Ever since ancient times, men have worn hats. To keep the sun off, to keep warm, to look fashionable or to add a few inches of height to their stumpy frames. In the early 21st century, hats for men are making a significant return to mainstream fashion. What is most beautiful for you both men and women, to have your own french beret hat?But before that what did you know about the history of berets? Although worn as military headgear in ancient Greece, the modern origin of the beret is traced to the Basques, people living on both the French and Spanish sides of the Pyrenees Mountains. Centuries ago, the Basques were great fishermen and sailors, a fact that might explain the appearance of a very similar hat in Scotland. Both the Scotch tam and the beret are woven in one piece without a seam or a binding. The original Basque beret was either navy blue or red, but today the beret is available in a wide array of colors. An influence of WW1 was the general adoption for sports wear by both men and women, of that very smart dark blue cap worn by the French Alpine troops, the age-old Basque beret. Few items of clothing have been adopted by so many varied groups of people living in different periods of history as the beret. In WW11, the French Resistance movement, the Maquis, wore the Basque beret. Because it was the most common French headwear, the Maquis was able to wear it without bringing undo suspicion to this covert operation. The covert military connotation was propelled further when the beret was taken up by special forces, often with the suggestion of “undress” uniform, such as USA Green Berets, Black Berets (USA Rangers), UN Blue Berets, to name a few. We also love the beret for other connotations like Picasso, Che Guevara, Romance, Art, Existentialism, Impressionism, Surrealism, Bohemians, Beatniks, Monica Lewinsky, Camus, Sartre, The Underground, Bob Marley…It’s interesting to find a clothing item that represents such antagonistic cultures: the war and the arts. Either artists or the military wear the beret, and both give it their own (and often opposite) connotations.
Today, french berets are worn everywhere and for all kinds of occasions, from going to the theatre and to the opera, to weddings, important public events, and formal social events or just for daily wear. For this reason, many beret styles have seen the light, making beret-market flourishing more than ever. For instance, you can find cotton berets, wool berets, angora berets, fleece berets, knit berets, and basque berets. Berets for men and women, winter and summer.So don’t be shy – get two or three from the iconic french beret hat selection that you can find online or on any store. What are you waiting for? Find out your preferred model from whatever material you want, just say ‘’oui’’ to it.
French beret hat 