The Alexander Zar belt comes in a beautiful gift box lined with black tissue paper. The color is a lovely deep black and while it may not be "top grain" it is real leather with a nice leathery smell. The leather is thick and the belt is wide, but it fits nicely into the belt loops of the jeans. The roller buckle has a matte vintage look rather than shiny chrome. The buckle is also sewn into the belt, unlike the double-sided buckle which tends to break under stress. Make sure you order two sizes larger than your waist measurement to ensure a good fit.