Colonel Littleton Italian Bridle Leather No.1 Belt is the No.1 Belt in genuine Italian bridle leather — a heavier dressier belt grade with the brass single-prong buckle and oil-tanned hide finish. The piece is built from Italian bridle leather strap, brass single-prong buckle, riveted Chicago screws so the buckle is replaceable. The leather is dye-finished by hand, meaning the surface variation in color and grain is part of the character — each piece reads as individually made rather than punched out of a sheet.
This works for dress trousers, suit pants, and Western-style jeans — the bridle leather develops a deep patina with daily use. The full-grain hide develops patina with daily use — the rub-shine on the high points, the deepening of the dye in the creases, the slight molding to whatever the carrier puts in it. Pieces last decades when oiled occasionally with a leather conditioner; they don’t wear out the way bonded-leather or split-hide pieces do.
Colonel Littleton makes its leather goods in Lynnville, Tennessee — a small workshop founded by Gus Littleton in 1987 that handcrafts wallets, belts, briefcases, key wallets, possibles pouches, and small leather goods using full-grain American hide and traditional saddle-maker techniques. Made in the USA.
