Doina Ciobanu's Red Beret

Doina Ciobanu was born in Moldova, a country that straddles both European and Russian cultures.

Starting at the age of 17, she’s been recognised by the likes of Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, and GQ UK all the while being tapped as one of the top 19 Young Entrepreneurs of Romania by Forbes and the Fashion Icon under 30 of Harper’s Bazaar’s Fabulous at every age.

Doina has worked with luxury fashion brands as diverse as Agent Provocateur, Fendi and Versace, was the first ever digital influencer to be the face of a Paul Smith campaign, and has worked with beauty brands such as L’Oréal and Bobbi Brown.

Despite being on a plane each second week, photographing by day and attending London’s key social events by night, Doina is also currently completing a bachelor degree in political science and diplomacy.

Last, she does pretty well with a red beret.

Spotkanie ze szpiegiem

Spotkanie ze szpiegiem is a 1964 Polish crime/espionage movie by director Jan Batory.  
A submarine surfaces off Poland's Baltic coast; a man disembarks, then uses a hot-air balloon to fly into Polish territory. He lands in thick woodland and buries the equipment that he will need for his escape when the mission is over.  

As he does this, he's being watched by an obviously harmless and slow-witted forest worker, who, as an unwanted witness, is immediately and unceremoniously killed. Although the spy's submarine has been detected by the Security Services, who have despatched a search party to track him down, he nonetheless manages to make it to the Polish capital, Warsaw. 

The city is a network of go-betweens of both sexes, of traitors to socialism, all just waiting for the chance to make contact with him: in modern parlance, it's a nest of 'sleepers'. Coded radio messages are broadcast, dead letter boxes set up, secret meetings arranged and information is gathered about military installations. 

At times, it's not clear exactly what is being spied on and to what exact end; but what is obvious is that the espionage is directed against the creation of a socialist state in Poland and against its intrinsic values of peaceful co-existence and compassion. And we know from the opening moments of the film, that the spy will ruthlessly murder people without a second thought. After some confusing to-ing and fro-ing, the action culminates in a long car chase, during which several people are killed. However, the villain is finally captured and brought to book, to get the punishment he deserves.

peSeta ad

This charming short spot has been released to promote the new collaboration between peSeta (espadrilles) and Marc Jacobs (designer), although the espadrilles themselves don’t make an appearance until quite late in the day.

Parhelios Visière

Sometimes I come across a real treasure when searching for beret related material: the Parhelios Visière just made my day!

I have never seen one in real life; the ad (above) comes from a 1932 newspaper and judging by the look of the coloured promos pictured, I would think they were made until the 1970's or thereabout. 

The Parhelios Visière is a Basque beret with retractable transparent eyeshield, making it a perfect accessory for (motor)-cyclists and sporters. Supposedly there was a transparent shield version and a darkened yellow version by means of sunglasses.

Would love to find one myself, but fear it may be the proverbial needle in a haystack...

Charlie Parker's Yardbird

A bird’s final flight - In that empty twilight between life and death, tortured jazz soloist Charlie Parker composes his final masterpiece, revisiting the inspirations, demons, and women who fuelled his creative genius.

Opera Philadelphia presented the World Premiere of this freeform expedition into the mind, heart, and personal purgatory of the bebop great.

Lawrence Brownlee stars as the legendary saxophonist—a role crafted around the effortless, improvisational style that makes him one of music’s most sought after tenors; soprano Angela Brown mesmerizes as his mother, Addie Parker, and baritone Will Liverman debuts as beret wearing jazz icon Dizzy Gillespie.

Set in the famed NYC jazz club Birdland, the opera is as uncompromising in its artistic vision as the “Yardbird” himself.

Pavel Tchelitchew

Pavel Tchelitchew (1898–1957) was a Russian-born surrealist painter, set designer and costume designer. Tchelitchew was born to an aristocratic family of landowners and was educated by private tutors.

