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Berets, Anyone?

Bouwerij_Jongen

One of the Regulars
Messages
154
Location
Cascadia
The Chirloa 31cm in Navy and the Etchea beret 30cm in black.
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Each is very comfortable one size fits all.
 

Okay

New in Town
Messages
14
Location
Ottawa
Knitting berets was certainly a man's job, its origins lying with lonely shepherds in the Pyrenees of France. When flocks were taken to the high pastures for the summer months, being a shepherd became a very lonely existence. The story goes that shepherds started knitting from the loose wool that was left behind by the sheep in thorny bushes and such, keeping themselves busy and productive at the same time.
Not only did they create woolen beret shaped hats, they also learned how to felt these raw woolen hats by beating the fibers in the mountains streams - thereby creating berets very similar to how we know them today.
stilts+les+landes.jpg
View attachment 162978
The same situation occurred in Les Landes (a province in the south-west of France). These wastelands of Gascony were great level plains covered with stunted bushes and dry heath that turned into marshland with the slightest rainfall. To walk on stilts became the norm for shepherds and anyone having to travel. These shepherds too were known for their knitting of berets, typically while resting on their stilts, balanced by their shepherd's staff.
View attachment 162979 View attachment 162982
However, when the manufacturing of berets became more of an economic enterprise, it were women who did the actual knitting; sometimes in a shared space of the factories, often from their own homes (until knitting machines were introduced during the Industrial Revolution).


Thanks a lot Daan :) for the information, and the great photographs.
I'm grateful for your response to my posting.

Michael
 

Daan

Vendor
Messages
930
Location
Wellington, Aotearoa
South Pacific Berets has expanded its range of (custom, handmade) ‘txapeldunak’.
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The txapeldun is the quintessential Basque beret, the most perfect embodiment of a tradition that goes back centuries, a symbol for champions (in the Basque Country the txapeldun is used as a trophy in competitions of sports and the brain), the ultimate protection from sun, rain and snow for the Basque shepherds in the Pyrenees mountains, a hat widely adopted by artists with a reminiscence of the Renaissance and generally, a fantastic beret to wear.
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South Pacific Berets stocks two sizes of txapeldunak, the 15 pulgada and the very-very large diameter in 16 pulgada (which equals 34.9cm and 37.2cm in the metric system and 13.7" and 14.6" in US inches, respectively), in Black and Navy.
South Pacific Berets also has an exclusive line of custom-made colours: Azul-Blue, Saviem-blue (cobalt), Crudo (off-white), Colorado (Spanish red), Granate (Bordeaux) and Khaki.
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It takes a bit of courage to wear a txapeldun, but once you do - you won't want anything smaller. Most customers buying our txapeldunak find it an excellent hat for hiking and tramping, offering the best possible protection from any weather and still easy to roll up and fit in a daypack or pocket.

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$72.50 - $74.50.
 

Tchoupi

New in Town
Messages
23
South Pacific Berets has expanded its range of (custom, handmade) ‘txapeldunak’.
View attachment 164852 View attachment 164853
The txapeldun is the quintessential Basque beret, the most perfect embodiment of a tradition that goes back centuries, a symbol for champions (in the Basque Country the txapeldun is used as a trophy in competitions of sports and the brain), the ultimate protection from sun, rain and snow for the Basque shepherds in the Pyrenees mountains, a hat widely adopted by artists with a reminiscence of the Renaissance and generally, a fantastic beret to wear.
View attachment 164854 View attachment 164855
South Pacific Berets stocks two sizes of txapeldunak, the 15 pulgada and the very-very large diameter in 16 pulgada (which equals 34.9cm and 37.2cm in the metric system and 13.7" and 14.6" in US inches, respectively), in Black and Navy.
South Pacific Berets also has an exclusive line of custom-made colours: Azul-Blue, Saviem-blue (cobalt), Crudo (off-white), Colorado (Spanish red), Granate (Bordeaux) and Khaki.
View attachment 164857 View attachment 164856
It takes a bit of courage to wear a txapeldun, but once you do - you won't want anything smaller. Most customers buying our txapeldunak find it an excellent hat for hiking and tramping, offering the best possible protection from any weather and still easy to roll up and fit in a daypack or pocket.

View attachment 164858 View attachment 164859
$72.50 - $74.50.
Realy nice, I also like the new super lujo's in dark green!
 

Tchoupi

New in Town
Messages
23
View attachment 163696 View attachment 163697
Fear' naught (fēr´nạt`)
1. A fearless person.
2. A stout woolen cloth of great thickness; dreadnaught; also, a warm garment.
3. Official motto of the (British) Royal Tank Regiment

View attachment 163698 View attachment 163699 View attachment 163700
Following the success of the Chyldish Fear Naught berets in wool, I am happy to now introduce the cotton versions of these illustrious berets.
View attachment 163701 View attachment 163702 View attachment 163703
A cooperation between Billy Childish and South Pacific Berets; down to earth, pure cotton berets made for every day wear by workers, artists & artisans.
The berets are fitted with a solid cotton lining and the Chyldish Fear Naught label.
View attachment 163704
Available in Raven-Black and 3 earthy colours: Earth, Rock and Indigo - Exclusively at South Pacific Berets @ $49.40.

View attachment 163705
They look as though they have been doing the boxe française of the chausseurs alpins...
 

Okay

New in Town
Messages
14
Location
Ottawa
I'm actually thinking that the smaller txapeldun in crudo might be a must have...

Me too Alan :)
I've been interested in getting one since watching the movie 'The Devil and the Blacksmith'

Michael

P.S. your choice of words "might be a must have" made me chuckle. It's certainly a want in my case. ;)
 

Okay

New in Town
Messages
14
Location
Ottawa
Alan, yes quite good I'd say.
Dark but not bleak, well acted, a bit melodramatic, beautifully shot and set/staged.

I'm a sucker for magical realism, and I liked this movie very much.

I would hope you enjoy it too.

Michael
 

Daan

Vendor
Messages
930
Location
Wellington, Aotearoa
For many decades, the only true “Basque” beret manufacturer was Boinas Elósegui (from Tolosa, in the Spanish Basque Country). Not anymore though, as Le Béret Français has moved its factory from Làas (in Béarn) to Bayonne (the capital of the French Basque Country).
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Le Béret Français has done extremely well, since starting only 6 years ago. Numbers are up, but much better in my opinion, is the enormous work they have done to re-popularize the beret. Although Béarn is the birthplace of the beret, I really like the fact that after some 40, 50 years, there are again Basque berets made in the French Basque Country.
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With the move to Bayonne, Le Béret Français has expanded its range of berets with some really beautiful models. Made from Pyrenean spun Merino wool, the ‘Vintage Béret Basques-Français’ berets are knitted in a higher density (weight) and fitted with beautiful long vanished traditional French-Basque beret labels. These Vintage Béret Basques-Français have the Le Béret Français trademark red cabillou.
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Another exclusive by Le Béret Français are the ‘Bérets Marbré’. Berets made of 100% Merino wool with a marbled (camouflage-like pattern) that are not only extremely comfortable to wear, but also absolute head turners.
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New in the range of Éco Bérets Printemps are the ‘Rouille’ (rust) and Wild Blackberry.
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Last in the range of new wool models, is the Béret Casquette in khaki; a beret made in Bayonne and finished in the Pays de la Loire. South Pacific Berets has now 2 dedicated pages of Le Béret Français berets: wool models and
Éco/cotton models.

 

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