How to Beret

Last weekend a friend brought up the subject of berets, and what was the right way of wearing them. “Right way?” I exclaimed. “There isn’t one right way – there’s lots of ways of wearing them!” I was wearing one right at that moment, angled on one side. It also depends on the style of beret, I told her.

The beret still bears today a strong whiff of bohemians and beatniks, intellectuals and pipe-smoking filmmakers.

I own quite a lot of different berets made from winter weight wools, and lighter summer versions of cotton and rayon. Apart from the classic little wool beret we are all familiar with (I prefer felted wool to knits or crochet, which is too bohemian for me and smacks of Sienna Miller and her ilk), there are the huge platter versions from the 1940s, and inflated types from the 50s and 60s.

History

The beret has a very long history – similar hats were worn since the Bronze Age across Northern Europe and even as far south as Italy and Crete where they were worn by the Romans. Scottish types feature a pompom on top. It has been adopted as a military hat, as sportswear, and more latterly as a fashion item. The beret still bears today a strong whiff of bohemians and beatniks, intellectuals and pipe-smoking filmmakers.

A French Icon

A beret worn with a striped tee has become the stereotypical depiction of a Frenchman – this image actually originated with the ‘Onion Johnnies’. They were Breton farmers and labourers on bicycles who sold pink onions door to door in Great Britain in the first half of the twentieth century. Onion Johnnies were dressed in a striped shirt and wore black berets, and their bikes were hung with the distinctive onions. Their golden age was the Roaring Twenties, but their numbers declined sharply by the 1950s. There has however been a small resurgence in the last couple of decades with the renewed interest in small-scale agriculture.

Basic Directions

The basic wool beret is unisex and very versatile, and can be worn several different ways. Try it angled on the top and slightly to one side of the head, or quite low on one side, á la Faye Dunaway in the iconic 70s film Bonnie and Clyde (try to look sultry when you do this). Really, it can be worn pushed to any angle you please. Bangs can be framed by the circular shape, or tucked inside.

An arty look that also keeps you warmer in winter can be achieved by pulling the beret down low so it’s just touching your brows  – bonus points for accentuating the familiar little stalk on top. (A note on the ‘stalk’: supposedly its antecedent is the last bit of yarn of a knitted beret that was drawn through the top to bind off the last stitches, and left to dangle jauntily.)

The more unusual huge 40s ones can be worn perched at the back, or tilted to one side. Some berets, like my sumptuous cobalt velvet sailor style, may feature bows or ribbons of some kind. The same can be said of the big pouffy ones – my striped version is made from sturdy gabardine, the folds of which can be arranged how I please. This is surely one of the most dramatic ones I own. Whatever style you choose to adopt, and however you wear it, you really can’t go wrong with a beret!

Photos: April 2016