Talking Heads

The beret is big for Autumn/Winter 2017. JACQUIE ANG learns why it conveys more than just Parisian panache

- Jacquie Ang

YOU HAVE TO take your hat off to the beret. No frills, no brim, but the chameleonic chapeau has usurped bags and shoes as accessory du jour. Indeed, there’s a renewed relevance about this perennial Parisian chic go-to.

At the Men’s Fashion Week, British stylist Judy Blame gave Jeremy Scott’s military-charged Moschino collection punk overtones, adding flash by pinning piles and piles of eclectic metallic embellishments such as buttons, safety pins and keys on wool toppers.

A day later, Miuccia Prada reminded us of the beret’s je ne sais quoi with her line-up of leather lust-musts, sported by intellectuals and artistscirca 1970s Left Bank.

Such different representations aptly sum up the hat’s split personality (and unique) appeal.

Widely regarded as a French symbol, historical evidence suggests the existence of felt hats similar to the beret dating as far back to the Bronze Age in Italy and Denmark. The ancient Greeks have also been depicted with early renditions.

According to Laulhère, the only brand in France that’s been making berets from pure merino virgin wool by hand since 1840, Béarn shepherds wore these hats to protect against harsh and cold winters.