Loewe is a leather house first, founded in Madrid in 1846, and the belts are where that shows most plainly. The Anagram was designed by Vicente Vela in 1970 and it is the rare logo that works as a physical object rather than just a printed mark, because the four interlocking Ls form a closed square that reads as hardware. A loewe belt therefore does not need a print or a pattern to be recognisable. The leather can be entirely plain and the buckle carries it, which is a far more durable approach than a monogram strap.

The constructions differ more than they appear. Reversible belts have two finished sides and a buckle that rotates, which effectively gives you two belts and is the most practical option in the range. Bombé refers to the profile of the buckle, which is domed rather than flat, catching light differently and reading slightly softer. The slim bombé is the version that works with a dress rather than jeans. Pebble grain and supple grained calfskin are more durable and hide wear better than smooth, while smooth calfskin looks sharper and marks faster. The Coil belt swaps the Anagram for a twisted metal detail and the Pebble belt for a rounded one. The Crystal Donut chain belt is the outlier, a jewellery piece rather than a belt in the functional sense.

If you take one thing away, buy a reversible grained calfskin Anagram. Two colours in one belt is a genuinely useful thing and grained leather is the finish that will still look good in five years, because the texture hides the small scuffs that smooth leather records permanently. The slim version is more versatile than the standard width if you wear dresses and skirts, and less so if you mostly wear denim. Anagram buckles are solid metal and will develop micro-scratches with use, which cannot be polished out on a plated finish. The Crystal Donut is a beautiful object and should be bought as jewellery, with no expectation that it will hold a trouser up.