Berets, Anyone?

[Tchoupi]

William Walton, English composor. https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/artists/d019a8cc-060f-4491-83d6-76e1211a1a08

 

[Daan]

The blues is a vocal and instrumental form of music based on the use of the blue notes and a repetitive pattern. The word is also often used in musical contexts to refer to the twelve-bar blues, a particular blues song form, or talking blues, a form of country music.

Blues or The Blues may also refer to:

Berets; in navy, azul, jean, midnight blue; in cotton, in Eco, in wool; traditional Basque berets and berets with a peak.

This week on SPECIAL a large selection in all shades of blue; from Aotearoa - New Zealand, the Czech Republic, Argentina, Italy, Spain and France - all with one thing in common: a massive discount!

Now, for one week only, a fine selection of blue-shade berets with an up to 25+% discount (as long as stock lasts).

 

[Daan]

Last week I spent on Fiji, a lovely break from the New Zealand winter (and an interesting testing ground for berets).
Leaving home at 4am to catch an Uber to the airport, I managed to forget to put my beret on - a very unusual thing to happen. However, the need for my 10.5p Auloronesa was small, 6 hours later and I fully enjoyed wearing both the Chyldish Fear' Naught (in earth/cotton) and an Eco-Printemps (blue) by Le Béret Français.

The Fear' Naught was the densest/heaviest of the two, but did very well in the warm, humid conditions. Great moist absorption on the rim and never becoming itchy or too warm - the solid cotton lining would have played a role here too.
The Eco-Printemps (made of recycled fibers like cotton, silk, linen, etc) felt absolutely feather light and could easily forget I was wearing a beret even at the hottest and sunniest time of day.

The Fear' Naught proved to do very well in a tropical downpour too; staying pretty much waterproof and keeping shape - pictured here drying on the dashboard of the rental vehicle.
Apart from myself, not many berets spotted on the Friendly Islands, apart from police at roadblocks and behind the speed radar.

One constable was friendly enough to let me have a peek inside his beret: made in India.

The only other Fijian boinero I can think of would be Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama, known commonly as Frank Bainimarama and sometimes by the chiefly title Ratu, a naval officer and politician who has been Prime Minister of Fiji since 2007 (I didn't get the opportunity to peek inside his beret...).
But really, I would strongly advise any Fijian PM or government official to switch from Indian wool berets to a genuine Chyldish Fear' Naught or Eco-Printemps - satisfaction guaranteed!

 

[NoHorse]

Hi all, it’s ages since I’ve posted, though I’ve been lurking a lot.

I hope to get some constructive input on berets for warm weather. I can’t make cotton Berets work for me. I have a 31mm Tolosa Tupida and I like the the dark blue color, the tight knit and the feel of the material, but it’s simply too big for me. It looks like the wind dropped a piece of litter on my head. Perhaps the real issue is that I don’t have thick luxurious hair to fill it out.

I have made heroic effort to shrink it. (Daan, close your eyes when you read the next sentence) I have BOILED it and then ROASTED it in the dryer - twice! It shrank, oh.. at least... a generous, I’d say about, well... 4-5mm. That measure would be on a sunny day with a tailwind. And Daan is sold out of most colors of the 28mm TTs. And I’m not so keen on the colors of the smaller TTs. And they would likely also not shrink much. Sigh.

I have a Castilla, but I’m not keen on the texture and feel of it.

So, I’ve been thinking... wool actually breathes. There are desert cultures that have worn some type of woolen robe etc. I wonder if a thin wool beret, without a lining (or lining removed) would answer. Wool has a certain body which makes wool berets look like, well, berets.

Does anybody have experiences to share along these lines? Which wool beret have been found to be thin and breathable?

 

[Tchoupi]

I have a Basco Roma which works quite well in warmer climes. The wool is well felted, but it's thinner than Boinas Elosegui berets. I find I can wear it on quite warm days without a problem. The one I have was sized with a headband, which was a problem. The leatherette headband was bothersome, such a shame they didn't use leather. I took it off and replaced it with a leather one. I you get one, do get the headbandless, one size fits all version. The plateau of the headband version is 24cm and the headbandless is slightly larger, 25cm.

 

[Bouwerij_Jongen]

For a warm weather wool beret the Nutria may be a good choice. The Nutria are light weight and unlined.

My choice for warm weather is a cotton beret.
The Tolosa Tupida Grande was my favorite on a trip to the warm south of France.
It gave good sun protection and stayed on my head in windy conditions such
as at Notre Dame de la Garde in Marseille.

