Berets from P.J. de Haan

This ad I stole from the blog of Pieter, my Bordeaux-bereted good friend from the Netherlands. It was Pieter's grandmother who ran a hat shop in the Minrebroederstraat in Utrecht. The ad is from 1910 and reads: "The best place for silk hats, fantasy hats, straw hats, sports caps and berets. Good and cheap".

Valentine's Day

Saint Valentine's Day, also known as Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is observed on February 14 each year. It is celebrated in many countries around the world, although it remains a working day in most of them.

St. Valentine's Day began as a liturgical celebration of one or more early Christian saints named Valentinus. The most popular martyrology associated with Saint Valentine was that he was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry and for ministering to Christians, who were persecuted under the Roman Empire. During his imprisonment, he is said to have healed the daughter of his jailer, Asterius. Legend states that before his execution he wrote her a letter "from your Valentine" as a farewell. Today, Saint Valentine's Day is an official feast day in the Anglican Communion, as well as in the Lutheran Church. The Eastern Orthodox Church also celebrates Saint Valentine's Day, albeit on July 6th and July 30th, the former date in honor of the Roman presbyter Saint Valentine, and the latter date in honor of Hieromartyr Valentine, the Bishop of Interamna (modern Terni). In Brazil, the Dia de São Valentim is recognized on June 12.

The day was first associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. In 18th-century England, it evolved into an occasion in which lovers expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"). Valentine's Day symbols that are used today include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid (and berets, naturally). Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards.

La véritable Cape de Berger

No need to point out the relationship between Pyrenean shepherds and berets, they're inseparable, really. But there is also the "véritable cape de Berger", or the shepherds cape. 

The shepherd’s  cape has been worn  in the Pyrenees for two millennia, from the Romans who came to take the waters at Vicus Acquensis (Bagneres de Bigorre)  to the present day.

These  capes are made entirely in the Pyrenees with a unique homespun fabric manufactured in Ariege, Cutting and assembly are carried out in workshops in Bagneres-de-Bigorre in the Hautes-Pyrénées. It takes six hours for cutting, assembling and finishing a cape Berger.

The average weight of these capes is 2.5kg – solid felted wool, quite similar to that of your beret. 

Brian Flintoff - New Zealand Carver with Beret

Brian Flintoff's carvings have been exhibited in several countries and some are in Museums, and Public and Private Collections worldwide. He has also gained recognition by being made an Elected Artist Member of the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts. His contributions to the arts were recognised with the awarding of a Queens Service Medal in 2010.

Working with Te Haumanu, a group dedicated to the revival of Maori flute and instrument making and playing, has brought him status as a traditional flute maker. Support and guidance from the Maori community has been the greatest influence and inspiration for his carving. Therefore he considers the most satisfying acknowledgement possible is that he is proud to have many pieces 'at home' on Marae throughout Aotearoa. 

His attitude to carving bone is inspired by that of traditional artists, who strove for excellence in order to please the spirit world. Their understanding that harmony is the balance of Spiritual and Physical elements has enriched both his life and his carving. An absorbing interest in the art of the West Coast Canadian Indian people led him to research animal forms in Maori Art. This remains a focus through which he can express his love of, and concern for, nature.

I have worn my Matamua ever since I got it, six years ago.

Mors Kochanski

Mors Kochanski is a Canadian bushcraft and wilderness survival instructor, naturalist and author. He has acquired an international following and has instructed for both military and civilians in Canada, the US, the UK and Sweden. He is well known for saying "The more you know, the less you carry".

Mors was brought up on an isolated farm in Saskatchewan. He spent most of his time working the farm and assisting his father. In his early school years, he walked or rode 7 miles to and from school on a bush road. This daily journey was a significant part of his education and the foundation for a lifetime of interest in nature.

Rather than enrolling in curriculum courses, Mors took classes at university that were of interest to him, including anthropology, psychology, geology and writing. His lack of participation in a recognised degree program resulted in a suspension from the university due to “a complete lack of direction”, after four years.

