Albert I - King of the Belgians

Albert I accompanied by 2 guides in the Italian Dolomites 

Albert I (1875 – 1934) reigned as King of the Belgians from 1909 through 1934. This was a crucial period in the History of Belgium since it included the period of World War I (1914 - 1918) when 99 percent of Belgium was overrun, occupied, and ruled by the German Empire.

Other crucial events included the adoption of the Treaty of Versailles, the ruling of the Belgian Congo as an overseas possession of the Kingdom of Belgium, the reconstruction of Belgium following the war, and the first five years of the Great Depression (1929 - 1934). King Albert was killed in a mountaineering accident in eastern Belgium in 1934, at the age of 58, and he was succeeded by his son Leopold.

Good and bad news about the new Laulhère berets...

Good and bad news about the new Laulhère berets... 

To start positively: part of the first shipment has arrived and I am very, I mean very, impressed with what I found! 

But, to get the bad news out of the way: only part of the shipment has arrived and, judging from the state of the boxes, they must have encountered some very rough weather, somewhere between France and New Zealand. 

The contents came out without any damage (thanks to some great logistician at the manufacturers - thank you!), but some 40% has not materialized, yet. 

'La Poste' and NZ Post are working on it and I am still hopeful the remaining lot will show up, sometime over the next days, but who knows... I would love to list what I do have in stock now, but simply can't as sizes and colours were mixed over the various boxes. 

What I can do, is show you the pictures of the beautiful berets that I did get in: the Béret Basque Authentique, the Bérets Bayadère and the Casquettes. And yes, as soon as I have more information, you'll find it here!

Woodville - Episode 2

The first episode of the NZ on Air funded web series Woodville launches to the public next week.

The comedy follows a group of fictional characters from Woodville who make a documentary about their fight to keep a petrochemical company out of their backyard.

The characters share and re-enact their experiences for the documentary resulting in a comedy of errors.

Woodville producer and director Georgiana Taylor says it's been great to work on a production based in and around small town New Zealand. “While the series is comical and completely fictional, we hope many New Zealanders will be able to relate to the rural way of life it depicts.”

Woodville writer and London-based Christopher Brandon agrees and says “even though the series has a distinctly Kiwi feel to it we believe the core message of community and its comedy will also appeal to an international audience.

“That's the beauty of a web series. Doesn't matter what country you're in, anyone can access Woodville once it's uploaded and live.”

Woodville launches on Tuesday 14 May at www.wouldwoodvillewin.com. Each of the six episodes will be released on subsequent Tuesdays.

Thanks, Mike H.

Deda Darko

Meher Baba

Meher Baba (1894 – 1969), born Merwan Sheriar Irani, was an Indian mystic and spiritual master who declared publicly in 1954 that he was the Avatar of the age.

At the age of 19, a brief contact with the Muslim holy woman Hazrat Babajan began his seven-year process of spiritual transformation. Over the next months, he contacted four additional spiritual figures whom, along with Babajan, he called "the five Perfect Masters." He spent seven years with Upasni Maharaj, one of the masters, before beginning his public work. The name Meher Baba means "Compassionate Father" in Persian and was given to him by his first followers.

Margaret Craske and Meher Baba both wearing berets during travels in India, 1930's

From 10 July 1925 to the end of his life, Meher Baba maintained silence, communicating by means of an alphabet board or by unique hand gestures. With his mandali (circle of disciples), he spent long periods in seclusion, during which time he often fasted. He also traveled widely, held public gatherings, and engaged in works of charity with lepers, the poor, and the mentally ill.

In 1931, Meher Baba made the first of many visits to the West, where he attracted many followers. Throughout most of the 1940s, Meher Baba worked with a category of spiritual aspirant called masts, whom he said are entranced or spellbound by internal spiritual experiences. Starting in 1949, along with selected mandali, he traveled incognito about India in what he called "The New Life." On 10 February 1954, Meher Baba declared that he was the Avatar (an incarnation of God).

Vintage New Zealand Berets

View of a young woman wearing a straw hat (Jo Howearth) and a young boy wearing a beret as seen on horseback in the Northland countryside.

Maori kids, late 1940's, unknown photographer and location

View of librarian Joe O'Neill, wearing a beret and holding a suitcase, in conversation with an elderly woman by the gate at the entrance to farm property

Man, wearing a beret, and a cow eye to eye in a paddock 1950's by Eric Lee-Johnson

Wood Art with Berets

Fane Flaws Selfportrait with beret

Peter Madden's Art

New Zealander Peter Madden's sculptural installations begin life as flat imagery, which he carefully refashions into spiralling three-dimensional objects. Gleaning images from books, magazines and encyclopaedias - National Geographic magazines are a favourite - Madden slices out the illustrations, then reassembles them in fantastical constructions. The denuded books are kept - pages intact in their spines, rustling with empty spaces - for possible future works. 

Although Madden works from second-hand imagery, he often uses photography as a metaphor when discussing his practice.

'I'm not a photographer standing on the edge of the world,' Madden has said. 'In my work, I'm cutting into a body of knowledge, poetically releasing the images.'

Elósegui 150 Años Edición Limitada with Headband!

Great news today! The Elósegui 150 Años Edición Limitada with calf leather headband in 28cm/11" have arrived. 

