Dave Rogers - Making Gear for Legends

Meet Dave Rogers, a customer from Rio Rancho, New Mexico. 

Dave is the founder/owner/director of DS-Tactical ("Gear made for Legends"), is of Basque heritage and glad to have finally found a beret that is wearable in the hot desert sun behind the forge where he makes his legendary knives (a boina Tolosa Tupida en Algodon). 

Not much of a knife-man myself, I do really appreciate the craftsmanship and dedication of a true artisan craftsman. 

Everything Is Illuminated

It took me years (and an email from Canadian beret enthusiast Jamie) to realize that Eugene Hütz, one of the main characters in the film Everything is Illuminated, wears a beret (a Kangol beret, to be precise). A great movie with an even greater mix of music, from punk to Balkan, hip hop to classic and many traditionals in between.   

A young man takes a strange and unexpectedly funny journey in search of a family heroine he's never known in this screen adaptation of the novel by Jonathan Safran Foer. Jonathan (Elijah Wood) is a lifelong collector of any and all objects pertaining to his family, and he has become obsessed with a woman he's never met. The woman saved the life of his grandfather during World War II, when the Ukrainian town where he was born was destroyed by Nazi troops.

Wanting to know more about the woman, Jonathan flies to the Ukraine, where with the help of a hip-hop obsessed, gold-toothed tour guide and translator named Alex (Eugene Hütz), Alex's grandfather (a chauffeur who has claimed to be blind since his wife's death, played by Boris Leskin), and a dog named Sammy Davis Junior Junior, Jonathan searches for the meaning of the present that lies buried in the past, unexpectedly shedding the same such light on the lives of those around him. 

Everything Is Illuminated was the first directorial assignment for acclaimed actor Liev Schreiber.

Svan Hats vs NY made 6 Panel Felt Caps

I have written about the Svan felt hats of (the Republic of) Georgia before and since then I have tried endlessly to find and import these great hats - unsuccessfully, so far...

While searching, I did find some interesting material though, like these photographs here.

There are even organized Felt Svanetian Hat Making Courses for foreign tourists these days, something unthinkable during my last stay in Georgia 14 years ago. 

The similarities with the Basque beret are plentiful of course: both hats were found (and continued to be made by) shepherds, mountain people; felted wool made into hats for centuries without any change (or compromise) to the original design, all natural materials, etc., etc. 

Despite the enormous changes that Georgia has gone through over the last two decades, internet-ordering felt hats made by peasant women from the other side of the world, still proves to be difficult - I'll keep trying though.

I did find an alternative that, despite being pretty far removed from the traditional Svan hat, really took my liking.

These 6-panel felted wool skull caps are US made and a fantastic alternative for a beret (for those who need or like the (occasional) alternative, of course. 









I ordered a small number in a variety of colours. Great hats showing good craftsmanship and from today available here! 

Mountaineer Charlie Porter

Fellow beret enthusiast Jolyon from the UK sent me a link to a climbers forum; it's about this mythical climber Charlie Porter. Most interesting, he not only climbs in white clothing, he also dons a white beret (and strangely, not many people do - it's probably my favorite Tolosa Tupida, actually).

Unfortunately, I couldn't find relevant pictures of Charlie with beret, but the beret being the standard headgear for many climbers for generations, I post some other good shots, along with part of the named thread:

On a pleasantly cool morning, early in the Summer of 1973 (or was it 1974?) my climbing buddy (and high school classmate) Randy and I were perched on a belay ledge, mid-way up an obscure route, on an obscure crag, in what had to be backest of the backwaters of the climbing world at that time. We were on one of the granite crack 'n slab climbs found in Little Cottonwood Canyon, a few miles east of Salt Lake City. As we re-racked gear in preparation for the next pitch, we noticed the head of a climber appear over a bulge in the rock below us. It was a hat, actually -- a white beret, which we then observed was worn by a man with curly white hair, white eyebrows, and blonde-white beard. The rest of his clothing was white as well, including shirt, pants, and socks. He had smudges of white powder on his face, and his hands were powdery white. For a couple of provincial schmucks like Randy and I, the appearance of this climber was nothing less than other-worldly.

