Berets, Anyone?

[Kreissaege]

Hey Daan, have a look at my signature!

 

[Foofoogal]

Just picked up a neat plaid Pendleton one.

 

[Daan]

Tartes, Txapelduns and Plato Grandes

Looking for more information on txapelduns (or very large diameter berets), I came upon this amazing picture of a Miss Murray, photographed in 1903. What's the superlative of ExtraLarge?

Quite different from the tartes worn by the Chasseurs Alpins, impressive as they may be.

Most present-day txapelduns, or plato grandes, don't exceed 37cm (or 14.6") and most of these are actually worn by champions of some kind - generally in cycling, pelote and chess.

like the txapeldun chess champ Veselin Topalov receives here from the Mayor of Bilbao.

On a rainy day in Wellington, nothing beats my 35cm Elosegui txapeldun

, but with the approaching southern hemisphere summer soon to be replaced by a cotton Tolosa Tupida.

 

[Daan]

Spring Cleaning

Recently I acquired a large box full of vintage berets; mainly French, but also some 1940's Elosegui's and Czechoslovak made Fezco's. It is amazing how much stock is hidden on attics and in cellars of old hat stores, only to be found when the premises are sold.

Many of these berets were badly damaged by moths, but a number of them (like these two Elosegui's) made a great asset for my collection.
At the same time, good to re-organize my collection and stock and I put a good number of antiques and collectibles on my web site. Some for small money, some for free (postage cost only).
Please have a look if interested.

 

[Dewhurst]

Daan, I'm extremely attracted to those sweatbands in those two berets for some odd reason.

I NEED to purchase a new beret and your posts remind me of that.

 

[Foofoogal]

fftopic:

Daan, every child on the face of the earth should look as happy as the one in your photo.

 

[Daan]

Daan, I'm extremely attracted to those sweatbands in those two berets for some odd reason.

I know what you mean. I am not a fan of headbands at all (in berets), but these old Spanish ones are actually very comfortable; very different from the stiff leather rim of the present day
Eloseguis , (not to mention the French ones, with that hard polyester string woven through it). Interestingly, when contacting Elosegui on these vintage berets, they coudn't give me any precise information (except that "they are very old...").

 

[rlk]

Spanish Post Card

 

[Daan]

French Post Card

Czechoslovak Post Card

 

[Daan]

Two more Post Cards

French Post Card 'BIGA'

and a post card of 'Boinas La Encartada' from Spain.

 

[PADDY]

Loving this thread!!

 

[BinkieBaumont]

 

[rlk]

Berrios from Samaritaine, Paris

A thick, soft, smooth but firm wool. Bad lighting, its actually Navy Blue.

 

[GWD]

I'm surprised I didn't post this already.

A few halloweens ago.

 

[monbla256]

I got my new Basque Beret fro Daan at South Pacific Berets today! Fast service and for the basic level of the ones made by Boinas Elosegui beret it is a REALLY NICE piece of work! Will be wearing it on those real cold, windy days down here this winter to keep my bald pate warm It's just a plain black one and I will try to get some pics later this week My family was from the Basque part of France and came to Quebec back in the 1600's and to the US in the early 1900's so I guess I'm sort of returning to some roots with this beret

 

[monbla256]

I got my new Basque Beret fro Daan at South Pacific Berets today! Fast service and for the basic level of the ones made by Boinas Elosegui beret it is a REALLY NICE piece of work! Will be wearing it on those real cold, windy days down here this winter to keep my bald pate warm It's just a plain black one and I will try to get some pics later this week My family was from the Basque part of France and came to Quebec back in the 1600's and to the US in the early 1900's so I guess I'm sort of returning to some roots with this beret

Here's a pic of my Beret on the noggin. Grey, windy and COLD day today but my bald spot is nice and WARM with this on

 

[Daan]

The military style Basque: Exposición Explorador

It's probably fair to say that berets come in two types: the Basque model, which is the original beret, with it's txortena (or "fuse", "wick") and the military style beret. In essence, the military style beret is a modified Basque - it just has a few bits and pieces added and taken off. The txortena for instance, is an essential part of the beret: it's the remaining bit of thread that is used to 'close' the beret (the knitted and un-felted beret is a more or less flat piece of material that is sewn together to get the round shape of the final beret - the 'closure'). It's the same for military berets, except that after the felting process the txortena gets shaved off (in most military berets you can still feel the hard little stump in the center).
Instead of the natural wool rim, the military beret has a rim fitted around the opening (sometimes leather, more often cotton but mostly synthetic) with a drawstring through the rim; supposedly to adjust the size, but in reality it's just tradition and looks. This added rim is worn on the outside (whereas the natural woolen rim of the Basque beret folds inwards).
In addition, the military beret is generally fitted with two air vents and sometimes a beret badge protection patch.

With these two distinct groups of berets, come two distinct groups of beret wearers, and generally, they don't mingle. Whereas the Basque beret is associated with the arts, academics, literature, photographers, etc, the military style beret carries more favour with musicians (and revolutionaries, but that's another story). And within music: jazz and rock. Dizzy Gillespie, Chet Baker, Bob DeVos,

, Richard Thompson

,
even Madonna,

to name a few.
Boinas Elósegui now created the perfect fusion between both berets: the Exposición Explorador - a military style beret based on the Boina Vasca Exposición Fina.

This beret is now available in five colours at South Pacific Berets. These Exploradors have the same fine finishing as the Finas, same lining and label, but come without the txortena, with two air vents, rim and drawstring.

 

[rlk]

Mohawk Berets 1929

 

[Daan]

Great ad, Rik! Any idea of the history behind these Mohawk berets? All I could find was this Crooked Brook chef's berets from Utica, NY...

 

[rlk]

McLoughlin Textile Corporation

1917 Textile American

1922

The two McLoughlins died in '35 and '38. I suspect the company didn't survive the Depression.

In Gotham's shadow: globalization and community change in central New York By Alexander R. Thomas