Berets, Anyone?

[Italian-wiseguy]

Because of the popularity of the basque beret as a workers' headgear in the past decades in Italy, it was featured in a lot of movies; particularly in very popularesque, unsophisticated (but funny nonetheless! ) comedies!

Famous italian beret-wearing actors were Enzo Cannavale

Lino Banfi

Paolo Villaggio as Fantozzi

here with colleague Gigi Reder (Luigi Schroeder) aka "Filini"

Probably the Fantozzi character, evolving from the intelligent social critic of the first two movies, to portarying an archetypical and clearly exagerated "loser" afterwards, was a co-responsible in the fall of popularity of berets in Italy.

If you wear a beret, sooner or later you are going to hear some "Fantozzi" joke: kind of Indiana Jones with fedoras in the USA...

 

[Italian-wiseguy]

But you can't write of berets in the italian movies without quoting the name of Tomas Milian: cuban/american himself, he worked a lot in Italy in the '60s and '70s, beginning in artistic "essaie" movies with Antonioni, and ending with the enormously popular character of the larger than life, gross, profanity-speaking roman cop (and former thief) Giraldi aka Er Monnezza ("junk" in roman dialect), with some spaghetti westerns in between...

with Franco Lechner

he speaks a very good italian to this day.

I'm pretty sure to have seen many images of his fellow actor and personal friend, the roman Franco Lechner aka "Bombolo", with a beret (a Basco Roma ça va sans dire) but for some reasons I couldn't find one today...

 

[Daan]

Because of the popularity of the basque beret as a workers' headgear in the past decades in Italy, it was featured in a lot of movies; particularly in very popularesque, unsophisticated (but funny nonetheless! ) comedies!

Great material, Italian Wiseguy! And some good leads to more.

Meanwhile, my Italian supplier just sent me some beautiful old pictures of workers wearing the typical Italian Popular Workers Hat, or Basco Roma.

Portrait of the workers in the petro-chemical factory Vetrocoke, 1957

Postwar Italy, Milan. Plant Pirelli Bicocca. Couple of workers along a road inside the plant. 1946

Balcksmiths, Southern Italy, 1950's

 

[Italian-wiseguy]

Thank you Daan!! Much appreciated... I'm a third generation beret-wearer and these photos reminds me of my father... I'm looking if I can find somewhere an picture of him wearing his beret when he was young...
ciao!

 

[Daan]

Surely I am not saying anything new when stating that the winter version of the Tarte is my personal favourite beret. This to the extend that even now, in beautiful spring weather here in the southern hemisphere, I find it hard to go back to anything lighter than this 200grams solid wool affair.

It was always my assumption that the only wearers of this grand beret were the French Chasseurs Alpins, but thanks to a video of the 14 July Parade in Paris (thanks, Kreissaege), I learned that there is a small unit of the Gendarmerie Nationale (French Federal Police) that also wear these tartes. It is the G.N. Peloton Haute Montage, the High Mountain Unit of the G.N.

There are different units divided over the French Pyrenees, the Haute Savoie and the Alps. Specialized in Mountain Rescue, their main means of transportation are light helicopters and skis.

For those customers who are keen on badges, I have a few pins of the GNHM available.

Altogether, a much better sight than the iconic but most uncomfortable kepi:

 

[tropero]

hi Daan
all french mountain troops wear the tarte (chasseur alpin,infanterie alpine)and since the gendarmerie is part of the army
the mountain gendarme wear the tarte,with the exception of the 2 REG(foreign legion)who kept the green beret

 

[Daan]

hi Daan
all french mountain troops wear the tarte (chasseur alpin,infanterie alpine)and since the gendarmerie is part of the army
the mountain gendarme wear the tarte,with the exception of the 2 REG(foreign legion)who kept the green beret

Thanks, Tropero. That leaves one question: what other mountain units are there in the French military. It was my understanding that the Chasseurs Alpins were the only strict 'army unit' assigned to mountain warfare (the Gendarmerie Nationale being a bit of an exception, being a police unit under the MoD but operating largely in the civilian field). Any more information much appreciated!

 

[Kreissaege]

Daan, how stiff is this winter version compared to the dress version and the officers one?
I ask because the two I already own are a bit too floppy IMO (compared to my all-time favourite, the BE Super Lujo).
And I am still not sure which size to choose. A 60 on my 61-head ist still not so tight as not to shift and I rather stretch a 59 than shrink a 60.
My 200+ gr tarte officier is a delight to wear in our temperatures just above zero, though!

 

[Kreissaege]

Daan, how stiff is this winter version compared to the dress version and the officers one?
I ask because the two I already own are a bit too floppy IMO (compared to my all-time favourite, the BE Super Lujo).
And I am still not sure which size to choose. A 60 on my 61-head ist still not so tight as not to shift and I rather stretch a 59 than shrink a 60.
My 200+ gr tarte officier is a delight to wear in our temperatures just above zero, though!

