Berets, Anyone?

[Bouwerij_Jongen]

Every morning I am out walking to get 10,000 steps.
For a sunny summer day I wear my cotton Tolosa Tupida Grande in pale blue.
(I can't remember the exact color name.)
A light color cotton beret is cooling and a large one is good for pulling over your ear
to block those pesky UV rays.

 

[Bouwerij_Jongen]

We had some rain come through yesterday which watered the garden and
brought cooler weather.
A good time for the cotton Boneteria Aotearoa, this time in Bordeaux.
Nice wide snug fitting headband.

 

[Nico]

A Czech Classic Wnter Green type of beret day. This is one seriously warm and comfortable beret.

 

[Daan]

The Montana Kaimin is the University of Montana's student-run independent newspaper located in Missoula, Montana. The paper is printed once a week, Wednesday, with special editions printed occasionally. This piece was published on 30 May, 1980.

Not much travelling these days, students or other - since last night New Zealand too is pestered by the global pandemic again; borders remain shut but thanks to the Almighty and NZPost, berets are still shipped around the world.
Fantastic real news is on the way (to be announced early next month), but for now, I was quite taken by these vintage ads here:

FEZCO berets at $0.59. Still available, but not that cheap.

This is from Beret HQ in New York, 20 June 1930.

Prices were up by $2.00 in 1976, as per this ad in the New York Daily News.

And this ad is from the Rutland Daily Herald (Vermont), November 1975.

 

[alanfgag]

A&S on the square. Boy does that bring back memories!

 

[Bouwerij_Jongen]

The Bayonne, France Ham Fair has been cancelled the first time in over 500 years.
The Ham Fair started in 1462 and has been held every year since except for 2020.
Supposedly the hams from the area use a special mineral infused salt that makes for
exceptional hams.
My brief tour two years ago offered ham at breakfast, ham at lunch, ham at cocktail hour, and ham at dinner.
Here is a photo from the Washington Post showing judges in 2019,
wearing their special Ham Fair embroidered berets.

 

[Daan]

I haven't been much behind my screen, for the last few weeks. The reason being a (bad) case of concussion. Visiting my mother-in-law in her new retirement home for a weekend, I managed to trip during the pitch dark night over my bag and went forward into the wall with my head. I am quite proud of the hole I created (but it did, and does, hurt)!

It only shows -once again- that one should always weer a beret, 24/7.
The beret is actually not a novel form of protection against banging one's head; the shock-absorbing felt head cover was one of the qualities that got it widely accepted into the military. When the French were training with the British Tank Corps during the First World War, Major-General Sir Hugh Elles liked their distinctive felt berets and thought they would make practical headgear for his men in tanks.

The flexible headdress allowed troops to work in extremely cramped conditions whilst providing some protection to the head. Furthermore, Elles is said to have suggested that the beret is convenient for sleeping in (if only I'd known...).

Even the Nazis, who at one stage forbade the use of the Basque beret in the Rhineland (because of it being too much a symbol of France), took up the use of the beret for their tank crews - be it with a leather helmet like frame on the inside of the beret (for a while, they even included the cabillou!).

Many boxers were known to wear a Basque beret and naughty French school kids would put their beret into their shorts (at a time when physical punishment still occurred).
The many ways in which a Reality Shield can protect you are almost endless (and then I haven't even mentioned the weather)!

 

[Bouwerij_Jongen]

Hey Daan,

Sorry to hear about your injury.
We are all hoping for your speedy recovery.
From the photo,
it seems your karma included not hitting a piece of wall board with a stud directly behind.

 

[Bouwerij_Jongen]

Daan,
Your misadventure has caused me to consider wearing a beret to bed.
I now wear a beret from waking to the last YouTube video at bedtime.
Mainly to spare me the sight of seeing myself in the mirrior with a bare head.
So, for a summer nighttime beret I would consider a cotton Castilla, Bonetaire Aotearoa,
Chyldish Fear Naught or Tolosa Tupida.
All have a nice wide headband area that provides two layers of cushioning.

 

[Daan]

Good thinking! The one missing though is Arandú's Boina Crochet, which is the thickest gaucho cotton beret and at the same time among the lightest - great for a summer's night in bed!