He left Russia in 1920, lived in Berlin from 1921 to 1923, and moved to Paris in 1923. His first U.S. show was of his drawings, along with other artists, at the newly opened Museum of Modern Art in 1930. In 1934, he moved from Paris to New York City with his partner, writer Charles Henri Ford. From 1940 to 1947, he provided illustrations for the Surrealist magazine View, edited by Ford and writer and film critic Parker Tyler.

His most significant work is the painting Hide and Seek, painted in 1940–42, and currently owned by the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. He became a US citizen in 1952 and died in Grottaferrata, Italy in 1957. He is interred in Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.

James Montgomery Flagg

James Montgomery Flagg (1877 – 1960) was an American artist and illustrator. He worked in media ranging from fine art painting to cartooning, but is best remembered for his political posters.

He was enthusiastic about drawing from a young age, and had illustrations accepted by national magazines by the age of 12 years. By 14 he was a contributing artist for Life magazine, and the following year was on the staff of another magazine, Judge. From 1894 through 1898, he attended the Art Students League of New York. He studied fine art in London and Paris from 1898–1900, after which he returned to the United States, where he produced countless illustrations for books, magazine covers, political and humorous cartoons, advertising, and spot drawings.

He created his most famous work in 1917, a poster to encourage recruitment in the United States Army during World War I. It showed Uncle Sam pointing at the viewer (inspired by a British recruitment poster showing Lord Kitchener in a similar pose) with the caption "I Want YOU for U.S. Army". Over four million copies of the poster were printed during World War I, and it was revived for World War II. Flagg used his own face for that of Uncle Sam (adding age and the white goatee), he said later, simply to avoid the trouble of arranging for a model.

Boris Knoblok

Soviet set designer Boris Knoblok (1903 –1984) was an Honored Artist of the RSFSR, the winner of the Stalin and the State Prize of the Tatar ASSR. Boris Georgievich Knoblok belonged to a generation of artists who came to theater art from the disciplines of painting, architecture and graphics.

Many could not withstand the actual “theater test”. Knoblok survived and stayed there forever. He perfectly mastered the traditional space of the stage, drama and music, willingly designed there the performances of contrasting genres. But that not being enough for him, he was constantly looking for the application of his abilities in the circus, cinema and sports.

Pictured here a costume design with beret for the play ‘The Aristocrats’ by N. Pogodin. Realistic Theater, 1935. 

Jean Klossner, Mr Footprint

TCL Chinese Theatre is a cinema palace on the historic Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard. Originally known as Grauman's Chinese Theatre, it was renamed Mann's Chinese Theatre in 1973; the name lasted until 2001, after which it reverted to its original name. In 2013, Chinese electronics manufacturer TCL Corporation purchased the naming rights to the facility, making its official name TCL Chinese Theatre. This resulted in the first affiliation of the Chinese Theatre with an actual Chinese corporation.

The original Chinese Theatre was commissioned following the success of the nearby Grauman's Egyptian Theatre, which opened in 1922. Grauman hired Jean Klossner to formulate an extremely hard concrete for the forecourt of the theatre. Klossner later became known as "Mr. Footprint", performing the footprint ceremonies from 1927 through 1957.

Many stories exist to explain the origins of the footprints. The theatre's official account credit Norma Talmadge as having inspired the tradition when she accidentally stepped into the wet concrete. 

However, in a short interview during the September 13, 1937, Lux Radio Theatre broadcast of a radio adaptation of A Star Is Born, Grauman related another version of how he got the idea to put hand and foot prints in the concrete. He said it was "...pure accident. I walked right into it. While we were building the theatre, I accidentally happened to step in some soft concrete. And there it was. So, I went to Mary Pickford immediately. Mary put her foot into it." 

Still another account by the construction foreman, Jean Klossner, recounts that Klossner autographed his work next to the right-hand poster kiosk and that he and Grauman developed the idea then and there. His autograph and handprint, dated 1927, remain today. 