 

[Daan]

These days, the most common diameter for French berets is 10p or 28cm; quite a difference from the 1950s and 60s when berets were typically smaller at 9p/25cm or (extravagantly!) 9.5p/26.5cm.

Berets carrying the 'red cows of Béarn' label were available in smaller diameters, but only in black.
By popular demand, South Pacific Berets has had a range of coloured berets custom made in the 9.5p diameter range: navy, jean, curcuma (turmeric), khaki, brown and quetsche (plum).

Beautiful foulard quality berets, handmade by France's smallest artisan bonetaire: Manufacture de Bérets in Béarn – the very heartland of the beret. These berets are fitted with the company's trademark liguette - the internal drawstring that makes the beret perfectly size adjustable.

And for those who want an even smaller (or larger) diameter, there are the same quality berets in black with a leatherette or leather headband in 9, 10, 11 and 12p.

 

[Daan]

This week at South Pacific Berets, a true collector's Special: two genuine boinas of the autonomous police forces of Navarre and the Basque Country.

These are Boinas Elosegui berets in the best Super Lujo quality, made for the Ertzaintza (Basque Autonomous Police Force) and the for the Foral (Navarese Autonomous Police Force). Both are 13" (302mm) in their very own shade of red (which is not used on any other Elosegui beret) with embroidered blazon on the beret.

For the Ertzaintza, the blazon shows the shields of the three Basque provinces in Spain; for the Foral it shows the blazon of Navarre. Both berets state size 59 but are actually on the large side (and the Moroccan leather band can stretch up to size 61).

Beautiful berets that are not available anywhere else (unless you happen to be friends with the police force’s quartermaster). Both come in their own Boinas Elosegui boina box.

This is a one-off offer - one of each boina only!

To make this week’s a very special Special, you can add a genuine polo of the French Gendarmerie Nationale at postage cost only!

 

[Tchoupi]

Dorothy West, author of the Harlem renaissance. Died 16th August, 1998. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/aug/16/whatever-happened-to-author-dorothy-west

 

[Daan]

A great video of Billy Childish interviewing Billy Childish, to accompany the new weekly Special of cotton Fear' Naught berets.

The cotton berets on Special are available in Raven-Black and 3 earthy colours: Earth, Rock and Indigo.

Exclusively at South Pacific Berets from $49.40 @ $39.50.

 

[Nico]

Beret wearing family. Handsomeless bloke (me) and my gorgeous daughter in law.

 

[Edward]

Last week I spent on Fiji, a lovely break from the New Zealand winter (and an interesting testing ground for berets).
Leaving home at 4am to catch an Uber to the airport, I managed to forget to put my beret on - a very unusual thing to happen. However, the need for my 10.5p Auloronesa was small, 6 hours later and I fully enjoyed wearing both the Chyldish Fear' Naught (in earth/cotton) and an Eco-Printemps (blue) by Le Béret Français.

Dammit, I'm going to have to stop looking at this thread, it keeps costing me money....

My beret wearing started about ten years ago with a Spanish basque beret (unless, of course, you count an old German army one that I once wore to a party as Che Guevara, then wore round the house as a smoking cap until I discovered Fez-o-Rama). It had, of course, nice punk rock connotations (think Captain Sensible of the Damned), but being black it also had a more refined, beatnik-via-Joe Strummer vibe to it. I also discovered that sometimes, when headed somewhere withe no hat-check/cloakroom, it was a nice alternative to a brimmed hat. There's something to my eye very 'old Hollywood' about a black beret with black tie - or even white tie. Still have that brrewt, though it's a bit knoackered now. In Summer 2017, as I posted somewhere before, I was lucky enough to get a tour of the LaulHere factory, and I bought a Laulhere 10" black classic beret (with leather, or leatherette?, sweatband), which gets worn in rotation with my other caps, or when I'm feeling especially rakish. This Summer, I've bought a few more... I'm looking forward to a good, Wionter downpour to test out my LaulHere Alpin.

The Eco-Printemps (made of recycled fibers like cotton, silk, linen, etc) felt absolutely feather light and could easily forget I was wearing a beret even at the hottest and sunniest time of day.

My Childish beret from you has arrived at the office - I'll pick it up later this week. Looking forward to trying something different than the wool. The Eco-Printemps are a really interesting concept; I might well be back for one of those when birthday-time comes around!

Hi all, it’s ages since I’ve posted, though I’ve been lurking a lot.

I hope to get some constructive input on berets for warm weather. I can’t make cotton Berets work for me. I have a 31mm Tolosa Tupida and I like the the dark blue color, the tight knit and the feel of the material, but it’s simply too big for me. It looks like the wind dropped a piece of litter on my head. Perhaps the real issue is that I don’t have thick luxurious hair to fill it out.

