Berets, Anyone?

Bouwerij_Jongen said:

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Back in February, 2021.

I started this post three months ago but wanted it to incubate for a time.
After more than three months of wearing Les Beret Pacifique I can still say the following:

I am a big fan of Manufacture de Beret.
When I think of Sara, I am reminded of the movie about two Cro Magnon men
walking across the tundra carrying a little lamp with a flame to light their fires and to survive.
Manufacturer de Beret is that small flame keeping alive the artisanal excellence of
French Basque berets.

The Les Berets Pacifique are not cheap, but what do you get?
You have a project that only Daan could pull together.
A Fijian cotton lining with traditional iconography.
Manufacture de Beret traditional fabrication.
The berets are buttery soft and drape as you will.
The color description “russet” should more aptly be “midnight royal purple”.

The wool was dyed in the town of Mazamet, France a town in the Tarn of Occitane, France.
Mazamet is a historic center of wool processing and dyeing.
That is evident in the dyeing of the wool.

Manufacture de Beret fabrication, exceptional color, and lining with unique Fijian imagery,
All make for an extraordinary beret.

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A beautiful and humbling post - thanks very much Bouwerij Jongen. And like you, I cherish my 'Pacifique', likewise my dog.

And you are very right about Manufacture de Bérets and Sara; in more contemporary terms, it is an artisan trade threatened with extinction. Just today, I had my shipment of new Auloronesas cleared by NZ Customs at a cost of over $12.00 per beret, over already raised wholesale prices, not helping the survival of these berets...
Prices will have to go up, but shall not do so before the new stock arrives on Monday, so if looking for a "bargain", now is the time to order!

Also today, I finally took the task of sorting my private collection of berets; an (almost) embarrassing number of 212.

A lucky find was my long lost first Tolosa Tupida, a sample in navy that I ordered some 15 years ago and the beginning of a love affair with Argentinian berets, or boinas.
Feels as good today as it did all those years ago, despite being a bit older for wear - both of us.

Bouwerij_Jongen said:

Daan, I have to agree the Tolosa Tupida in Navy is a favorite of mine,
in fact wearing it now as spring showers will be followed by a warm weekend.
A photo from the dream world of two years ago when traveling
in Spain and France.
At la Sagrada Familia in Barcelona wearing the
@boinaselosegui Super Lujo Grande in Burdeo Mexico from @bonetaire.

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Nice photo of better times... These days I travel online only, but still, one can make interesting discoveries.
This morning I stumbled upon some berets, or boinas, made by long-gone manufacturer Roig; beautiful "Non Plus Ultra" models from the 1950s.

The Boinas Roig were made in the small town of Pradoluengo (Burgos) by Mr Augustin Mingo.

In 1955, the luxury 'Non Plus Ultra' would cost 270 Spanish pesetas, the equivalent of 1.6 euro!

Daan said:

Ernesto Cardenal was a Nicaraguan Priest, Poet and Revolutionary.
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Rev. Ernesto Cardenal, one of Latin America’s most admired poets and priests, who defied the Roman Catholic Church in the 1980s by serving in the revolutionary Sandinista government of Nicaragua, died on Sunday in Managua, Nicaragua. He was 95.
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Born to a wealthy Nicaraguan family, Father Cardenal became a prominent intellectual voice of the Nicaraguan revolution and an ardent proponent of liberation theology, a Christian movement rooted in Marxist principles and committed to social justice and uplifting the poor. He was appointed Nicaragua’s first minister of culture after the Sandinistas overthrew the dictator Gen. Anastasio Somoza Debayle in 1979.
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As the Vatican’s opposition to liberation theology intensified in the 1980s under Pope John Paul II, Father Cardenal became a focal point. Before a scheduled visit to Nicaragua in 1983, the pope publicly demanded that Father Cardenal and four other priests who had actively supported the revolution resign their government positions. The Sandinista government refused the demand to replace them but said its invitation to the pope still stood.
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After months of public arguing, the pope accepted the invitation and landed in Managua, Nicaragua’s capital. As he walked along a receiving line on the tarmac shaking hands, the pope seemed taken aback to see Father Cardenal among the dignitaries.

While other priests were in clerical garb, Father Cardenal had shown up wearing a collarless white shirt, slacks and his signature black beret over his thick white hair. When he knelt to kiss the pope’s ring, the pope withheld his hand and wagged his finger at him as he spoke to him, apparently sternly.
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“Christ led me to Marx,” Father Cardenal said in an interview in 1984. “I don’t think the pope understands Marxism. For me, the four gospels are all equally communist. I’m a Marxist who believes in God, follows Christ, and is a revolutionary for the sake of his kingdom.”
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His priestly authority was revoked by Nicaragua’s bishops that same year. Father Cardenal’s suspension was lifted in February 2019, when Pope Francis granted him absolution from “all canonical censorships,” the Vatican News reported.

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Daan said:

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Ever since covid began, imports from Argentina have been extremely difficult and to make things worse, by February 2020, the stock of boinas Tolosa Tupida’s was already very low…
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The good news is, I just got confirmation that a shipment will leave Buenos Aires soon! New stock of well known models, but also a new range of merino Tolosa Tupida’s in a large 34cm diameter.
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But, as typical, good news is accompanied by bad news; prices will have to go up. However, until the arrival of the new stock, no price change will be made, so get yourself a bargain now!
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I dare say, these are the best priced quality berets one can find!

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Just over 2 months ago, I optimistically announced that new stock by Bonigor was in the pipeline, but it now appears that was premature...
Still no confirmation of berets even being ready for shipping and since the last shipment was well before the onset of Covid, that means that stock levels are at an all time low now.

Not sure if I will be able to restock these fantastic boinas Espinosa's and Tolosa Tupida's ever again, a true gaucho staple.
Fans of these berets may want to have a look at what is still left at present, in merino wool or cotton.

Prices have not been changed, but be aware, very few models/colours remain at present...

GrayEyes said:

Today, I was going through some of my late father-in-law's things, and I came across this beret.

The photos speak for themselves: The brand is ostensibly Bilbao. The label under the leather sweatband notes that it was Made in France. The "100% Reine Wolle" label makes me think that it was sold on the German market. Diameter 9.5 pouces (266 mm), which I confirmed with a tape measure. European hat size 58, but it has shrunk a lot. Now I would estimate closer to 56. As you can see, the leather sweatband is stiff and cracked.

My mother-in-law didn't know when he bought it. As far as we know, she only went to France three times: 1988 on a family vacation, the late 1990s on a family vacation, and 1958 during his naval service. Since we know that he brought home other French souvenirs in 1958, we suspect that he also bought this beret at that time.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this Bilbao beret? When it might have been made? Have you seen one like it before?

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The Bilbao is a label by either Blancq-Olibet from Nay or Laulhère in Oloron Sainte Marie and was in use during the late 1950's, so it is possible that he picked it up during his naval service. The only thing that makes me question this is the colour of the lining; most berets of that era were fitted with black satin lining or bayadere (multi-coloured striped) lining.

I would think that this label was still in production in the late '80s.
The "Reine Wolle" text is stamped on the lining and indicates it was meant for the German market. These kind of stamps were typically done for individual hat stores.