Billy Crystal in Hamlet

Hamlet is a 1996 Shakespearean tragedy film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, adapted for the screen and directed by Kenneth Branagh, who also stars in the titular role as Prince Hamlet. The film also features Derek Jacobi as King Claudius, Julie Christie as Queen Gertrude, Kate Winslet as Ophelia, Michael Maloney as Laertes, Richard Briers as Polonius, and Nicholas Farrell as Horatio. Other notable appearances include Robin Williams, Gérard Depardieu, Jack Lemmon, Billy Crystal, Rufus Sewell, Charlton Heston, Richard Attenborough, Judi Dench, John Gielgud and Ken Dodd.

William Edward "Billy" Crystal (1948) is an American actor, writer, producer, director, comedian, and television host. He stars as the First Gravedigger in Hamlet, a beret wearing sexton digging Ophelia's grave who makes a case as to why she should not receive Christian burial before making quick dialogue with Hamlet. He later presents the skull of Yorick to Hamlet, not knowing of Hamlet's history with the jester.

The film is notable as the first unabridged theatrical film version of the play, running just over four hours. The longest screen version of the play prior to the 1996 film was the 1980 BBC made-for-television version starring Jacobi as the title character, which runs three-and-a-half hours.

Colman's Starch & Mustard

Jeremiah Colman began making mustard at a water mill near Norwich in the village of Bawburgh. To create a tangy flavour, he blended brown mustard (Brassica juncea) with white mustard (Sinapis alba). Jeremiah founded Colman's of Norwich in 1814, at the Stoke Holy Cross mill on the River Tas, four miles south of Norwich.

In 1823 he took his adopted nephew, James, into the business which became J. & J. Colman. Colman's is one of the oldest existing food brands, famous for almost all varieties of mustard (and starch).

In the 1920s Dorothy L. Sayers worked on their account and media slogans such as "Come on Colman's, light my fire" appeared in the late 20th century.

Sonny Rollins (Happy Birthday!)

Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins (September 7, 1930) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist, widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. In a six-decade career, he has recorded at least sixty albums as leader, and a number of his compositions, including "St. Thomas", "Oleo", "Doxy", "Pent-Up House", and "Airegin", have become jazz standards.

Rollins was born in New York City to parents from the United States Virgin Islands. Rollins started as a pianist, changed to alto saxophone, and finally switched to tenor in 1946.

After graduating from high school in 1947, Rollins began performing professionally; he made his first recordings in early 1949 as a sideman with the bebop singer Babs Gonzales (J. J. Johnson was the arranger of the group). Within the next few months, he began to make a name for himself, recording with Johnson and appearing under the leadership of pianist Bud Powell on a seminal "hard bop" session.

In early 1950, Rollins was arrested for armed robbery and spent ten months in Rikers Island jail before being released on parole; in 1952, he was re-arrested for violating the terms of his parole by using heroin. Between 1951 and 1953, he recorded with Miles Davis, the Modern Jazz Quartet, Charlie Parker, and Thelonious Monk.

In 1955, Rollins entered the Federal Medical Center, Lexington, at the time the only assistance in the U.S. for drug addicts. While there, he volunteered for then-experimental methadone therapy and was able to break his heroin habit. Rollins initially feared sobriety would impair his musicianship, but then went on to greater success.

In 2013, Rollins moved to Woodstock, New York. That spring, he made a guest television appearance on The Simpsons and received an honorary Doctor of Music degree from the Juilliard School in New York City. 

In October 2015, he received the Jazz Foundation of America's lifetime achievement award. 

Rollins has not performed in public since 2012.

Macedonio Fernández

Macedonio Fernández (1874 - 1952) was an Argentine writer, humorist, and philosopher. 

His writings include novels, stories, poetry, journalism, and works not easily classified. He was a mentor to Jorge Luis Borges and other avant-garde Argentine writers. Seventeen years of his correspondence with Borges was published in 2000. He also published poetry, including "Creía yo" ("I believed").

Hotel Dreyeroord

John Crosson’s story starts on 17th September 1944 as gliders land near Arnhem (the Netherlands).