 

[tropero]

the 27eme brigade d'infanterie de montagne comprises the 7,13,27 bataillon de chasseurs alpins,the 159eme regiment d'infanterie alpine,the 93eme
regiment d'artillerie de montagne(artillery),the 4eme regiment de chasseur(wheeled armoured),the 2emeREG(foreign legion engineer)
they all wear the tarte except the legionnaire

 

[Daan]

Daan, how stiff is this winter version compared to the dress version and the officers one?
I ask because the two I already own are a bit too floppy IMO (compared to my all-time favourite, the BE Super Lujo).
And I am still not sure which size to choose. A 60 on my 61-head ist still not so tight as not to shift and I rather stretch a 59 than shrink a 60.
My 200+ gr tarte officier is a delight to wear in our temperatures just above zero, though!

It's stiff as a Wellington breeze in early spring, stiffer than any of the berets you own at present, yet the most comfortable and pleasant to wear.
Honestly, to me there is simply no nicer beret to wear...

And for you, I'd go for the size 60. I'd be surprised if you wouldn't find this one at least a good competitor for your all-time favourite Super Lujo!

 

[Moca]

Got my field tarte yesterday (tarte? isn't that a pie in french?) and sure, i'm hooked! fear you just put yourself out of business dann, why buy another beret after this one? and no worries being too hot on this gorgeous 24oC morning.
thanks for a wonderful service

 

[Daan]

Got my field tarte yesterday (tarte? isn't that a pie in french?) and sure, i'm hooked! fear you just put yourself out of business dann, why buy another beret after this one? and no worries being too hot on this gorgeous 24oC morning.
thanks for a wonderful service

Thanks Moca, fancy that - you're not the first one making a comment like that.

But hey, there's always room for more berets and -however much I like this tarte (yes, 'pie', for obvious reasons), I can't imagine you wearing it in another 2 months, living where you do!

 

[alsendk]

A fine Picture of you Daan....and you don`t seem to be running out of berets for some time :O)

I see more girls than ever before wearing a beret in the streets of Copenhagen these days, and I enjoy looking at them. Actually I think a beret suit girls and women just fine.
I found some examples of actresses and musicians girlfriends wearing berets.

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Lauren Bacall - Charlotte Rampling - Brigitte Bardot - Jane Asher - Patti Boyd

 

[Kreissaege]

A fine Picture of you Daan....and you don`t seem to be running out of berets for some time :O)

I see more girls than ever before wearing a beret in the streets of Copenhagen these days, and I enjoy looking at them. Actually I think a beret suit girls and women just fine.
I found some examples of actresses and musicians girlfriends wearing berets.

And how do they wear their berets?
Pulled down with the rim outwards, what seems do be the female style (I have until now only seen one man to do so)?
Or the male way? Any angle, s long as its more ore less flat on the head?

 

[alsendk]

It`s a question how much I dare to look at other women, while escorting my beloved wife in the streets of Copenhagen, but what I see is beautiful girls and women wearing their beret in multiple ways, according to their personal fashionable style and temper.
But especially one way to Wear the beret stands out to be the most desired I think.

I`ts best described in this Picture really.

I have always loved this headgear for women to wear, and men really can pose their individuality also, with their way to place the beret .

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Here is another musician hero of mine....John Cale, from former Group called Velvet underground, established together with Lou Reed

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[Daan]

Here is another musician hero of mine....John Cale, from former Group called Velvet underground, established together with Lou Reed

Great picture of John Cale. The movie didn't do much for me, but there are a few more great shots of Cale con boina.

Stills from the film Salamandra.

 

[Daan]

Here is another musician hero of mine....John Cale, from former Group called Velvet underground, established together with Lou Reed

The Velvet Underground; they were not really known for their berets -unfortunately-, but John Cale, Lou Reed and Andy Warhol did wear them at times. I found these Andy Warhol-themed berets on a Japanese web site.

 

[Historyteach24]

Ok I came across this Borsalino Beret. Any idea of age/what they go for??

 

[Daan]

Ok I came across this Borsalino Beret. Any idea of age/what they go for??

Well, it is a Borsalino (obviously), but unlike the Borsalino hats, their berets are actually made in France and get a Borsalino lining, label or stamp in it in Italy which qualifies them to be "made in Italy". Looking at the headband, this is a ladies' model. No idea about it's age; my guess would be 1980's...
As for value? Unless you find someone who is specifically after something like this, I don't think it's worth more than a few dollars (that it's a very small size 55 and moth damaged doesn't help).