Berets, Anyone?

[RJR]

Liking the colour of that russet so much i ordered one too! like I need another beret..... ;-)

 

[Humanfactor]

Berét in the Atlas Mountains.

 

[alanfgag]

Impermeable!

 

[alanfgag]

Above, a traditional French beret that I've owned for many years. I ordered a couple of new berets from Daan, including this Auloronesa, which is the finest beret I have handled - soft to the hand, with wonderful drape and comfort. A pleasure to wear.

 

[Kreissaege]

Due to an unscheduled visit to the hospital (ACS) I might be inclined to add a beard to my berets.
After all, the first week is the worst in growing a beard and I was pretty much occupied with more serious matter during that time.

 

[RJR]

Beret from Daan @ South Pacific berets this cold morning.

 

[Nico]

Due to an unscheduled visit to the hospital (ACS) I might be inclined to add a beard to my berets.
After all, the first week is the worst in growing a beard and I was pretty much occupied with more serious matter during that time.
View attachment 143666

Off to a flying start with the beard @Kreissaege . Get well soon, hope you are okay.

 

[Bouwerij_Jongen]

Berét in the Atlas Mountains.
View attachment 143203

I admire your adventures.

The beret is the perfect choice for head wear in the desert and mountains.
It can be adjusted to any position to shelter from sun and wind.

 

[Bouwerij_Jongen]

Above, a traditional French beret that I've owned for many years. I ordered a couple of new berets from Daan, including this Auloronesa, which is the finest beret I have handled - soft to the hand, with wonderful drape and comfort. A pleasure to wear

One of the Top Five ways to know you have a quality beret:
1. The label is the coat of arms for Bearn which is two red oxen on a yellow field with Manufacture de Berets in script.
You have a Boneteria Auloronesa.

 

[Daan]

Over the years, one comment pops up regularly on this forum - something along the lines of "berets are not (or hardly) worn any more these days" and "only a few old men continue wearing berets".
I am the first one to agree that yes, it is now certainly different from, say, the 1940s/1960s, but at the same time, I see an enormous increase in new customers at South Pacific Berets and evidence of a new generation picking up on beret wearing.

My brother Emile, a.k.a. the Beret Spy, has provided me with pictures of boineros/as found in the wild for many years (see the many "Beret Spy posts" on The Beret Project) and I just received the new harvest from his last couple of weeks spying.

His hunting grounds are typically the Dutch railway stations; beret wearing commuters waiting for their trains, unaware of roaming spies pretending to be on their cellphone while taking pictures secretively (sometimes not so secretive; see the pictures below...).

I get the same feedback from the manufacturers: numbers are increasing year after year (for the last 5, 6 years) and the beret has found a new audience in a younger generation, thanks to role models like Beyoncé, Madonna, and Billy Childish.
Who would have thought only 10 years ago that manufacturer Laulhère would open one shop after the other in some of the most expensive shopping areas in the world?

So yes, I think it is safe to say that beret wearing is on the rise again and that it is not confined to a few old die-hard stubborn men!

 

[Bouwerij_Jongen]

@Kreissaege I recommend letting your beard grow as long as you can until going to a barber.

 

[Bouwerij_Jongen]

My take on the current state of "Who the hell is wearing a beret?"
Daan, your photos show that the Dutch, who are both practical and fashion forward,
would be donning a beret to keep their head dry and warm and be street smart.

 

[ruvort]

Over the years, one comment pops up regularly on this forum - something along the lines of "berets are not (or hardly) worn any more these days" and "only a few old men continue wearing berets".
I am the first one to agree that yes, it is now certainly different from, say, the 1940s/1960s, but at the same time, I see an enormous increase in new customers at South Pacific Berets and evidence of a new generation picking up on beret wearing.
View attachment 143743 View attachment 143744
My brother Emile, a.k.a. the Beret Spy, has provided me with pictures of boineros/as found in the wild for many years (see the many "Beret Spy posts" on The Beret Project) and I just received the new harvest from his last couple of weeks spying.
View attachment 143745 View attachment 143746
His hunting grounds are typically the Dutch railway stations; beret wearing commuters waiting for their trains, unaware of roaming spies pretending to be on their cellphone while taking pictures secretively (sometimes not so secretive; see the pictures below...).
View attachment 143747 View attachment 143748
I get the same feedback from the manufacturers: numbers are increasing year after year (for the last 5, 6 years) and the beret has found a new audience in a younger generation, thanks to role models like Beyoncé, Madonna, and Billy Childish.
Who would have thought only 10 years ago that manufacturer Laulhère would open one shop after the other in some of the most expensive shopping areas in the world?