John is a sniper in No. 6 Platoon B Company of the 7th Battalion The King’s Own Scottish Borderers who have been given the job of protecting the landing zones. On 18th and 19th September, they join the 4th Parachute Brigade and make their way to the Dreyeroord Hotel, “The White House”, in Oosterbeek. They arrive on 20th September 1944 and patrols are dispatched to the railway line and the surrounding houses during the night.

The German attack is unrelenting and the enemy forces its way deep into the hotel’s grounds. On 21st September, Lieutenant-Colonel Payton-Reid leads a bayonet charge that is only partially successful and the King’s Own Scottish Borderers fail to hold their position at the hotel. The British are forced to pull back to positions to the south of the hotel, ending the Battle of The White House.

The British suffer severe losses during the battle and bury their dead in the hotel’s gardens wherever they can. After the war, they are moved to the Airborne Cemetery in Oosterbeek. Last Friday, Crosson and other British veterans were at the hotel to show support for the preservation of this former hotel - threatened to be bulldozed. It forms a small part of the program of their stay in the Netherlands because of the seventieth Airbone March, Saturday in Oosterbeek.

Antonio di Benedetto

Antonio di Benedetto (1922 –1986) was an Argentine journalist and writer.

Di Benedetto began writing and publishing stories in his teens, inspired by the works of Fyodor Dostoevsky and Luigi Pirandello. Mundo Animal, appearing in 1952, was his first story collection and won prestigious awards. A revised version came out in 1971, but the Xenos Books translation uses the first edition to catch the youthful flavour.

Antonio di Benedetto wrote five novels, the most famous being the existential masterpiece Zama (1956). El Silenciero (The Silencer, 1964) is noteworthy for expressing his intense abhorrence of noise. Critics have compared his works to Alain Robbe-Grillet, Julio Cortázar and Ernesto Sábato.

In 1976, during the military dictatorship of General Videla, di Benedetto was imprisoned and tortured. Released a year later, he went into exile in Spain, then returned home in 1984. He travelled widely and won numerous awards, but never acquired the worldwide fame of other Latin American writers, perhaps because his work was not translated to many languages.

Mammoth - Mammouth - Mamut - Mammut

 

The original idea to create a 'Mammoth Beret' comes from my good friend Michael Glover, the man behind Mammoth Wine (New Zealands best Pinot Noir), inventor of the Reality Shield and dedicated boinero.

His wish coincided with mine, bringing a super comfortable, high quality, large diameter beret on the market at an affordable price.

I partnered with one of the world's oldest hat manufacturers, FEZCO-TONAK in Nový Jičín, a town in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic on the spurs of the Carpathian Mountains. The fact that many fossils of mammoths were discovered in that very region was a beautiful coincidence.

Michael wanted a beret that "showed and breathed mammoth" and we opted for a melange of dark browns with the vaguest slivers of red and gold in the mix (unfortunately, hard to do justice on a photo).

I extended the range with 3 more unusual colours that all fitted the model and theme.

 

The berets are available at both South Pacific Berets and Boneteria Aotearoa at $55.00 only.

But, there is more connecting Mammoths to berets and quality wine: the Münch Mamut motorcycle for example, here in a trailer with Gerard Depardieu in "Mammuth":

The Carpathian Mammoth

The Carpathian Mammoth berets originated from the wish to simply produce a beautiful beret of very high quality, extreme comfort and showing superior craftsmanship at an affordable price.

The Carpathian Mammoths are custom made by FEZCO-TONAK (one of the world's oldest hat manufacturers), based on the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains in the Czech Republic.

These berets are made of high density wool (weighing 120 grams each) and come in a diameter of 32cm. Slightly larger than the Super Lujo-Grande - slightly smaller than the Alpin Chasseur Alpin.

Presently there are four extraordinary colours available: Mammoth Original (a melange of dark and medium brown shades with vague traces of gold and red), Sahara, Winter-Green and Pacific - all fitted with the traditional Czech tartan lining.

Get your Mammoth at Boneteria Aotearoa.