COME THE THIRD SUNDAY IN JUNE, fathers from Texarkana to El Paso will be unwrapping assorted socks, CDs, and bottles of Old Spice. We’ve got a better idea, a gift that’s unexpected but still in the comfort zone: a belt from one of Texas’s best buckle artists. If Granddaddy’s personal style veers toward Hermès ties and Luccheses, finish off the look with a sterling-silver stunner from Clint Orms, the master silversmith for such names as Kleberg and Quinn, Georges Bush and Strait, Tommy Lee and Lyle. The Hill Country artisan’s custom work includes monograms and family brands, while his trophy-size buckles are dense with traditional Western imagery—Longhorns, broncos, horseshoes, Texas stars, and tepees. If Pop’s favorite duds include Diesel jeans and a Spoon concert tee, then a buckle by glassworker Mark Joiner may fit the bill better. Joiner’s mod squares, diamonds, and dots come to life with his punchy colors and high-gloss finishes; each one is hand-cut, -fused, and -fired at 1,450 degrees in his South Austin studio. Both brands craft belts meant to be passed down—perhaps an ulterior motive for ordering.
Clint Orms Engravers and Silversmiths, 229B Old Ingram Loop, Ingram; 830-367-7949; clintorms.com. From $250 to $25,000. Available at Pinto Ranch Fine Western Wear, 1717 Post Oak Blvd., Houston, 713-333-7900, and Cowboy Cool, 3699 McKinney Ave., Ste. 407, Dallas, 214-521-4500. Mark Joiner Fourteen Fifty Design, 2311K Thornton Rd., Austin; 512-789-6529; fourteenfifty.com. From $150 to $200. Available at Kuhl-Linscomb, 2424 W. Alabama, Houston, 713-526-6000, and Eliza Page, 229 W. Second, Austin, 512-474-6500.