So yes, I think it is safe to say that beret wearing is on the rise again and that it is not confined to a few old die-hard stubborn men!
View attachment 143749 View attachment 143750 View attachment 143751

I think some of those looks/expressions are warranted. Taking unsolicited photos can be very rude.

Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk

 

[Humanfactor]

It's Veterans Day here in the States, though my parents fought for Great Britain and Canada, I would like to honor them today.

 

[Daan]

Yesterday, I published a post on Argentinian cartoonist/comic book author Héctor Beas on The Beret Project and it suddenly dawned on me how many men in this trade are dedicated beret wearers.

Of course, there is my good friend Jean-Claude Pertuzé who is, among many beautiful pieces of art, the man behind my "Beret Wizard", the Aotearoa label and Reality Shield.

Miguel Gómez Andrea, or under his nom de guerre "Gol", is a Spanish comic-book writer and illustrator, actor and playwright, typically wearing an Elósegui Pirineos. His 'Javi Cabrero' from Vitoria (Extremadura) permanently wears a black vest and Basque beret.

Odd Einarson, (1910 - 1991) was a Norwegian cartoonist and caricaturist, who published the socio-critical comic book You're Delaying Time in 1935, and after the Second World War he started, among other things, the journals The Magic Mirror and Paragraph 100.

Gary Blehm, a.k.a. Penman, created what would become PENMEN in a one room school house near Aspen, Colorado in 1977.

Long before that, there was Ernest Gabard, born in Pau (Béarn) in 1879 (and died there too, in 1957).

His creation Caddetou, always portrayed wearing a beret, blouse,sabots (wooden shoes) and with umbrella, is world famous in the whole of France.
Dr. Osamu Tezuka (1928-1989) was a Japanese graphic novel author, or manga artist and very well known for wearing his Basque beret.

His work focused on the themes of the progress, technology, environmentalism, tolerance, and reincarnation, and his messages of hope and calls for greater social responsibility have made him one of the most respected cultural figures of 20th century Japan.

 

[Daan]

Thinking of Jean-Claude Pertuzé and cartoons, good to keep in mind that if you want to order any berets for Christmas, best to do so now!

These are NZ Post's "official" cut-off dates, but still, some delay is always possible...

 

[Bouwerij_Jongen]

I can report that I am happy with the two Nutria berets made in Uruguay I got from Daan
The white is a size M 28cm in undyed natural wool.
It is whiter than I would prefer even though it is undyed.

I would like to see 30 cm berets made from the same sheep that Le Laboureur makes their wool chore coats.

The Granate - Bordeaux is 28.5cm in a mid weight wool.

Both are unlined, yet still refined.

I had to put both on the Hat Rack to put a little stretch in the one size fits all

These should be good berets to wear indoors at overheated holiday parties,
because they are midweight and unlined.

I pinned on my Pays Basque insigne to be somewhat ironic.

Maybe, Daan can enlighten on the Basque connection for the various South American beret makers.

 

[Daan]

...Maybe, Daan can enlighten on the Basque connection for the various South American beret makers.

Good question, but I can't give you a satisfying answer. Years ago, I spoke via Skype to Alejandro Riccobon (the owner of Bonigor SA, the company that makes the Espinosas and Tolosa Tupida's), but due to his English and my Spanish, despite dictionaries and Google Translate, it was hard for me to get all details right.

What I did get, is that Alejandro is of Italian and Basque origin ('Riccobon' comes from the Italian side) and that he is the 5th (or 4th..?) generation to run the business. The company started by manufacturing woolen blankets in the 19th century, but due to the high demand for Basque berets (many Basques immigrated from France and Spain to Argentina early last century), the focus soon shifted to the manufacturing of berets. And I dare say, other manufacturers could learn a few things from Bonigor, leaders in cotton beret production and merino wool berets that are exceptionally comfortable.
The owner of the Fabrica Nacional in Montevideo, Uruguay is related to Alejandro (a distant cousin), but apart from his name, Sebastian Dominoni, I know not much about him and the company's history. Have a look here at the company's website; there is a little information there.

 

[Lit Up]

Where can I get a nice military style beret in London UK? Just army surplus stores? Anything nicer?

 

[Daan]

Where can I get a nice military style beret in London UK? Just army surplus stores? Anything nicer?

As you say, my best guess would be an army surplus store - there are no specialized beret shops at all in London (or the UK for that matter). There is however a manufacturer of military headgear, Herbert Johnson.
There also is Silvermans, a company that supplies military headgear via their website. Bear in mind that although the label may state "made in the UK", the raw berets are most likely made in Pakistan or India. When a certain percentage of the work (sewing in the lining, label, headband, etc) is done in the UK, the company is legally allowed to state the goods are made in that country.

Personally, I prefer the quality and comfort of our UCA and Tartan 11.5" berets (and deliveries to London are typically within 10 days).