From that point on, he resolved to become a specialist in outdoor subjects, specialising in wilderness living skills and the lifestyles of wilderness peoples.

During the 1970s Mors became an associate professor at the University of Alberta Faculty of Physical Education, editor of the magazine ‘Alberta Wilderness Arts and Recreation’ and performed freelance work for various agencies.

In 1986, he was approached to write a book on survival and wilderness skills for the Canadian boreal forests which was originally titled “Northern Bushcraft”. The book became a Canadian bestseller.

Thanks, Rick

Blue Beret Photography

Thea Tammer is an American based, Dutch photographer and the woman behind Blue Beret Photography.

Born and raised in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, she now works from her studio in Lebanon, Kentucky.

Her photographes are 'Dutch': direct, down to earth with with a personal approach. 

Apart from being a professional photographer (Thea is a member of the Professional Photographers of America), she is passionate about photography, with a special interest in macro photography. Needless to say, she has a strong passion for berets too! 

RED

 Although the most popular colour among my female customers, not many men choose to wear a red beret.

 A pity, really, as it clearly shows on these pictures here.

 Heinz Mariacher, Italian mountaineer

 I don't wear my red wool boina Tolosa Tupida often, finding it a bit too much of a head-turner on me, but there are days that nothing feels better on my head.

The red cotton boina Tolosa Tupida with headband I find a great beret for a hot summer day; you'll easily spot me on the beach or cafe terracces! 

Interestingly, many gauchos choose the bright bred beret as their headgear of choice. 

Manuel Cabanas

My friend Pedro from Portugal attended me to Manuel Cabanas, a little known Portuguese artist.

Manuel Cabanas dos Santos (1902 - 1995), was an autodidact a master of woodcut and a Republican Portuguese, founding member of the Socialist Party of Portugal.

During the 1920, Cabanas worked for the railways and became a leading member of the Railways Union, mobilizing the working classes to stand for their rights, which at that time was considered a crime by the subversive fascist regime.

From 1938, Manuel Cabanas began an intense artistic activity in the field of wood engraving and in 1939 he began to exhibit his work, which earned him several awards, including the Gold Medal of Fine Arts.

During the 1940s, 50s and 60s he headed the campaigns for the opposition in the District of Setúbal and was the representative of the opposition presidential candidates.

In 1985, Manuel Cabanas was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Liberty, the degree of Commander by the then president General Ramalho Eanes. In 1991, he was awarded the degree of Commander of the Order of Infante D. Henrique.

Died at the age of 93, on May 25, 1995, in hospital in Faro. His art collection is now in the custody of the Centro Cultural António Aleixo in VR de Santo António.

Néstor Baguer con boina

When Cuban Néstor Baguer died, aged 83 in 2004, it was the end of a number of interesting careers.

Baguer started his professional life at 14, when he published his first newspaper articles. He worked for numerous Cuban newspapers and radio stations and was co-founder of the journalist’s union. For his works on the Spanish language, he was made a distinguished member of the Cuban Academy of the Language.

Another career was that of dissident and outspoken agitator, using Miami-based news agencies and websites to campaign for over a decade against Fidel Castro and expose the miseries of everyday life under the dictatorship. Fêted by the anti-communist lobby in exile as the doyen of domestic resistance, he was an honoured guest and protegé in the United States Interest Section at the Swiss Embassy in Havana. Reviled by his former colleagues in the Cuban media, he was expelled from the Academy and his press credentials were withdrawn.

His third career was being the priceless “agent Octavio” for the Cuban secret service, infiltrating dissident circles and filing meticulous reports on their activities and funding. His espionage only came to light when he gave crucial testimony against 75 activists jailed last April for “conspiracy with the USA to undermine Cuba’s national sovereignty”. His cover blown, public honours were restored and he was acclaimed as a hero of the revolution.

It shows again that not every beret wearer is as honourable as he looks under his beret…

Fernando Valle

Baeta Cardoso Fernando del Valle (1900 - 2004), was a physician and Portuguese politician, a Republican, Freemason and founder of the Portuguese Socialist Party.

