Strapping Surcingle Sashes

Out of the few things a man can add to his persona as an accessory, the belt is by far the most embraced by men  of all statures, classes and fashion senses.

The belt itself comes in many shapes, sizes and materials and I won't go into details in this post, but one of my most favourite types of belts is the Surcingle Belt. 

The term surcingle (Et.: Middle English sursengle, from Middle French surcengle, from sur- + cengle girdle, from Latin cingulum) is an equestrian term that represents a strap made of leather or leather-like synthetic materials such as nylon or neoprene, sometimes with elastic, that fastens around a horse's girth area, and in our case, around one's midsection.

While most belts are either made of solid leather or braided leather or rope or plain canvas, the surcingle is a combination of the most common types of belts and almost always features a leather buckle and either a canvas or rope body. The surcingle is both trendy in casual and less casual situations. While I do like to wear a surcingle belt with most pants just for the sake of having a belt, I use it most to add a little colour to a jeans/denim/chino and sports coat combination. I'm not sure if having lived in the south has taken its toll on me or not but I definitely approve more of a navy coat, pastel chino combination if it is all tied together by a mono- or two-toned surcingle belt ( Major major kudos points for anything Anatidean).

In terms of the body of the belt, the surcingle comes in either a stretch version, which from experience I can attest can get annoying to re-buckle, especially after a couple of drinks, and a normal non-stretch version.

Surcingle belts are fashionable, durable and compared to genuine leather belts more affordable. I see no reason why you should not invest in one this summer and add a little colour into your wardrobe. 

The belts featured in this post are as follows from top to bottom and from left to right: Rugby - TWO-TONE SURCINGLE BELT ($55), Dann Clothing - ENGLISH WOOL SURCINGLE BELTS ($52.5), J.Press - STRETCH SURCINGLE BELT ($45)