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Step 1: choosing the buckle

1.1 Technical details

Buckles in Aquila Fashions’ buckles collection are organised into the following order:

• buckle colour
• buckle type, ie basic buckle or business buckle
• buckle width

1.2 Tips for choosing the buckle

• buckle colour
• Dichotomy between business belts and fashion belts is important.
• Nickel, old nickel, gunmetal colours: neutral colours often used in business wear.
• Gold colour: symbol of power and status if used in business belts context. Otherwise, it is a fashion belts’ colour.
• All other colours: use is unacceptable with business belts, hence is used almost exclusively with fashion belts.

• two buckle types, basic and business:

Photos here

• The basic and business buckle is starkly different both aesthetically and functionally.

• buckle width
• only 30mm and 35mm buckles acceptable for business belts
• buckle width translates into buckle size. It is important to understand the buckle size as a proportion to the customer’s body size. Eg, a slim 30mm buckle may look too small on a plus-size gentleman.

• buckle designs by:

1. dimensionality, ie 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional (Aquila Fashions’ focus)
• photos here
• 2-dimensional buckle designs are otherwise known as classic buckle designs.
• 3-dimensional buckle designs look different from different angles because of light reflecting off their crafted/molded/bent surface.
2. mainstream buckles (AF’s focus) or art buckles
• photos here
• Aquila Fashions focuses on mainstream fashion buckles
3. external accessories affixed on buckle
• photos here
4. coloured-painting
• photos here

• Other points for consideration:
• Ensure that buckle matches other metal accessories in the fashion wear put together such as accessories on shoes, pocket watch chains, cufflinks and other jewellery for men etc.

2. Putting all the points above together

These are some scenarios of how a buckle looks on any given person.

photos here

Conclusion: the buckle plays a small role in terms of physical size. tells an important story as to the coherence in the wear put together by the wearer. actual design important in so far as others catches a glimpse of the light reflected off the buckle.

3.1 Buying the fashion belt for yourself

Choose your new buckle using the buckle of your current fashion belt as a reference point. This is because the colour, the shape and the size of the buckle reflects who you are and what your status is, directly. Hence, you are likely to be comfortable with it. Eg, I as a fresh graduate new to the job market is likely to be uncomfortable wearing a gold-plated buckle.

3.2 Buying the fashion belt as a gift

Choose a classic design, ie one that is as close to 2 dimensional as possible.

Stick as closely to the buckle of his current fashion belt as possible, even though he may specifically have asked for otherwise. Someone genuinely seeking a makeover is unlikely to ask someone to do it for him. This maximises the chance that he will wear the gift belt.