With Mother's day and Father's day on the horizon, I thought I'd write about something for men. I've been looking for a new dressy belt for a few months. I think the last time I purchased a black or brown belt I was in college. Belt shopping isn't exactly how I would choose to spend my time, but when you need something it will warrant some effort.

However, my attempts have not produced any results. The department store drive by belt investigation did not land me on a belt. On a recent trip I noticed that my friend Tony East was bragging about how his belt does not set off the security apparatus at the airport. While telling me this he also mentioned it was reversible.

REVERSIBLE!!!! you mean the two necessary colors, black and brown, plus a belt you could wear in the airport? I had to know what this magical thing was.

It also turns out that Tony, as a big fan of Paul Smith (I mean who isn't!), found a reversible belt that fits the bill in so many ways. I ordered mine within minutes from the Paul Smith website and had it a few days later.

I purchased the belt in the black primary color since that is what I use most. Brown is he secondary color. It's made of Saffiano leather which is a type of leather finishing that produces that shiny bumpy texture with a cross hatched pattern. It is very durable.

The belt is extremely simple. The buckle is nicely made and light. It is made of Zamac and has the feel and look of silver.

You can flip the belt over to the brown side and it will work right away, but I prefer to remove the buckle and flip it over manually since I don't use brown all that much (but do need).

In terms of sizing, this is always the tricky part. I am a 32 waist, and purchased the 34 and it's the right length.

The belt is on the skinny side, as it is a more formal style belt, but I find it goes well with jeans and I have been wearing it almost every day since I got it. In other words it dresses up and down and is perfect for travel.

You can pick up the belt at any Paul Smith store (there are some in major cities such as San Francisco, New York, Paris, London etc) or you can order online.

It's a pricey belt, but figure you are getting two belts in this deal. Also the belt comes in at 95 GBP and Paul Smith has apparently not realized that the exchange rate is 1 GBP to 1.3 USD.

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