 

[Bouwerij_Jongen]

Hanging out to dry.
After a couple weeks of summer time activities its time to wash my Tolosa Tupida.
A couple squirts of Woolite in a wash basis, gentle mashing, a rinse, and rolling up in a
bath towel and then stepping on the towel to wring out the water.
Then a couple hours outside to dry and I can wear it again tomorow.

 

[Daan]

Rarely do new models make it to the SPECIALS page at South Pacific Berets, but this week only, the nature inspired Ibex, Tūī and Ursus boinas Super Lujo-Exclusive are on SPECIAL!

Usually at $62.50, this week only (a limited number) on SPECIAL at $42.50!

 

[Bouwerij_Jongen]

Daan,

May I offer my observation:

Elosegui, Ibex, Tui, Man, Ursus.

Now, repeat that back to me.

 

[Daan]

Great observational skills, they are coming your way! Excellent choice, Bouwerij_Jongen!

 

[Bouwerij_Jongen]

Daan,

After further reflection I began to wonder how the Elosegui berets in Ibex, Tui, Ursus colors came to be.
These berets being custom made for you.
So, there must be a story behind each name and color.

 

[Daan]

​

Big in Japan

Berets are big in Japan and have been for many decades. Apart from a good presence of imported French and Spanish berets, most berets are made in Japan. Japan may have the largest number of quality beret manufacturers within its borders and all these berets are made to a very high standard.
Most famous are the DEER Basques, made by Kongo-Shokai until the company’s closure in 2016, and now collector's items. It was hard to find a worthy alternative, but now South Pacific Berets has teamed up with Flamingo Berets.

There are many beret manufacturers in Japan, all typically providing excellent work, but only Flamingo Berets are handmade; dyed with the blessed groundwater of Mount Aso; slow dried in sunlight and the whole manufacturing process integrated in one company.
The company's base is Uki City in Kumamoto Prefecture, looking out over Mount Aso, the largest active volcano in Japan.

Flamingo Berets come in a range of models; in cotton and pure merino wool; with and without lining and in the most intense, beautiful naturally dyed colours.

The finest cotton berets available anywhere. 25 cm diameter, fitted with the Flamingo adjustable sizing system and in 4 colours, with and without satin lining.

The Flamingo Chobo 6000 is a super comfortable beret in 28cm Ø.
100% Merino wool, available in 5 colours, with and without lining and all fitted with the Flamingo adjustable sizing system.

The Flamingo W6200 and W400 models are essentially the same, apart from their weight.
The W6200 is a 85 gram merino wool beret best suited for warm and mild weather; the 115 gram W400 is great for in-between seasons and winter. Both models are without 'chobo' (cabillou), measure 30cm in diameter and are fitted with a comfortable elasticated rim which is size adjustable. The berets are unlined and fitted with the smaller Flamingo label in the rim of the band.
These handmade, naturally dyed and sun-dried berets are of a rare colour intensity and arguably the most comfortable berets to be found.

The Flamingo sizing system is an ingenious way to make the beret size adjustable; as comfortable as it is simple.
Shigematsu & Varia

The Shigematsu berets are universal models (pre-sized at 57.5cm but can easily be stretched to the largest head size). All models are made in the finest quality merino wool. These berets are typical examples of Japanese berets. The raised roof of the beret gives a more plumb, rounded appearance. Available in 5 vibrant colours.

Rice straw is a traditional material for hats and clothing in Japan, an art perfected over the centuries. The art of weaving straw is celebrated every year at the Wara Art Festival with massive sculptures made of rice straw.
And berets too are made of straw. An easy to wear, light alternative to wool and cotton berets, fitted with a headband with internal drawstring to make the beret size adjustable.
South Pacific Berets stocks one true beret (with chobo) in four colours @ $40.00.

The Basukuberē Series is -again- a very different type of beret. The beret is typical Japanese style with a roomy hood, slightly plumb appearance and without a cabillou (or 'chobo' in Japanese). Made of a combination of polyester and rayon fibers, these berets are light and, while keeping your head warm in winter, they are equally very cool in summer.

