Suntec City is a bustling office complex with five towers of corporate heads and regional office power players plus hundreds, maybe thousands of staff employees. Mornings and lunch times let you have a glimpse of young ladies and men dressed smartly for the day. Particularly in the morning, people are unruffled but mostly in a hurry. Lunch times, people are more relaxed. One thing you could notice with men walking are their belts, especially during lunch when they don't have bags or backpacks. Here's a survey of signature and luxury men's belt at Suntec City.
The Hermes belt could be spotted from time to time with the distinctive H buckle. Always the steel and never the gold color. And more often the smooth buckle rather than the more articulated model. I have to say though, some of them look somewhat dubious. Not sure if any guy would sport an imitation belt but it's possible. Especially with the travels of people in regional offices. Ladies bags that are not genuine can easily be identified, and I don't really see those carried around in Suntec much, but they can be seen elsewhere in Singapore. But Hermes men's belts? I'm not so sure. Definitely they project a strong presence. If you want a Hermes belt, go for the articulated model.
Salvatore Ferragamo belts are classy and popular among luxury leather belts and can be spotted more frequently than the Hemes belts. Distinctive and recognisable without being too loud, the signature buckle offers that elusive balance for the pricy corporate look. They have many buckles to choose from, and have reversible black and brown leather models that are very convenient when travelling. I personally like the one with the Ferragamo-signed wood accent and thick metal buckle. Price range is about SGD 550.
Louis Vuitton belts are opulent but you've gotta love them. You would see a few of these belts worn around Suntec. Mostly very loud with screaming LV initials or a nameplate, these should be worn sparingly in meeting rooms and specially when presenting. I actually like the LV nameplate buckle that is black leather reversible with a graphite damier pattern, but my wife wouldn't want to be caught with me wearing this. The LV buckle has all leather and reversible leather plus canvas models. The pin buckle model with reversible black leather and graphite damier is more discreet but when the black leather is showing, you might as well be wearing a SGD 39 belt. The pin buckle with graphite damier would look well on a Friday, though. Price range is SGD 670 for the LV buckle to about SGD 870 for the pin buckle to about SGD 1080 for the LV nameplate.
Bally of Switzerland which has more discreet models, was spotted a few times. These are the top two that go for SGD 390. The Bally B buckle, I've not yet spotted around Suntec. It feels a bit more luxurious but is also louder, and sells for about SGD 470.
Fendi belts have been spotted a few times. I believe these again are more accepted as they offer luxury branding without being too loud with the logo being quite discreet
The Giorgio Armani circular buckle has been seen sparingly, while the nameplate has not. These are nice pieces. Both sell for about SGD 550.
The Gucci belts, quite surprisingly are not seen around Suntec. Somehow these buckles don't project great appeal for the office scene. But hang around The The Shoppes at the Marina Bay Sands and you're bound to see men with Gucci belts. I feel though that wearers are mostly not locals. Gucci ladies bags and Gucci men's wallets are very popular in Suntec - and personally I've carried my Gucci wallet and iPhone case for a long time. But for some reason these belts are not so popular. Price range is about SGD 550.
The Mont Blanc belt on top has been spotted. This model gives better branding than many of the Mont Blanc buckles, though still on the "barely noticeable" side. The bottom Mont Blanc nameplate buckles with huge emblems on the other hand, just look wrong. They would make a wearer seem to be a sheriff walking off a western movie! Mont Blanc belts sell from about SGD 400 to SGD 550.
The Mont Blanc and Louie Vuitton designs aptly illustrate how many of the men's branded buckle designs are just too discreet or just too loud. Getting the balance seems to be a real challenge.
And now here is a series of men's pin buckle belts that illustrate that from as little as 2.5 meters away, an SGD 39 belt doesn't have much difference from an SGD 850 belt. Could you tell which is what brand?
And now, one of the most popular, non 39-dollar belts that you would see around Suntec City...
The one above is a Braun Buffel logo belt. Not so sure why this is so popular. Is it the price? At about SGD 120, this is a cut above a basic belt, yet not in the range of luxury belts. Maybe it reminds people of the Merrill Lynch bull? Maybe people like the strength symbolised by the bull? Plus this belt carries a "Made" or "Designed in Germany" pedigree, so it's a sound choice. Below are two more belt models from Braun Buffel.
So there you have it. Belts spotted at Suntec City, Singapore on weekdays.
Have I missed anything? What would you add to the list above? What's your choice for your best weekday belt?
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