Here’s another late post for you**insert eye winkie emoji**. Don’t you hate it when you have an idea but then life gets a little (ok a lot) crazy and hectic so you have to put it on the back burner and then something happens that would have made your idea absolutely genius if you would have been able to execute it at the exact time it came to you? Ok, so that’s exactly what just happened to me. Over the past several months I kept spying with my little eye that leather Gucci belt with the interlocking double brass G’s as the buckle. I was like everybody has this belt but me! It was almost a sure bet that I would see it on somebody’s waist on any given scroll of my Instagram feed. I never felt obliged to go buy one, but I became increasingly curious of what made the belt so popular. Like, honestly. Did people really love this belt? Was it simply because it was Gucci? Or was it by default, cause it is one of the more attainable items to claim Gucci club membership? Or was it because the G’s are blatant, so people would instantly know you are about that Gucci life.
Now let me just interject my own thought here. I have, or rather had, nothing, absolutely nothing, against Gucci. So I hope this post does not come off with an attitude of contempt. I personally don’t own any Gucci because I’ve also never been a fan, per se, of the brand (the pieces of the brand that I could actually buy anyway, cause some of those, very much outside of my life and budget, multi thousand dollar dresses and gowns go hard). But again that’s not because I had a problem with them. It’s simply because I have this conviction that I can’t just buy things, especially things with hefty and sometimes unworthy price tags, for the sake of trying to prove “status.” Especially if I don’t even think that whatever it is, is truly cute. Have I ever perused Gucci bags and pumps in prospect of purchasing? Yes. I just never came up with something I really wanted to rock. It would be a purchase simply because it was “Gucci” and that is just not worth it for me. Ok, my tangent is over.
So I’m sitting on the couch one-day last month, scrolling Instagram and tah-dah, there it was, like clockwork, the leather Gucci belt with the interlocking double brass G’s as the buckle, wrapped around someone’s waist. I said, “You know what Brian, I am going to do a blog post called 5 belts you can buy besides that Gucci one. I’m tired of seeing it. I don’t know… maybe people don’t realize they have more options!” Now of course I said this jokingly, and maaaybe, just slightly, a little out of irritation from trying to understand the popularity of this belt, but Brian still thought it was a pretty good idea so. “You should…”
But as I said, life got crazy and super hectic and I put that idea on the back burner until I could sit down and give solid alternatives to the trendy leather Gucci buckle. And then that horrendous wool black face Gucci jumper surfaced and my social media timeline became controversial with boycotting the brand. Cool, I don’t own any of it anyway. But then I was like, urrrrrr, I was trying to save everyone a whole month ago from Gucci and couldn’t get around to it!
So I began to look for worthy alternatives, a belt that was somewhat comparable in luxury branding and price. Because the offense was at the expense of the black community and because it was Black History Month, I particularly wanted to insight awareness of black designers to support. And so here it is, my recommendation on a belt to replace your Gucci one (or at least add to your rotation if you decided to disregard the boycott summons from our cultural father T.I.). It’s from the brand, Off-White by Virgil Abloh. He’s an 80’s baby **insert praise hand emoji**, who grew up in the outskirts of Chicago with his Ghanaian parents. He started his luxury street-wear brand, Off-White, in 2013. And here’s an interesting point for you. I read in the Hollywood reporter that Off-White had risen 33 places in 2018 to surpass Gucci and Balenciaga at the top of the fashion world.
Off-White is not typical, which is why I instantly became a fan. I bought one of the Industrial belts. It’s not a plain black leather belt with a big antiqued brass “OW” as the buckle. It’s modern. It somehow still feels very luxurious but in an unpretentious, street type of way and I love it! The Industrial belt comes in black and a variety of other colors. I bought it in yellow because I’ve been itching to incorporate more yellow into my wardrobe. On my search for unique styling ideas, it seems like yellow is the most popular color. You can purchase the Off-White brand at places like Neiman Marcus or Nordstrom. Or you can buy directly from the Off-White website.
Brian was not a fan of this belt at first sight. “Yeah, I don’t like it…” Every time Brian tries to shun my fashion choices though my response is usually the same, “You don’t know about fashion anyway…” I will never let him live down his misjudgment towards one my favorite Hervé dresses I bought back in 2014. He hated it and told me I should I return it. I didn’t listen. The first time I wore it was to an opera in Chicago. I received so many compliments that night, including admiration from multiple singers from the opera when we went backstage. Brian had no choice but to change his tune. The dress is gorg and still a masterpiece. See you don’t know good fashion dear.
Clearly, I’m a little late to the Off-White party! Why didn’t you all tell me about this years ago? (Side note: This pump is a current obsession) Anyway, check out Off-White! Cheers to great (and cultural) fashion choices. Xo
Featured imaged photo credit: Pinterest
