I decided that since I’m in France its a good time to talk about the classic French beret. While doing a little reading on the subject I ended up down a rabbit trail, one article lending to the next! I guess there’s a lot to say about the little beret!
Before I go on I want to bust the stereotype that French people always wear berets. While it is true that the French wear berets, they don’t wear them any more than people in any other country. In fact, the wearing of the beret may actually occur less than in other countries! Its especially popular with vintage enthusiasts all over the world but not more so in France than, say, the US.
A Brief History
If you want more details, just type “history of the beret” into ye ol google, and follow that path for several hours! Here’s the long and the short of it:
It seems like some form of berets have existed forever throughout history. You can see it in different paintings from every era. More modern history indicates that berets were worn by the working class in the Pyrenees region in the south of France and northern Spain. The hats were practical: the materials were easy to get and the hats cheap to make. They were warm in the winter, protected from the weather and also stayed on the head very well.
Foregin soldiers in WWI picked up these practical hats as a souvenir and later, when the British army was looking for hats to stay on the heads of tank operators, a former WWI soldier showed the powers that be a beret. This hat became military uniform for not only tank operators but also the US Army Special Forces (who came to be known as The Green Berets because of their distinctive hats) and nowadays the beret is standard military issue in many places.
In the 1930s berets were all the rage and replaced the 1920s cloche hat, and have remained popular ever since! It instantly adds a vintage flair to any modern outfit.
Types of Berets
Classic berets are made of felted wool which is not only warm but water resistant! It has a little tail on the top, which is one distinctive feature of the French beret. Some berets have a strip of leather, elastic material, or drawstring around the edge to help the hat stay on the head. It’s also unstructured and floppy, super easy to carry with you while travelling in case the weather gets cold.
Structured berets have something inside one side of the beret to hold the weight of a badge or pin attached to it, usually seen in military berets
The Scottish also have a version of the beret, usually its the same floppy circle as a classic beret but larger. There is also the Scottish Tam-O’-Shanter which features a pom on top.
In the 1930s and 1940s when berets were in vogue they were made in various materials including knits and crocheted hats for summer! Today berets are sold in all the tourist shops in Paris and made of either acrylic or wool, but there are expensive artisan beret shops too (like Laulhere for example).
How to Wear a Beret by Era
Now for the fun part! Here are some ideas for how to wear your beret by era.
1930s
As you can see from this 1930s ad, berets were just coming into fashion.
A popular way to wear it was pulled forward over the forehead, even over the eyebrow! Hair would have been worn short and curled or pulled back and curled or waved around the face.
1940s
Large tilted hats were in style. Check out this huge beret!
It was often worn either pulled forward, like a newsboy cap, or tilted to one side. Structured felt hats were made to mimic the look of a beret.
1950s
It was popular to wear them in the way we often see them worn today, tiled to one side. They were sometimes worn flat like a disc, tilted to one side.
1960s
Worn pulled straight forward on the head or back on the head like a modern beanie.
As you can see, I love a good beret and wear them often during the winter. They’re inexpensive and easy to find and I have them in almost every color! My preferred way to wear them is back on the head or tilted to one side with a flower pinned to the other side. Plus its just the thing for a transitional fall wardrobe!
So tell me, are you a fan of the beret? Have another way to wear it? Let me know!