We were also amazed by how quickly he was moving; Randy commented that his belayer must be literally throwing the rope up the rock to keep pace. The Man wasn't carrying much gear -- a couple of nylon runners and a few 'biners. And a mysterious, powder-covered bag clipped to the back of his swami. He was coming up the same route we were on, which begins with a 5.8 straight-in hand crack and finishes with a couple of pitches of 5.8 smears, knobs and crystals. 

But our sense of amazement wasn't limited to his climbing speed, or his somewhat freakish appearance. He deviated a little to the left as he passed our belay, acknowledged our presence with a slight nod, and continued upward. Then, the end of his rope appeared over the bulge below us, while he kept climbing. We were dumbfounded. What the hell happened to his belayer? A major communication fowl-up? Poorly-tied knots? WTF????

The modern reader will no doubt get a good chuckle out of our naivete. In just a few moments, Randy and I -- the quintessential country bumpkins -- were exposed to previously unimaginable concepts, like using gymnastic chalk for climbing, and free-soloing. After we finished our climb, we could hardly wait to head to our local climbing shop to report what we'd seen. "Oh, yeah" one of the guys in the shop said, "that would have been Charlie Porter. I hear he's got a construction job in town for the Summer, and that he's been seen scoping out some of the local crags." Randy and I knew who Charlie Porter was -- he was one of the climbing heroes that snot-nosed high-schoolers like Randy and I absolutely worshiped. We kicked ourselves for not having recognized him, and for having missed a chance to perhaps even chat with him for a few moments.

Thanks, Jolyon

Osamu Tezuka (2)

This special beret is manufactured by Ginza Traya Boshi-ten, one of the places Mr. Tezuka Osamu used to purchase a beret. Inside the beret is a tag with embroidery of the “Mushi”. 

The beret is on display in the museum and copies are for sale at 6.000Yen at the museum store. 

Have a look at this film on Osamu Tezuka. 

New Page at South Pacific Berets

Following this morning's announcement of the Boinas Elosegui Clean Out, a new page has been added to the web shop of South Pacific Berets. 

The berets shown on this page are often one-offs (the picture showing the actual beret on sale), sometimes stock remainders in a small number of similar berets, sometimes vintage and second hand berets. It is a constantly changing assortment of berets.

At present, some great Boinas Tolosa Tupida en Algodon for sale, with lining and Moroccan leather headbands, Welsh's berets, a Pyrenees Peaked Cap by Boinas Elosegui, a French made Super Basque and more...

Guillaume Cornelis van Beverloo a.k.a. Corneille (2)

Researching Corneille for last Friday's post, I came upon these interesting pictures.

Corneille wearing a type of peeked cap with a txortena (the 'wick' in the center, which is the last bit of thread used to "close" the beret). 

I have no information on these hats, despite many hours spent searching. I do have a few similar hats in my own collection though, but apart from the label stating they are 'Basque' and 'made in France', they don't tell me anything. 

I would love to hear from readers who know more about these caps.

Boinas Elosegui Clean Out!

Reorganizing the stock at South Pacific Berets, I found a few left-over berets that I don't stock anymore. Small numbers, but of course, brand new and in perfect condition.

Not wanting to create even more pages on the web shop, I offer these Boinas Elósegui berets here and now at a very discounted price:
The Exposición Básica in a large (30cm/11.8") diameter @ $30.50

and the Exposición Tupida ("thick", "dense") in 28.5cm/11.2" @ 34.50.

Be in quick, as numbers are limited!

Robert Crumb

Robert Dennis Crumb (born August 30, 1943) is an American artist, illustrator, and musician recognized for the distinctive style of his drawings and his critical, satirical, subversive view of the American mainstream.

Crumb was a founder of the underground comix movement and is regarded as its most prominent figure. Though one of the most celebrated of comic book artists, Crumb's entire career has unfolded outside the mainstream comic book publishing industry. 

One of his most recognized works is the "Keep on Truckin'" comic, which became a widely distributed fixture of pop culture in the 1970s. Others are the characters Devil Girl, Fritz the Cat, and Mr. Natural.

He was inducted into the comic book industry's Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1991.

