Buckles. Maybe they show off your trim waist. They might add some dash to your hat, or some sparkle to your shoes. Buckles can make you a walking advertisement for a club you belong to, or a favorite hobby. For the cast of Singin in the Rain, buckles fastened up their yellow rain slickers and dangled from their oversize black galoshes. For Elvis, buckles were a focal point of his eye-popping Vegas jumpsuits. For pro wrestlers, massive buckles on already massive championship belts are worth their weight in. . .well, pro wrestlers. Whether its a buckle, clasp, or slide, the definition remains the same: its a device used for fastening two loose ends. On a buckle, the frame is the visible portion; the prong is the pin, affixed to a bar, which is placed in a belt hole, and keeps the belt from sliding out. A clasp consists of two separate pieces, one with a loop, the other with a hook. One end of each clasp grips the material; the other end fastens to the other clasp. These reached their greatest popularity in the late 1800s and early 1900s, as neck fasteners for cloaks, coats, and capes. Slides are like buckles, but without the prongs. Whether part of the fabric belt on a ladys dress, or as a scarf accent, slides have added a stylish, if less secure, fastening note from the 1940s onward. (Fortunately, a hidden hook, or a second slide allowing the fabric to double back, is usually included to keep the slide from. . .ah. . . sliding.) Buckled belts have been chronicled as far back as 3000 B.C. Back then these were long cords known as girdles, since they girded (encircled) the waist. Early buckles served a variety of down-to-earth purposes. They could be used for fastening harnesses on horses and oxen or joining together pieces of body armor for knights. Ordinary folk wore buckled belts with pouches, which carried everything from knives and money to wares being offered for sale. By the 18th century, pompadoured ladies and bewigged gentlemen adorned their shoes and hats with bejeweled buckles. For the men, ornate knee buckles held the hems of breeches tight and drew all eyes to a well-turned calf. For the ladies, the ornate central clasp of a shoulder cape drew all eyes elsewhere. Even the no-nonsense Pilgrims wore buckles. Check out an illustration of the gang landing on Plymouth Rock. Whats on the hats? On the shoes and coats? Buckles. Of course, the purposes were purely functional: fitting hats to size, keeping shoes on, and coats closed. They may not have been ornamental, but they were definitely buckles. Victorian ladies squeezed themselves into boned corsets, thanks (?) to buckles. Buckles on military and other uniforms often featured engraved emblems identifying the wearers rank or occupation. And, by the mid-20th century, buckles were firmly established in pop culture. Were you a fisherman? A hunter? There was a buckle out there for you. If you were a cowboy, you were really in luck. Huge Western-themed buckles were in ready supply, if a little cumbersome for daily life at home on the range. Buckles can be made from just about everything. There are the old standbys: brass, copper, silver, cut steel, plus whatever other material strikes a designers fancy. Thats why there are buckles of cloth, leather, glass, plastic, wood, pearl, ceramic, Lucite, Bakelite, celluloid, and even antler and coconut shell. Embellishing those creations: real jewels, paste jewels, beads, and whatever else is handy. Buckle subjects range from animals, plants, and birds to Art Deco, Gothic, and Egyptian Revival themes. Buckle prices reflect buckle variety, though most remain well under $50. Expect to pay a bit more for older buckles and a lot more for those boasting real jewels or those made of precious metal. But, by buckling down, its possible to latch on to an impressive buckle collection! Although theres no known collectors group specifically for those interested in buckles and clasps, there is a classification for this category within the National Button Society. The societys 2024 annual show and sale will be held Aug. 8, 9, and 10 in Appleton, Wis. Full information can be found on the groups website by visiting www.nationalbuttonsociety.org. Buckle and clasp photos and reference materials courtesy of Mitzi Lovell, Shareen Martin, Lisa Schulz, and Sam Fleming. Photo Associate: Hank Kuhlmann. Donald-Brian Johnson is the co-author of numerous Schiffer books on design and collectibles, including Postwar Pop, a collection of his columns. Please address inquiries to: donaldbrian@msn.com.