I don't think it's a hair thing - the only hair on my head is my eyebrows(!), and I like how they look on me. Personal choice, I think (also... took me a little while to get used to a beret, much like any new style - after that, graND).

Laulhere do have one or two models in a very light wool, I think, could be worth a try.

For a warm weather wool beret the Nutria may be a good choice. The Nutria are light weight and unlined.

My choice for warm weather is a cotton beret.
The Tolosa Tupida Grande was my favorite on a trip to the warm south of France.
It gave good sun protection and stayed on my head in windy conditions such
as at Notre Dame de la Garde in Marseille.
View attachment 179490

My Chyldish is ognig to be my first cotton one; If it works for me, I have my eye ona few colours in the Laulhere range.

These days, the most common diameter for French berets is 10p or 28cm; quite a difference from the 1950s and 60s when berets were typically smaller at 9p/25cm or (extravagantly!) 9.5p/26.5cm.

This is the sort of post that gets me in trouble!

I've been intrigued to try one of the smaller ones. It sounds like berets (Alpin and such specialties aside) fluctuated much like other caps here in the UK and in the US - bigger in the 30s, then shrinking somewhat into the 40s and 50s, before varying with fashion once more? Visitng the Basque region was an eye-opener; prior to that, I'd thought them largely "traditional dress", like the bowler in England, but seeing them worn as very muchy day to day clothing was great.

 

[Bouwerij_Jongen]

A couple weeks ago I bought two of the Chyldish cotton berets, one in Indigo and one in Rock.
Very comfortable for all day wear from sun up to lights out.

 

[Nico]

Last week of winter in the southern hemisphere. Temperature starting to rise so a bit of gardening was the call of the day.
Wearing the Laulhere Rugby beret for the task then chilling out with the supervisor.

 

[Babbo Philipe]

For a warm weather wool beret the Nutria may be a good choice. The Nutria are light weight and unlined.

My choice for warm weather is a cotton beret.
The Tolosa Tupida Grande was my favorite on a trip to the warm south of France.
It gave good sun protection and stayed on my head in windy conditions such
as at Notre Dame de la Garde in Marseille.
View attachment 179490

what a great view

 

[Babbo Philipe]

Beret wearing family. Handsomeless bloke (me) and my gorgeous daughter in law.

View attachment 180910

she is a site to behold your son is a lucky man , of coarse berets always bring out beauty above and beyong in a woman, and contentness in a man

 

[Babbo Philipe]

Last week of winter in the southern hemisphere. Temperature starting to rise so a bit of gardening was the call of the day.
Wearing the Laulhere Rugby beret for the task then chilling out with the supervisor.

View attachment 181566

View attachment 181567

awe the small pouce today

 

[Babbo Philipe]

A couple weeks ago I bought two of the Chyldish cotton berets, one in Indigo and one in Rock.
Very comfortable for all day wear from sun up to lights out.
View attachment 181086
View attachment 181087

looking good today friend

 

[Tchoupi]

Recently visited Orthez to buy a béret from Manufacture de Bérets, I was very tempted by this one, a 9 pouces in Bordeaux (you can't find this on the MB website if you want one). Visiting the workshop was a very pleasant experience, we chatted bérets and béret gossip. Hats off to Sara Goupy for all her incredible hard work and dedication. Such a nice person, I look forward very much to visiting again! Thanks very much to my companion Marie-Neige for my birthday gift of a beautiful marine coloured tarte alpin. x Also, we made our pilgramage to Bellocq, the site of the oldest known images of bérets, seen here on the old church Notre dame de Bellocq, dating from the 13th century and featuring relief images of Pilgrims on their way to Compostelle.

 

[Babbo Philipe]

View attachment 181689
Recently visited Orthez to buy a béret from Manufacture de Bérets, I was very tempted by this one, a 9 pouces in Bordeaux (you can't find this on the MB website if you want one). Visiting the workshop was a very pleasant experience, we chatted bérets and béret gossip. Hats off to Sara Goupy for all her incredible hard work and dedication. Such a nice person, I look forward very much to visiting again! Thanks very much to my companion Marie-Neige for my birthday gift of a beautiful marine coloured tarte alpin. x Also, we made our pilgramage to Bellocq, the site of the oldest known images of bérets, seen here on the old church Notre dame de Bellocq, dating from the 13th century and featuring relief images of Pilgrims on their way to Compostelle.

wished you would have called me i got the same one for sale on Ebay ,too small for my taste