Hermes Neo Etrier Belt Buckle & Reversible Leather Strap 38 mm Epsom Calfskin Permabrass Buckle Yellow Gold Noir Chocolat

The name is a clue: etrier is French for stirrup, and the Neo Etrier plate takes its lines from riding hardware. That reference reads as a considered detail on a plain belt rather than a costume flourish, especially in black and chocolate, where the permabrass buckle supplies the only shine.

Chocolat sits on one face, noir on the other, both in Epsom calfskin at 38 mm. Epsom is heat-embossed, which gives the leather its tight even grain and a firmness that stops the strap from curling. The permabrass buckle is a warm gold tone with a soft hand finish rather than a lacquered gloss, so it develops a muted depth over the years instead of staying flat.

Brown and black in one strap is genuinely useful: the chocolate face with tweed, olive, camel and tobacco tones, the black face with charcoal suits and dark knitwear. At 38 mm the belt fills jean loops properly and gives corduroy and flannel trousers a confident waistline.

The honest caveat is the break-in. Epsom starts stiff, and for the first week or two you feel it standing slightly away from your waist. It then settles into your shape and holds it, so the patience is paid back in a belt that never sags. One more thing worth knowing: on any reversible strap, the hidden colour shows along the edge, which in black and brown looks deliberate.

Sizes span 80 to 115 cm at the waist, which covers most frames without a special order.