Meet the world's best quality, most comfortable and most luxurious beret: the special edition Elósegui 150 Años! These berets were made in a small quantity to celebrate Boinas Elósegui's 150th birthday in 2008. Made of hand selected 100% Australian merino wool, waterproofed by Telflon® treatment. ecologically moth-proofed with MITTIN FF® and thermo-regulated with smart PCM Outlast® lining, allowing adaptation to temperature: warm in winter, cool in the summer. This merino wool ensures it feels smooth, soft and comfortable due to it's natural properties of breathability, thermoregulation, durability, stretch and drape that Merino fabrics provide, next to other benefits such as odour resistance, fire and static resistance, UV absorption and sweat and moisture control. 

Merino fibres are strong and long, enabling a durable fabric and has excellent drape and wrinkle recovery. As Merino fibres are natural, and like human hair are made up of keratin proteins, they are very resilient - a Merino fibre can be bent 20,000 times without breaking. When a Merino fibre is wet, it can be extended up to 30% without damage. When the extension is released, the fibre then recovers completely to its original dimensions. 

Handmade by Spain's oldest and only surviving traditional beret manufacturer in 280 and 300mm diameter. These berets have a beautiful '150 Years Anniversary' label fitted, come in a special 150 Years Anniversary gift-box and have a cardboard information sheet included. We stock the 300mm headband-less version and the 280mm version with gold trimmed calf leather headband. You won't find a better quality, more luxurious beret, anywhere. Available here. 

Movement for Democratic Change in Zimbabwe

From 'The Zimbawean':
MDC-T youths here have been banned from wearing red berets during the party’s anniversary celebrations in September last year. 

“We are not going to allow MDC-T members to wear red berets because that reminds Matabeleland residents of the Gukurahundi onslaught. Certainly we do not want to make people cry when our party represents peace,” said the youth chairman for Bulawayo Province, Bekithemba Nyathi.

But the decision did not go down well with some party members who were involved in designing the berets as a self-help project. Also some youths who had sewn red dresses to match the berets were disappointed.

“Bekithemba was supposed to tell us about the ban before we spent our money on material,” said one youth who asked not to be identified.

The wearing of red berets is an emotional issue in Matabeleland. Like the Zimbabwe National Army’s military police, Mugabe’s notorious Fifth Brigade wore red berets.

Jack Nicholson and his NY Yankees Beret

He's never going to be someone who blends into the crowd.

And Hollywood legend Jack Nicholson certainly stood out as he wandered the streets of Paris on 1 March, dressed eclectically after jetting in for the funeral of friend Willy Rizzo. The Shining actor headed to the family home of the late Italian photographer to give his condolences before changing into a more appropriate outfit for the funeral later in the day.

Wanting to assimilate to the French culture but not lose his US identity, the star donned a New York Yankees beret, worn especially for the trip.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police

It's not my habit to post pictures of police and military units wearing military style berets on The Beret Project, but the Jammu and Kashmir Police is well worth an exception. The combination of long beards and maroon berets is not often seen together in any (para)-military unit.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police is the law enforcement agency for the state of Jammu and Kashmir in India. They work with the Indian Army, the Central Reserve Police Force, and other Paramilitary forces of India to keep the state secure from incursions from Pakistan. They investigate cases of alleged misconduct by other units of the security forces.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police comes under direct control of Department of Home Affairs, Government of Jammu and Kashmir. The Jammu and Kashmir Police is headed by Director General of Police (DGP).

Martí Boada, con Boina

Marti Boada is a geographer, naturalist and doctor in environmental science at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, UAB).

Boada's main research fields are environmental change, urban and forest biodiversity and environmental communication.

He is a member of the Spanish Committee of UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme), the Education and Communication Commission of the IUCN (The World Conservation Union) and the Global 500 Forum of the United Nations Environment Programme.

Czechs M*/F*

Role Models

New on Special!

New in the 'SPECIALS SECTION', the béret Vrai Basque is one of the oldest, and most popular, beret labels still in production. Now on special for a limited time at only $ 49.50 in two diameters in Marine/Navy. 

The Vrai Basque is available in a small diameter beret of 9 pouces (256mm) and also available in the larger diameter of 10.5 pouces (291mm).
Matching satin lining, carrying the embroidered Vrai Basque label and naturally impermeable.

Charlize Theron with Beret

Charlize Theron is a South African actress and fashion model. She rose to fame in the late 1990s following roles in The Devil's Advocate, Mighty Joe Young, and The Cider House Rules. 

The Berlin Wall; Before, During & After

Construction of the Berlin Wall at the corner of Lindenstrasse and Zimmerstrasse.

Along 'die Mauer"

Selling The Wall

Emanuel Felke with Baskenmuetze

The Protestant pastor Leopold Erdmann Emanuel Felke (1856 - 1926) was a naturopath who developed the eponymous Felke cure, and who was active in Repelen near Moers from 1896 to 1914 and in Bad Sobernheim from 1915 to 1925. He also practiced iris diagnosis (iridology).

Pastor Felke in Repelen in front of the Linden Hotel

Because his treatments included applications of clay and clay baths, Felke was often referred to as the clay pastor. Felke's regimen included a healthy diet and outdoor exercise. His patients were given meals that contained little meat, healing earth applications and cold baths in outdoor zinc bathtubs, and they had to sleep on clay floors or straw sacks in cabins open to the light and air.

Thanks, Yehuda