Ornaments

Only for the dedicated boinero, naturally, are the many gadgets, ornaments and paraphernalia depicting our beloved headgear. Table gongs; wooden boxes; leather work; drinking mugs; wood carvings... You name it!

After the War

Senior man in Sarajevo cemetery, Bosnia

Man walking through deserted street, Bosnia

East Jerusalem, 1971

More from Vogue: "Glazed NYC"

According to fashion magazine Vogue, “wearing a beret isn’t easy”. I quote: : “These days the wool topper may invite cringe-worthy connotations, like a wannabe Francophile or a pseudo-intellectual.”

But there is hope, as “the designers of accessories label Glazed NYC, Shelby Macklin and Banna Gebremichael, have given the beret a fresh new life and a makeover. The cool, revamped classics come in tomato red crushed vinyl or zebra-print faux fur, while the boldest piece in lime green matte vinyl—ironically christened with the straightlaced name The Peggy Beret—is said to “spice up any ’fit like a jalapeño” and is inspired by Lil’ Kim’s outfit in “Crush on You.” The kicky hats are a far cry from the black felt pieces worn by the usual Left Bank suspects like Françoise Hardy or Brigitte Bardot. According to Macklin.”

“Though their berets are swiftly gaining popularity, Macklin admits it can take some chic bravado to wear the headwear.”

That must make me, and you I guess, true super heroes!

"Berets enhance your whole look. If you wear all black on a daily basis, which most people in New York especially do, and you put on one of the berets, your outfit gets 10 times better.”

Zoe Alayrangues' Street Style

From Vogue: "French model Zoe Alayrangues is giving a new bite to the time-honored beret. The 18-year-old Parisian is an avid thrifter with an affinity for Nike sneakers, and a style that she describes as “weirdo.” Alayrangues often uses the beret to “embellish” her casual looks. “I could wear joggers [sweat pants] like everyone else, but I wear a beret to counter the style,” writes Alayrangues. “The beret adds a classical touch.”

That touch has to do with a certain amount of attention. Alayrangues’s outfits are punctuated by the hat, rather than merely complemented by it. A simple white T-shirt and black skirt, a charming summer slip dress with New Balance sneakers, and a slinky black suit are all taken to a completely new place once there’s the addition of a striking red beret. 

“I have a lot of [berets], but I can’t find green, pink, or light blue, which pisses me off,” says Alayrangues, who also favors classic black, as well as a red one with black piping and a gold star on the front. “I buy them in secondhand shops, like Guerrisol.”

 For those looking to emulate her style, they’d do best to take a hit of her confidence. For her favorite place to wear a beret, Alayrangues says, “I like to sit on the ‘bank’ with friends and drink wine with saucissons [sausages] while looking at boys,” she says. “Then I love to bring them to dance.”

Submarine Berets

A Royal Navy submariner recently received US Navy Submarine Service 'dolphins', making him just the second UK officer to qualify on a US Navy submarine.

Similar to the crews of tanks, submariners too found that the beret is the most comfortable piece of headgear in a confined space. No peak that's always in the way, grease and oil don't stain the black beret and it acts very well as a cushion when banging the head.

Chilean Navy Submarine Crew with Black Beret.

HMS Talent

Australian Submarine Service

French Submarine Service

Israel Submarine Service

Netherlands Submarine Service

Netherlands Submarine Service

The Phrygian cap

The Phrygian cap is a soft conical cap with the top pulled forward, associated in antiquity with several peoples in Eastern Europe and Anatolia, including Phrygia, Dacia and the Balkans.

In early modern Europe it came to signify freedom and the pursuit of liberty through a confusion with the pileus, the felt cap of manumitted (emancipated) slaves of ancient Rome. Accordingly, the Phrygian cap is sometimes called a liberty cap; in artistic representations it signifies freedom and the pursuit of liberty.

It is used in the coat of arms of certain Republics (like Haiti, Argentina, Cuba and Columbia) or of republican State institutions (like the US Senate) in the place where otherwise a Crown would be used (in the heraldry of monarchies). It thus came to be identified as a symbol of the republican form of government. A number of national personifications, in particular France's Marianne, are commonly depicted wearing the Phrygian cap.

