Hermes Traverse Belt Buckle & Reversible Leather Strap 38 mm Epsom Calfskin Permabrass Buckle Yellow Gold Noir Gold

Not everyone wants a glossy strap, and this version of the Traverse answers that: both faces are Epsom calfskin, heat-embossed and matte, so there is no mirror finish to maintain and no shine that dates the belt as dressy. Black on one side, warm gold-tan on the other, with a permabrass buckle keeping the hardware warm and low-key.

Epsom is the most practical calfskin I have owned in a belt. The grain is fine and even, the surface resists scratches and rain spots, and the leather is firm enough to stay flat across the waist all day rather than bowing at the tail. At 38 mm it fills the loops of jeans and chinos without looking like a work belt.

Because both faces share one leather, flipping changes only the colour, and the two options cover most of a week: tan with brown boots and olive knitwear, black with everything from charcoal flannel to a leather jacket. As on any reversible strap, the edge shows a thin line of the hidden colour, a neat giveaway of how the belt is built.

The trade-off is stiffness. Epsom takes about a week of wear to settle at the fold, and until then threading the tail through the loops feels slightly reluctant. After that it holds its shape for years. Waist sizes run from 80 to 115 cm, and the strap should sit where you normally wear a belt, not higher or lower.