At Quality Logo Products, you can buy a leather business card wallet for $4.83. On our site, you can buy the Hlaska version for $75. Are we insane? What can you possibly be paying for?

The all-too-common answer to a question like this is, "You're paying for the name." And sure, a brand name can add a premium to any product, but it usually represents a small fraction of the price. Even strong brands recognize that most customers, especially affluent consumers, also look for value. That is to say, they'll buy nice, expensive things, but only if they are confident that they are also high-quality things.

The real answer to the question "What are you paying for?" is "Everything". Design, materials, construction, techniques, labor costs; and lastly, if the brand believes a slight premium can be added without scaring off consumers, a brand "tax" might be added [think of the premium Apple charges for the iPod even though there are arguably more functional MP3 players on the market].

We hope to make the "Makings Of..." articles a recurring series that will focus on the details - the excruciating details - of what makes the products we sell special. The first category to get covered is something near and dear to every gentleman's pants: his wallet. The Makings of a Quality Wallet explores many of the little details that explain why one "leather wallet" might sell in the single digits, and another in the triple digits. I suspect a few of the findings will surprise you, and will hopefully stick with you when you're in the market for a new way to carry your cash.

One of the obvious challenges with being a "virtual" store is that there are certain products that just don't have the same impact online as they do in "real life". A picture's worth a thousand words, but a thousand words may not do justice to the texture of a tie, the hand of a sweater, or, in this case, the topography of a belt.

Starting today, I hope to occasionally highlight products that blow people away in the store but just don't translate as easily online for whatever reason. For example, this Ike Behar shirt rarely sold online, but was one of the most frequently purchased shirts out of our old showroom. The photo just doesn't do justice to the complexity and texture of the shirt (I realize that makes it sound like a wine, but it really is both complex and textured).

And so it goes with Trafalgar's Dylan Australian Saltwater Hornback Crocodile Belt. Crocodile and alligator belts are nothing new, but every belt I've ever been seen has been flat. This belt is cut from the center of the spine of a single crocodile which means that there can be up to 3/8" of spine protruding from the rest of the belt. It is a belt that begs to be noticed.

How cool is the belt in real life? One funny stoy (or at least, I think it's funny): a well-dressed customer was looking at Martin Dingman's Lachlan Belt, which happens to be one of their best-selling belts. When he saw the $135 price tag, he made a comment to the effect that he would never spend that kind of money on a casual belt. He then came across the Australian Saltwater Hornback Crocodile Belt and immediately fell in love with it, and bought it for $545. It's just that stunning in real life.

Evidently, the global financial system is scheduled to melt down this weekend and we (On The Fly) would prefer not to take any of the blame. No, we didn't engage in any subprime loans. Nor did we bundle loans into questionable securities and sell them to investors. Actually, we haven't done anything other than provide our customers with the accoutrements they need to live the good life. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and since John McCain is suspending his Presidential campaign until a bailout plan is passed, On The Fly is suspending all suspender sales until a bailout plan is passed. 

After all, It's a Global Market, and the problems that started in subprime loans have caused a Chain Reaction that has Wall Street feeling very High Strung. While many analysts predicted the economy would Take a Dip, few expected these assets to have taken a Shave and a Haircut like they have, and I-bankers used to riding high are now on Full Tilt. It's Third and Long now and the Sands of Time are running out. The View from the Top looks scary, as leadership appears to be an Endangered Species. If we don't resolve this crisis soon, you may want to spend your next Holiday Abroad.

Country First -- if you don't believe us, just try to order a ton of suspenders. We won't ship them to you (unless we do by accident in which case, Thank you for your business!)

And to those looking to make a few extra bucks in this economy, we have a $50 gift certificate to any reader that writes the most creative yet relevant use of any pair of Limited Edition braces not mentioned in this blog entry. Now, that's change you can believe in.

On The Fly is significantly increasing its revenue projections for 2009 on the assumption that a sequel to the movie "Wall Street" will drive sales of contrast-collar shirts and suspenders to all-time highs. It just may be the event that propels the company into the venerable Fortune 500.

A customer/blog critic/former roommate-of-mine directed me to a New York Times story I missed back in May announcing that Fox movie executives reached an agreement with Edward Pressman, producer of the original movie, and Michael Douglas, who won an Oscar for his role as Gordon Gekko.

Only a few details are known about the plot of the sequel, to be named "Money Never Sleeps" which was a Gekko mantra in the first film (certainly not remembered as well as the best-known mantra: Greed is Good). Mr. Pressman confirms that Gordon Gekko went to jail for his deeds, and will now "resume his machinations on a global scale in the hedge-fund era". Apparently, Messrs. Pressman & Douglas tried to get Oliver Stone to direct the sequel, but he has passed.

If greed is indeed good, On The Fly, with a healthy assortment of contrast-collar shirts and braces, is well-positioned to capitalize on the film. As Pressman explained to the NYT, "If you weren’t wearing suspenders before ‘Wall Street,’ you were certainly wearing them after."

God Bless America.