Of course, its similarity with the Catalan barretina is no coincidence; it is a direct descendent of the Phrygian Cap.

https://southpacificberets.com/catalan-barretines.php

The Washington Squares

The Washington Squares were a 1980s neo-beatnik folk revival music group.

Modeled after early 1960s groups like The Kingston Trio and Peter, Paul and Mary, the group was named after New York City's Washington Square Park, emblematic of Greenwich Village. The group, consisting of Bruce Jay Paskow, Tom Goodkind, and Lauren Agnelli, came up with their name over free drinks provided by Agnelli, who was a waitress at a Mickey Ruskin's Chinese Chance off Washington Square Park where Goodkind and Paskow were regulars.

Paskow, Goodkind, and Agnelli dressed, played, and sang in a style evocative of the idealistic, left-leaning folk revival groups of the Kennedy era, but added a layer of post-punk Reagan-era irony.

How To Wear Your Barretina?

Like berets, there are many ways how to wear a barretina. Much depends on the length of the barretina, as they typically come in 3 variations: 3, 5 and 7 pams. The 7 pams model is by far the longest and is usually worn rolled up (apart from the Portuguese barrete pescador version). 

Most visitors of this blog would happily pass on the extra long 7 pams version and therefore we stock mainly 3 pams barretines; still long enough to fit in your cellphone, wallet and pipe!

Béarnais Micro Breweries

Presently there are 6 established micro breweries in Béarn. Blondes, Reds, Ambers, British beers... The choice is endless. 

No surprise to find the brewers wearing a beret; BrasserieTauler, certified organic beer makers, actually feature the beret on their label!

Seydou Keïta

The great African portraitist Seydou Keïta lived in Bamako, Mali from 1921 to 2001. A self-taught photographer, he opened a studio in 1948 and specialized in portraiture. Seydou Keïta soon photographed all of Bamako and his portraits gained a reputation for excellence throughout West Africa.

 

Seydou Keïta was discovered in the West in the 1990s. His first solo exhibition took place in 1994 in Paris at the Fondation Cartier. This was followed by many others in various museums, galleries and foundations worldwide. He is now universally recognized as the father of African photography and considered one of the greatest photographers of the 20th century.

Beards & Berets - Again

The classic combination of beard and beret; here the latest additions to the files:

Los Tramposos

 

Los tramposos ("The cheaters") is a 1959 Spanish comedy film directed by Pedro Lazaga and starring Tony Leblanc and Antonio Ozores.

The movie is about two small-time con-men, who make a living of swindling people. They have a relatively happy life despite some "visits" to Carabanchel Prison. However, one of them, Virgilio, falls in love with the sister of his partner. Since she is not happy about their style of living, they decide to become honest people. Having failed in other jobs, open their own travel agency, which turns out to be a success after some comical incidents.

Spanish critic Carlos Aguilar in his Guía del cine español considers this film "in his own way, a classic".

David Lozeau

David Lozeau creates Day of the Dead art in a non-traditional way, injecting modern, Lowbrow style into the centuries-old Dia de los Muertos subject matter. He paints unique, expressive skeleton characters and layers enamel over acrylics and gouache to achieve fine details and a smooth, bright finish for his graphic novelesque presentation. This is his way of celebrating and paying homage to his favorite time of year.

The Day of the Dead takes place on November 2nd as a way to pay tribute to the departed. Similar to the November 1st Catholic holiday "Día de los Inocentes," which honors children or infants who have passed, el Día de los Muertos is steeped in the tradition of celebrating life through music, dance, food, art, prayer, and family togetherness.

Sentimental offerings, or "ofrendas," such as bread, toys, candy, flowers, and pictures are placed upon candle-adorned altars or graves as gifts to loved ones, while wood, clay, tin, and paper are transformed into whimsical skull masks and sculptures to exchange and display. Catrina, an elegant, skeletal woman made famous by printmaker José Guadalupe Posada in the early 1900s, is one of the most recognizable figures in the Day of the Dead holidays and still permeates and influences Mexican Folk Art today.

David wearing Pizza Beret

Millions of people around the world now celebrate the Day of the Dead and, in Southern California, it's easy to be inspired by the calaveras and orange marigolds woven into street art, intricate scrollwork pinstriped onto lowriders, and sugar skull tattoos inked onto body parts. Every year, you can find Lozeau live painting at events that highlight the historical and cultural significance of the celebration.