Berets, Anyone?

[NoHorse]

Kreissaege, that's about as wide as my vented Tilley sun hat! Do you have it pulled forward, or does it project out from your head equally all around?

What do you do if it's windy? Shape it like an airfoil to keep you on the ground, or simply go hang gliding?

And thanks for the input on wearing in a beret. What you describe is more or less what happened with my 265, and it's now found its shape. My 255 is another story - I have had problems getting the opening large enough (several overnighters with a hat jack) and it appears to pull itself back a bit after stretching. Still working on it.

 

[Kreissaege]

They stay put, even if its windy. the spanish ones, that is. There is a huge difference in stiffness between the solid Boinas Elosegui and the fmore flexible french ones, with the exeption of the winter tarte.
Only the very big ones (320mm +) have enough fold at the back of the head and protect my eyes from the sun. IMO the head-size is a major factor in selecting a beret. Mine is big (61 cm), so outside I prefer the larger berets .

 

[Nico]

Nice berets Keissege.
I joined this fine group to learn about berets from all the good folk.
It is my intention to have berets for all weather conditions and occasions .

 

[leftyguy]

View attachment 47305 What good a beret if it doesnt give shelter? View attachment 47304

oh yes....like it!

 

[RJR]

View attachment 47305 What good a beret if it doesnt give shelter? View attachment 47304

Nice.

 

[Kreissaege]

Nice berets Keissege.
I joined this fine group to learn about berets from all the good folk.
It is my intention to have berets for all weather conditions and occasions .

Only so few?

 

[Michael A]

I picked up this in a thrift store yesterday,
P1170518 by Michael A2012, on Flickr

And wore it downtown today,
Elosegui Super Lujo Beret by Michael A2012, on Flickr

If I recall, my first sewing project was a fulled wool beret. That one, an Albert Kempf military model and a Boy Scouts of America Official model are the extent of my collection at the moment. I think it needs some building on.

Michael

 

[Daan]

I picked up this in a thrift store yesterday,
P1170518 by Michael A2012, on Flickr

And wore it downtown today,
Elosegui Super Lujo Beret by Michael A2012, on Flickr

If I recall, my first sewing project was a fulled wool beret. That one, an Albert Kempf military model and a Boy Scouts of America Official model are the extent of my collection at the moment. I think it needs some building on.

Michael

Hi Michael,

Nice beret. It is the beret of the Spanish Paracaidista, the Airborne Forces of the Spanish army and Spanish Foreign Legion. It is likely the best beret any soldier can wish for: made in Boinas Elósegui's Super Lujo quality!
Here two pictures of the beret in the military (army left and Foreign Legion right):

 

[Michael A]

Hi Michael,

Nice beret. It is the beret of the Spanish Paracaidista, the Airborne Forces of the Spanish army and Spanish Foreign Legion. It is likely the best beret any soldier can wish for: made in Boinas Elósegui's Super Lujo quality!

Thanks Daan. I guess that means I have two military, one quasi military (BSofA) and one homemade beret. And I did not know that Spain had a Foreign Legion. I must say it was an extremely comfortable and handy piece of kit in the chill winds this morning.

Michael

 

[Daan]

This morning in the New Zealand Daily News, an article that will send shockwaves through the world of manufacturers and suppliers of Che Guevara paraphernalia:

In a further step signifying warming relations, Cuba has asked assistance of the United States in an emerging controversy over commercial rights to the likeness of famed Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara.

The Cuban Ministry of Foreign Trade accused entrepreneurs in the United States of illegally profiting from Guevara’s popularity, particularly among college students, nearly 50 years after the Communist guerilla fighter helped Fidel Castro seize control of Cuba.
Millions of tee-shirts bearing Che’s portrait are openly sold each year in mainstream U.S. department stores and by online vendors. Replicas of Che’s signature black beret affixed with a star are also gaining widespread popularity in U.S. stores.

“I want to emphasize, we are not opposed to commercial use of Che’s image or his ideas. Those days are past. But the law of our country is explicit. All goods sold in his name or reflecting his image must be properly licensed by the government of Cuba,” said the country’s Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment, Rodrigo Malmierca Diaz.

The ministry sought the assistance of the U.S. State Department and the independent U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council in explaining Cuba’s trademark and copyright laws.
Thousands of U.S. businesses are lining up to open trade links with Cuba. But Malmierca Dias said that none will be approved for entry into the country until the U.S. acknowledges – and enforces – Cuba’s licensing requirements related to Guevara.


“We cannot waver on this. Che remains one of the most recognizable and important revolutionaries in history. He is a venerated figure in Cuba, and this must be affirmed by other nations who wish to conduct business in Cuba or with Cuban companies,” he said.
While Cuba’s focus is on the U.S., other nations big and small, will be held to the same trade standards, Malmierca Diaz said. He specifically mentioned China, France and Guevara’s native Argentina.


Cuba said it had commissioned a marketing survey and found that Guevara’s signature beret is the most widely recognized head covering in the world, surpassing the Pope’s distinctive white Mitre. And the Ministry cited the following entry from Wikipedia about Cuban photographer Alberto Korda’s famed portrait of the Marxist revolutionary: “…the Maryland Institute College of Art called the picture a symbol of the 20th century and the world's most famous photo. Versions of it have been painted, printed, digitized, embroidered, tattooed, silk-screened, sculpted or sketched on nearly every surface imaginable, leading the Victoria and Albert Museum to say that the photo has been reproduced more than any other image in photography.”

