John Patrick Nealon Guest Blog

Needlepoint belts are one of those interesting accessories that really tell a story if you take a moment to notice them.  In the past needlepoint belts were almost always made by someone’s mom, girlfriend, or wife.  In college I saw one for the first time when a pledge in my fraternity had a belt with various bottles of beer on it made by his mom.  Since college I suppose I am most intrigued by the needlepoint belts I see that I don’t know the story behind.  Several years ago I remember seeing the man in front of me with his boat shoes with no socks, crumpled khakis, polo and great needlepoint belt with a mermaid- complete with some type of gold thread sewn into the scales of the bottom half.  I also remember meeting a couple at the Elephant and Castle in Boston and I struck up a conversation with the Husband about both his needlepoint belt (with bikes on it) as well as his love of cycling (something we shared a passion for).
 
            Obviously over the last few years we have seen a real explosion in the popularity of the motif style belts long favored by east coast preppys and so called “Trads” as they are called in the blogosphere, but I still think to those of us who love these belts they will always be a beloved fashion element because of that story they tell.  It may be a school you went to, the dog you love, or even your sense of humor.  To me the needlepoint belt is really just the motif belt on a grander scale.  Once needlepoints almost had to be custom made, but now there is the option to purchase one.  Maybe that’s not as romantic as the old fashion way, but at least in my case- the GF would rather just shell out the cash.
 
If you know me or read my blog then you will know I was even interested in starting my own needlepoint belt company for a while so I pay close attention to the purveyors in this niche market.  Also I have a great deal of respect for Taylor Llewellyn, another young guy with an interest in clothing who has managed to start up Tucker Blair.  I have to say that after scouring the market- Tucker Blair is probably the best value you are going to get out there if you are interested in buying a needlepoint belt.  It’s true that these belts are a significant amount of money, but consider both the fact that 1. there is a great deal of handwork that goes into their production and 2. Tucker Blair is almost half the price of some of the competition out there on the ready to wear needlepoint belt market.
 
Finally, I am really excited to see that Tucker Blair is thriving and coming out with some cool new products such as the “Duck” polo shirt and I also respect that he is offering his stuff at reasonable prices.  We have seen too many shops in this business go with the approach of slapping a trademark on a polo, marketing it for $100, and expecting people to buy.  Taylor seems to get that value and also ingenuity go a long way. 

Advertisement