Guillaume Cornelis van Beverloo a.k.a. Corneille (1)

Guillaume Cornelis van Beverloo (1922 – 2010), better known under his pseudonym Corneille, was a Dutch artist.

Corneille was born in Liege, Belgium, although his parents were Dutch and moved back to the Netherlands when he was 12. He studied art at the Academy of Art in Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. He was one of the founders of the REFLEX movement in 1948 and in 1949 he was also one of the founders of the COBRA movement, which has had great influence on Scandinavian art. He was active within the group from the beginning, not only painting but also publishing poetry in the Cobra magazine. He was a cofounder of the Experimentele Groep in Holland.

The poetic Corneille was strongly influenced by Miró and Klee. After the group dissolved in 1951 he moved to Paris and began collecting African art. These primitive artifacts became evident in his works, which began to take on a more imaginative style, like landscapes seen from a bird's eye view, exotic birds and stylised forms. 

Until his death Corneille lived and worked in Paris, made visits to Israel where he worked with the Jaffa Atalier.

He died at Auvers-sur-Oise, France.

The Cotton Espinosa are back in Stock!

It has taken a long time, but they are back: the cotton Boinas Espinosa in Navy and Black (and of four other colors as well).

Compañero Yuri from Valparaíso

Please meet Compañero Yuri, a Valparaíso (Chile) communist sandwich maker, library owner, artist, and Salvador Allende fan. He describes himself as "redder than ketchup.

All of the sandwiches are named after Communist leaders and Chilean leftists.

Igor Stravinsky

Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (1882 – 1971) was a Russian-born, naturalized French, later naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor.

He is widely acknowledged as one of the most important and influential composers of 20th century music. He was a quintessentially cosmopolitan Russian who was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of the century.
Stravinsky's compositional career was notable for its stylistic diversity. 
Stravinsky displayed an inexhaustible desire to explore and learn about art, literature, and life. This desire manifested itself in several of his Paris collaborations. Not only was he the principal composer for Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, but he also collaborated with Pablo Picasso (Pulcinella, 1920), Jean Cocteau (Oedipus Rex, 1927) and George Balanchine (Apollon musagète, 1928). His taste in literature was wide, and reflected his constant desire for new discoveries. The texts and literary sources for his work began with a period of interest in Russian folklore, progressed to classical authors and the Latin liturgy, and moved on to contemporary France (André Gide, in Persephone) and eventually English literature, including Auden, T. S. Eliot and medieval English verse.
He died at the age of 88 in New York City and was buried in Venice on the cemetery island of San Michele. 

Thanks, Michael

The German Series #13 - Eckhard Dietz

Eckhart Dietz is a German sculptor in Schwäbisch Gmünd. After studying biology, he studied from 1955 to 1961 at the Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart under Prof. Otto Baum. 

Since 1962 he has been a freelance sculptor and teacher at several universities, besides being a consultant to the Art Commission in Baden-Wuerttemberg.

Dance is a major component in Dietz's work, creating snapshots of 'bodies in motion' in aluminium and stainless steel.

Why the French wear Berets according to Mo' Mamet

An interview in the NY Times in which David Mamet shines a light on the origins of French beret wearing:

"On the cover of your book you’re wearing a baseball cap. I’m more used to seeing you in a beret. I’m wondering if you’ve ditched the beret to protest what you call Obama’s “appeasement” of Europe? No, you’re thinking too hard. The baseball cap is kind of working wear because when you’re on a movie set you want to keep the light out of your eyes if you’re outside except when you’re looking through the camera and you turn your hat backwards. The beret on the other hand is when I’m wearing my human-being wear. The beret is great when you travel for two reasons. A) You can stuff it in your pocket, and B) when you get to the hotel you can turn it upside down and put your keys and your glasses and your watch inside it on the bedside table and you don’t have to hunt for them.

That’s genius. Did somebody tell you to do that? No, I made it up. You know where the French passion for the beret came from?

No idea. Somebody told me it was because of Jack Johnson. Johnson who was, of course, the heavyweight champion of the world, was a huge hit in France. They revered him. He was bald so he always wore a beret. They wore the beret in homage to Jack Johnson.

You’re telling me that it took Jack Johnson for the French to start wearing the beret? I think so. But whether or not it’s true, it’s a great story."