Berets, Anyone?

[leftyguy]

My Tolosa Tupida worked a treat for cool, sunny Swiss Alps

 

[leftyguy]

View attachment 55272 My Tolosa Tupida worked a treat for cool, sunny Swiss Alps

& again

 

[Daan]

A new week, a new SPECIAL!
The Baskenmütze Classic is, as the name implies, a classic Basque Beret. Artisan production, perfect finishing and fitted with a very pleasant viscose lining. A most comfortable beret available in sizes 57-61.

The Baskenmütze with the external slim rim is quite different from any other beret, having a small rim of felted-wool sewn on to the head-opening, effectively lifting the beret a few millimetres from the head. The actual head-opening is finished with a strip of black leatherette. The berets are fitted with two air vents and an unusual pleasant lining. The combination of the small lift with air vents causes air ventilation between the scalp and the beret, making these berets very comfortable and excellent for warmer conditions.

Why "Franco-German"? The plain hoods in merino wool are made by Laulhère in Oloron Sainte Marie (French Pyrenees) and are then modified, lined, "head-banded" and finished in Germany. A variety of linings are used, all having the same pleasant, comfortable feel.

Now on SPECIAL for one week only (or as long as stock lasts) @ $39.95 and $41.95!

 

[1280almas]

 

[Nico]

Latest beret acquisitions from S.P.B, a Brown Heritage. Thanks Daan.

 

[commanderbond]

Borsalino beret

 

[RJR]

Weather turning......rain/mist so one of Daan's "one off"models with interesting spiral knit.

 

[johnnycanuck]

Came across these today at The Bay (Hudsons Bay Company, for you non Canadians) may have to think of picking one up before winter. Shame there is no blue ones as my parents are Scottish immigrants.


$25 isn't a bad deal either.
Johnny

 

[Daan]

Came across these today at The Bay (Hudsons Bay Company, for you non Canadians) may have to think of picking one up before winter. Shame there is no blue ones as my parents are Scottish immigrants.


$25 isn't a bad deal either.
Johnny

Parkhurst is a long-time beret manufacturer, owned by the Dorothea Knitting Mills. DKM was founded in 1926, by Louis Borsook, as a wool beret manufacturer. Named after his wife, who was the first mother to ever graduate from the University of Toronto medical school, DKM has grown to become one of North America’s largest knitwear and accessory manufacturers.

DKM's berets are worn by the Canadian military; many vintage (WWII) era berets carrying the Fleur de Lis brand, stamped on the inside of the beret.

These days DKM/Parkhurst manufactures berets for various North American fashion brands, American Apparel for example.

Nice basic berets, but incompatible to any traditional Basque beret. Parkhurst berets are (these days) made for a principally female market of regular wool (versus merino wool), are un-lined and principally come in a 12" model only.

However, it is great to see that berets are still manufactured in Canada. The company is vertically integrated, and oversees all aspects of their products from raw-spun yarn, to designing, processing, dyeing, packaging and shipping a finished product.

 

[johnnycanuck]

Hot damn you are a wealth of information. At least I now know what a 12" beret look like on my head.
Johnny.

 

[Daan]

From today, the brand new Carpathian Mammoths!

The Carpathian Mammoth berets originated from the wish to simply produce a beautiful beret of very high quality, extreme comfort and showing superior craftsmanship at an affordable price.

These berets are made of high density wool (weighing 120 grams each) and come in a diameter of 32cm. Slightly larger than the Super Lujo-Grande - slightly smaller than the Alpin Chasseur Alpin.
Presently there are four extraordinary colours available: Mammoth Original (a melange of dark and medium brown shades with vague traces of gold and red), Sahara, Winter-Green and Pacific - all fitted with the traditional Czech tartan lining.

The original idea to create a 'Mammoth Beret' comes from my good friend Michael Glover (pictured above showing Prince Charles around Mahana Winery), the man behind Mammoth Wine (New Zealand's best Pinot Noir), inventor of the Reality Shield and dedicated boinero.
His wish coincided with mine, bringing a super comfortable, high quality, large diameter beret on the market at an affordable price.

I partnered with one of the world's oldest hat manufacturers, FEZCO-TONAK in Nový Jičín, a town in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic on the spurs of the Carpathian Mountains. The fact that many fossils of mammoths were discovered in that very region was a beautiful coincidence.

Michael wanted a beret that "showed and breathed mammoth" and we opted for a melange of dark browns with the vaguest slivers of red and gold in the mix (unfortunately, hard to do justice on a photo).
I extended the range with 3 more unusual colours that all fitted the model and theme.

The berets are available at both South Pacific Berets and Boneteria Aotearoa at $55.00 only.

 

[leftyguy]

Winter green ordered!

 

[Daan]

Winter green ordered!

Ah, there is something about that winter-green... Love the colour myself and with the wet and windy weather we're presently having here at the bottom of the world, a great time to break in my own.

Pre-walk, anticipating in the car...

 

[RJR]

Ah, there is something about that winter-green... Love the colour myself and with the wet and windy weather we're presently having here at the bottom of the world, a great time to break in my own.

Pre-walk, anticipating in the car...

That is a good color.

 

[leftyguy]

Hang onto those pink berets Daan.....

 

[Dreamofgilgamesh]

Tell me chaps, on a lined but headbandless beret how much of the beret is covered with the liner? Is it just the top part so to speak or does it extend to the seam that fits around the head?

Many thanks

 

[Daan]

Tell me chaps, on a lined but headbandless beret how much of the beret is covered with the liner? Is it just the top part so to speak or does it extend to the seam that fits around the head?

Many thanks

The lining of a beret covers only the "top" of the beret in a diameter slightly wider than the actual head-opening. If you covered the full inside of the beret with a satin lining, you'd deny the natural qualities of the felted merino wool (breathability, moisture and odour absorption, insulation). Satin lining is pleasant against the head (be it bald or hairy), but it also keeps warmth in; that's why a partly lined (or un-lined) beret is still very wearable in warm weather - if fully lined, it would be too hot.
Apart from all this, the un-lined part of the beret never touches the head - it is the flight that remains un-lined.
Military berets tend to have full lining, but this is usually cotton - not satin (like the fully lined Hispano Basque berets.

 

[Dreamofgilgamesh]

Ah I see, that makes perfect sense Daan, thank you very much indeed.

 

[Daan]

And when there is nothing really NEW on the beret front, there are always good shots of gauchos to post:

Like this rider in Chilean Patagonia;

these Chilean gauchos enjoy their mate, boiled in a billy over a campfire;

Father & son in Argentina;

Women too;

And beards of course. A gaucho without a beard is like a gaucho without a boina.

And this week on special: the luxurious merino wool boinas Cataluña from Uruguay; handmade, universal size, four colours available and ideal for that in-between-season wear. This week from $57.50 @ $47.50 (as long as stock lasts)!

 

[Daan]

The Parhelios Visière
Sometimes I come across a real treasure when searching for beret related material: the Parhelios Visière just made my day!

I have never seen one in real life; the ad (1st picture) comes from a 1932 newspaper and judging by the look of the coloured promos pictured below, I would think they were made until the 1970's or thereabout.
The Parhelios Visière is a Basque beret with retractable transparent eyeshield, making it a perfect accessory for (motor)-cyclists and sporters. Supposedly there was a transparent shield version and a darkened yellow version by means of sunglasses.

Would love to find one myself, but fear it may be the proverbial needle in a haystack...