 

[Daan]

"The Best Beret" is a topic that often (re)appears on this forum, on The Beret Project, my Facebook page and numerous other blogs and Facebook pages.
I always maintain that there is no such thing as one best beret, as so much depends on the person wearing the beret. Some prefer a tight fit; others a leather headband; some like it loose and floppy, others a small diameter on top of the head; light, heavy, densely knitted or crocheted; cotton or wool...

There is of course an objective quality: the material(s) used, craftsmanship shown, durability, colour fastness, etc.
With some 140 berets in my personal collection (yes, I am a little obsessed by berets, I know...) I have come to the conclusion that for me there are, or were, no better berets than Elósegui’s Super Lujos and the Auloronesas by Manufacture de Berets.

However, I have had to adjust this statement since I started wearing the Japanese made Flamingos.
The company's base Uki City in Kumamoto Prefecture could hardly be further away from the beret’s heartlands in Béarn and the Basque Country, but in 32 years of making berets, the company has mastered the trade to a real art.

These berets are made in a tight knit of dense Australian merino wool but maintain a light weight and great shapeability. The adjustable sizing system fitted in most models make the berets perfectly size adjustable without any stretching.

All berets are dyed with natural pigments and washed and rinsed in the blessed groundwater of Mount Aso, Japan's largest active volcano. The intensity of the colours is fantastic.

Personally, I am completely hooked on the W6200 and W400 models. These berets are essentially the same, apart from their weight.
The W6200 is a 85 gram merino wool beret best suited for warm and mild weather; the 115 gram W400 is great for in-between seasons and winter. Both models are without 'chobo' (cabillou), measure 30cm in diameter and are fitted with the Flamingo elasticated rim which is size adjustable. The berets are unlined and fitted with the smaller Flamingo label in the rim of the band.

These handmade, naturally dyed and sun-dried berets are of a rare colour intensity and arguably the most comfortable berets to be found.

 

[Daan]

It's official now: the new Flamingo W6200 and W400 berets stand the New Zealand West Coast Weather Test.
Yesterday, a mild but drizzly winter day, I wore my (now favourite) navy W400 Flamingo, walking the Horowhenua Coast.

In my naive optimism, I thought I'd try the lighter W6200 model in black today, not foreseeing that 1/2 hour into my walk, the weather would change dramatically.
However, happy to see that even the lighter model easily stands the weather test; while I was soaked to the bone, my remaining hair was still dry!

I can only hope that the Flamingo Berets factory stands the weather as well as their berets do; the factory has been closed due to the typhoon that recently wiped over South West Japan and unclear how bad the damage is...

 

[Bouwerij_Jongen]

On this somber day, the situation here in Oregon is bad, very bad.
Places in Southern Oregon where my parents and siblings have lived have seen devestating fires.
Communities on the routes from the Willamette Valley over the Cascade passes to Central Oregon
have been turned to tangled wreckage and ashes.
Here in the Portland suburbs the fire threat is low but the smoke pollution makes us #1 in the world today for most unhealthy air.
The smoke and cooler air trying to move in have kept our temperatures low.
So, a good time to put on the W6200 Flamingo beret in khaki.
Over my shoulder what should be blue sky is a dull gray from wildfire smoke.

 

[Daan]

South Pacific Berets has a limited number of genuine G.I. Basque beret of the Chasseurs Ardennais, unlined and fitted with a sized headband. Sizes vary between 59 and 61. The wild boar badge, again in very limited supply, can be purchased in combination with the beret purchase only.

The unit was formed in 1933 when the 10th Regiment of the Line was renamed the Regiment de Chasseurs Ardennais. It is named after, and based in, the heavily forested and hilly Ardennes region of Belgium. They were envisaged as a counterpart to the French Chasseurs Alpins, which inspired the uniform and traditions of the Chasseurs Ardennais.

In the Second World War, the Chasseurs Ardennais took part in heavy fighting after Belgium was invaded on 10 May 1940. A unit of only 40 men held off the combined arms of the German forces, including General Rommel's "Ghost Division" for 18 days and only surrendered after running out of ammunition. When asked where the others were, they simply replied 'We are all'.

The Chasseurs Ardennais have, since their inception, worn a large (10.5p/29.5cm) green beret. The insignia worn on the cap is the head of a wild boar as found in the Ardennes region.