Hermes uses, check out their web site or even better, go to their store .
4. Hole Measurements
As mentioned before you ’ ll have one hole on one side and three on the other, 5 centimeters ( about two inches ) apart. If there are more holes, whether they ’ re all the lapp or they ’ re slightly crooked, it ’ mho decidedly a juke .
Pay attention to the texture and hole measurements.
5. Buckle & Belt Details
While fake buckles may look precisely like the master, if you turn them around and look at the texture in the back, all Hermes buckles have a powder-coated, fluent, flat finish. It ’ s not brushed like stainless steel, but consistent and consistent. besides on the back of the heave, you ’ ll find one coil and one fall that goes through both holes of the knock. On the buttocks of the heave in the by, you ’ five hundred find a little Hermes print, embossing, or sometimes a little symbol next to it. On the more advanced buckles, you ’ ll find a -Hermes- sign laser-engraved identical finely onto the buckle, vitamin a well as alphanumeric codes and Made in France in the back .
The reverse of a modern Hermes buckle. On the strap itself, on one end, you should find a neatly embossed HERMÈS on one line, then PARIS, then MADE IN FRANCE. You will besides find the size embossed ( in my shell 105, 100, or 95 ), followed by a letter. C stands for manufacturing date or class. Newer belts besides have an alphanumeric code that indicates what type of leather was used. For case, looking at these 3 belts, it seems like F denotes black leather. Fakes frequently get the baptismal font, size, or letter case wrong, so constantly look identical close at how it ’ mho written. If it ’ s not bang-up, then chances are, it ’ s not from Hermes.
The detailed embossing on the leather strap of an Hermes belt.
Conclusion: Is The Hermès “H” Belt Worth It?
I ’ five hundred say yes, but only for a person who is concern in a condition symbol that shows they can afford a very expensive merchandise. You besides have to be open to spending $ 800 on a belt, and the alone adept thing about that is you can sell them in a secondary coil market for relatively eminent prices if you can convince people that it is in fact, the real product. indeed, keep your acknowledge and that would make life a lot easier !
Is the Hermes “H” Belt worth it? We say yes, only for a person who is interested in a status symbol that shows they can afford a very expensive product. again, if you ’ rhenium interest in buying it, buy directly from Hermes–or if you care for a modular knock system of high-quality leather material, I offer you to take a count at our Fort Belvedere system. We ’ ll add more buckles and leathers on an ongoing footing, so finally, you ’ ll have a sincerely full-bodied system that might be comparable to what you get at Hermes. Of course, never with the lapp cachet, but on a craft level and quality level, you ’ ll decidedly get something that is worth its money .
