Fun with belt buckles and other fashion gear at CES.

Published 20070111 by Olivier Blanchard | E-mail this post

So... these may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I know a handful of guys who will JUMP at the chance to own and proudly wear these belt buckles. (You have to know your market, after all.) Are they the epitome of anti-fashion? Are they so geeky that they're cool? Eh. I'll give them this: They're fun... And that is exactly why they will appeal to a very core group of buyers. Check them out.

These days, with everybody out to prove how "old school" they are via t-shirts, game controller buckles, game cart collections and even Mario score comparisons (sorry guys, but CliffyB beats you all, sez Nintendo Power), it can be hard to stick out of the crowd -- until now. From the very kids responsible for the brash commercialism behind the NES Buckle, comes the NES Advantage Belt Buckle, which brings a bit of arcade nostalgia to the front of your pants. Honestly, we never found the controller to be much of an Advantage at all, unless you count those isolated incidents where it was wielded as a weapon against a particularly sucky Contra companion -- not that that ever happened, of course -- but there's no arguing with the look here, and you really never know when you and a couple turbo buttons will be needed to wield control over the Statue of Liberty. The buckle is available now for $50.

If you'relooking for something a little less... bulky:

And this:

We know you're not just happy with that NES controller tattoo and NES controller mouse and NES controller remote and monstrously over/ undersized NES controller in your livingroom, etc.—you've got to have it on your belt buckle. The other controllers, too, while you're at it—they start at $30. Just watch were you're pointing that Atari stick, ok sicko? Sheez, this isn't personal Space Invaders.

And this:

A scrolling LED belt buckle. With bling. Ridiculous? Cool? Ridiculously cool? It doesn't matter. They start at $9, and they're fun. (Besides, it's going to be a collector's item someday.) This is going to look pretty smart with a Brooks Brothers suit.

And this (shirts are optional):

Tunebuckle. We've seen all manner of gadgety belt buckles, and we've seen plenty of iPod cases in our day (four or five at least), but man oh man were we waiting for the day when the two would be come one superfluous accessory and send us into the Second AgeTM. Just how much will the genre defining "Tunebuckle" set you back? $50 smackers, and it comes equipped with either a white or black to belt to match, or compliment, your iPod nano's shade. We're not even going to call these guys out on their "Waist Management" tagline because in the Second AgeTM there will be no player haters.

And I saved the best for last:

Ah, watches: the original gadget. Sometimes we just don't want a SPOT watch or a Fossil/Palm Wrist PDA, sometimes we just want a little something classy that'll tell us the time straight up and maybe look good while we're holding a martini. And some wood inlays, and analog moving parts and such? Don't think twice about that namesake, though, the Nixon Rotolog's still tastefully modern enough to win over the coveted Engadget seal of We'd-Wear-It-Out approval, right next to the LED belt buckle and to a lesser extent, the Bling-Bling Medallion.

This year, have fun with your fashion accessories... or give someone whose sense of style is a little on the crazy side the coolest gift anyone has given them in years.

All images and small-sized text courtesy of engadget.

Have a great weekend, everyone. :)