'Made in the Good Ol' US of A'
Through Jan. 6, Parlor Projects

THERE WAS A time, not too long ago, when a big brass belt buckle was an everyday fashion accessory not unlike a baseball cap or a T-shirt. Aesthetic yet functional, not to mention infinitely customizable, it was a way to express yourself and to promote your favorite brands and organizations. This new show at Parlor Projects represents a lifetime of belt-buckle collecting by gallery owner Melissa Peline. All the buckles in this show were manufactured during the golden years of the belt buckle, the '60s through the '80s. They seem pretty innocuous hanging on the wall, but it's very interesting (says Peline, who wears them around town all the time) to see what kind of reaction you can get by attaching a brass banana or a "Flick My Bic" ad to the front of your pants! The show's pièce de résistance is a Pac-Man buckle that comes complete with an official Pac-Man leather belt (it's been sold already ... sorry!), but there are tons of other styles still available, running the gamut from goofy promotional items to serious works of art. There are a couple of really beautiful Alice in Wonderland buckles, with incredibly detailed etched designs, plus more images and story quotes on the back that no one but the wearer might ever see. Others might have originally been promo freebies, like the Giants and 49ers buckles, or the Mork from Ork and Star Trek ones made by Paramount Pictures. Lots of them are little slices of American consumer-culture history: Campbell's Ranchero Beans, Saturday Night Fever, Kawasaki, the Las Vegas Frontier Hotel – the list goes on and on. With prices starting at around $25, they're more than just affordable holiday gifts – they're an opportunity to help bring back a lost era of American casual wear.
Tues.-Fri., 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sat., by appt., 1311 Church, S.F. (415) 824-1311. (Lindsey Westbrook)