Del Valle was born in  a family of doctors with strong republican and socialist ideals. Like his parents, he became a medical doctor and also turned to politics. Underground, he helped establish the Socialist party in Portugal, frequently hiding fugitives from the PIDE (secret police.

After the Carnation Revolution, del Valle became civil governor of the district of Coimbra and played an important role in containing some disturbances during the ‘Hot Summer’. Later on, he returned to Arganil, where he continued to practice as a physician.

Txapela on the Zubizuri

The Zubizuri (Basque for "white bridge"), also called the Campo Volantin Bridge or Puente del Campo Volantin, is a tied arch footbridge across the Nervion River in Bilbao, Spain. Designed by architect Santiago Calatrava, the bridge links the Campo Volantin right bank and Uribitarte left bank of the river.

Opened in 1997, the bridge's unusual design consists of a curved walkway which is supported by steel suspension cables from an overhead arch. The structure of the bridge is painted white and the bridge deck consists of translucent glass bricks. Access ramps and stairways are located on both banks.

Since its opening, it has been subjected to praise as a symbol of the new Bilbao and as a draw for tourism. Architectural professor Alexander Tzonis wrote: "The intelligence, vitality, and originality of the bridge's curved configuration challenged the ordinariness and slow decline of the urban setting, bringing a message of hope and an invitation to imagine better conditions."

However, other professionals have been more equivocal, bridge engineer Matthew Wells saying:

"Regrettably, the balance of light steel superstructure on the cantilevered abutment ends is strained, like a sculptural toy, and the bridge touches the ground uncomfortably."

Berets, Sabots, Klompen & Clogs

A sabot (Klomp in Dutch, Zueco in Spanish) is a clog, or wooden shoe, (that was) typically worn in France, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands. Sabots are whole feet clogs.

Sabots were in the 16th to 19th centuries, associated with the lower classes. During this period, the years of the Industrial Revolution, the word sabotage gained currency. Allegedly derived from sabot, sabotage described the actions of disgruntled workers who wilfully damaged workplace machinery by throwing their sabots into the works. However, according to some accounts, sabot-clad workers were simply considered less productive than others who had switched to leather shoes, roughly equating the term "sabotage" with "inefficiency".

The Netherlands houses a museum specifically on wooden footwear and via this link, you'll find a complete history of wooden footwear (in English). 

The wooden shoe even made it into beret labels, like the Bortia and Etchea Classic Workers Berets. 

Boneteria Auloronesa - They're Here!

It has been a long wait, but they're here: the brand new berets by Boneteria Auloronesa.

I have said it before and after unpacking this large order, I'll say it again: likely the best berets you can find in this world!

Boneteria Auloronesa is a small artisan French beret manufacturer, established by a very dedicated and passionate boinero, the former technical director of Béatex-Laulhère. Boneteria Auloronesa is dedicated to ensure the manufacturing of traditional berets continues in France, from the very birth place of the beret: Oloron Sainte Marie in the Béarn.

"Boneteria Auloronesa", it proudly states in the local language on the embroidered label, depicting the iconic two blue-horned red cows of the Béarn. Production is very small, by any standard (3500 units per year) and all made by just one very dedicated person.
South Pacific Berets stocks these berets in a large variety of diameters and sizes: headband-less berets ("bérets universel") in 9.5, 10, 10.5 and 11 pouces and berets with (an incredibly soft and comfortable leather) headband ("bérets garnis cuir") in 9, 10 and 11 pouces.

The 'Bérets Universel' are fitted with a satin drawstring, a unique feature that enables the wearer to adjust the size perfectly, without having to stretch the beret first.

Beer Berets

Even though berets are stereotypically associated with drinking red wine, not many boineros would refuse a nice cold beer on a hot summers day. 

Some even brew their own, like Bob's Etxeko label, an artisan beer from the Basque Country.

Drinkers and tenders alike, all dressed in berets - that's what I'd like to see!