Malmierca Diaz said the cost of licenses to sell Guevara berets or photographic reproductions were still under consideration. But he urged businesses to proceed so that applications can be processed in timely fashion once the fee schedule is announced.
Proceeds from the license fees will be used to maintain the Che Guevara mausoleum in Santa Clara, Cuba, and expand museum exhibits elsewhere to tell the story of this national hero. Guevara’s mausoleum is topped by a statute of the revolutionary wearing, of course, his timeless beret.

 

[NoHorse]

I read recently that there is a statue of Abraham Lincoln somewhere in Havana.

Is the Cuban government going to pay royalties for the public display of this image?

Is the Cuban government going to pay royalties to any beret manufacturer for the image of Che that they have been using as propaganda?

What a bunch of sphincters.

(moderators please delete if this is just toooo off-topic)

 

[leftyguy]

pinch, punch etc etc
Daan gets in first as he's soooo much further East than the rest of us!

 

[Daan]

You are absolutely right, Leftyguy! Ah, and with the day drawing to a close in this part of the world, on this 1st day of April, I can comfort you all that no extra levies or taxes will be put on Che Guevara paraphernalia.
Yes, it really is the 1st of April and, although written by a real top journalist (thanks John), the story is no more than a joke.

 

[NoHorse]

Boy... hook, line and sinker.

 

[leftyguy]

Spring is here, so time for my new cotton beret. Thx Daan!

 

[leftyguy]

why can't I edit my last post? "edit" button has disappeared.....I want to rotate the photo....

 

[NoHorse]

Beret spotting:

So a couple of days ago a beret-wearing gentleman strode past me. I noticed the beret had a cabillou and a also military-style leather edge, complete with the little strings trailing down the back. Interesting!

I finished the message I was tapping into my phone and raced off to catch up with him. We had quite a conversation about his beret, and about the stetsons he owns. I got this photo of the inside:



The three rather large ventilation holes are on the wearer's right side, yet he wore the bereret down over his right ear. The strings disappeared into the edging and were clearly for adjusting the fit. The label appears to say "Karnet" and the wearer couldn't tell me much about this company

 

[Daan]

Beret spotting:

So a couple of days ago a beret-wearing gentleman strode past me. I noticed the beret had a cabillou and a also military-style leather edge, complete with the little stings trailing down the back. Interesting!

I finished the message I was tapping into my phone and raced off to catch up with him. We had quite a conversation about his beret, and about the stetsons he owns. I got this photo of the inside:



The three rather large ventilation holes are on the wearer's right side, yet he wore the bereret down over his right ear. The strings disappeared into the edging and were clearly for adjusting the fit. The label appears to say "Karnet" and the wearer couldn't tell me much about this company

The brand name 'Karnet' is unknown to me (likely to be Czech made, as the word "vlna" for wool is listed first on the label), but it is certainly not the only "hybrid" beret. Typically beret manufacturers in Germany and the Czech Republic combine Basque and military styles in one beret.
The Franco-German Baskenmütze for example has an external headband like military berets and also 2 air vents on the side, yet at the same time the cabilliou is left in place. The plain hoods, consisting of pure merino wool, come from Laulhère in France and are then modified, lined, "head-banded" and finished in the German (old hatters-)town of Luckenwalde.

The Czech made Service Star is different again; does not have the cabilliou in place, but is fitted with the military beret style leather headband, three air vents on the side and with colourful, tartan, lining.

I am always surprised how few people choose these berets. Both models are actually extremely comfortable and I wear mine regularly. Typically, I wear my tartan lined Service Star with the headband folded inwards, Basque style:

 

[Los Coquille]

I was wearing my Kangol "Monty" today. I'd love it if it wasn't made in China.

Hey guys first post here. Just questioning why hats being made in china is a bad thing? Isn't it slightly racist to consider a hat less valuable purely because of where it was glued together?

 

[Daan]

Hey guys first post here. Just questioning why hats being made in china is a bad thing? Isn't it slightly racist to consider a hat less valuable purely because of where it was glued together?

Absolutely! If Chinese made berets were "bad" for the simple reason that they were made in China, that would be racist. However, the issue is not that they are Chinese made, but that they are made at very low cost and of poor quality. In its most extreme form, you'll find Chinese made berets at a cost price as low as $1.00 on websites like Alibaba and Ebay. Apart from the embarrassingly small amount that a worker would get from that money, it is simply not possible to manufacture a quality beret at that cost. All traditional (quality) berets are made of pure merino wool, the cost of which is already more than $1.00 per beret. To keep the cost low, these berets are knitted in a very loose knit and of a very thin thread; the result being an ultra light beret like hat without any substance. Wear it once in the rain and it looks as if you pulled a wet sock over your head.
When you realize how much work goes into making a beret, even into a poor quality made one (the number of actions required are still pretty much the same), I wouldn't feel comfortable wearing a beret that so obviously could only be made through exploitation.
Of course, companies with well established names (such as Kangol) are of better quality than what I sketched above, but still, they can't possibly compare to any of the French, Spanish or South American made Basque berets (and whether the workers get any more money out of that higher cost price, is pretty questionable).

Further to the racism part, some of the best quality berets were made in Japan (the illustrious DEER Basques). Nothing against Asian made.