What is the first image that comes to your mid when you hear the word “beret”? Do you think of a man or a woman? Is the person more arty or chic? Perhaps a rebellion with leather jacket and a stern expression, or maybe a pantomime actor? Might the person smoke, dance tango or carry a baguette?
The beret is a gender-neutral accessory: worn both by men and women. It is often associated with France, matched by a striped T-Shirt, red lipstick or thick moustache. In case you have watched the British sitcom “Allo, Allo” you might remember the uncountable appearance of the wool hat in the series, a parody of all the possible beret-cliches. One of my favourite caricatures from this movie is the beret, paired up with onion-garland.
Also, the beret is part of the long-standing stereotype of artists, as a lot of painters (like Rembrandt, Picasso) musicians (Wagner, Bob Dylan, Madonna, Beyonce or Rihanna) and fashion icons (Coco Chanel, Bridget Bardot, Greta Garbo or lately Meghan Markle) were depicted with a beret on. For decades, or perhaps even more for centuries, the beret was an acknowledged part of different military uniforms. This paved the way to became a symbol of rebellion, as many famous revolutionaries were photographed in berets, just to mention Che Guevara’s iconic picture, wearing a black beret with a brass star.
What could you consider, when styling a beret?
First of all, be aware: as soon as you add a beret to your outfit, you put a strong stamp on it.
Also, be confident. The beret, just like every characteristic accessory, requires self-assurance. The good news that berets are available in so many variations, cuts and colours, you will surely find your true match that you can wear with
Let’s take a look at the cut. Although it is “only” a simple round woven fabric, the size of it might firmly influence how it looks. In case it is too small, compared to your head or your hair, it might look either super-cute or super-ridiculous. The border between the two is really thin unfortunately, nevertheless, with a bit of self-confidence you can easily wash away the difference between the two.
How to position the beret on the crown of your head? The beret fits snugly around the head, many wear it pushed to one side, some people prefer to position it symmetrically, either jutting forward or pushing back.
You can always be confident with the most common colour choices, black or red. Having said that, it makes still a good sense to try out different shades, that enhance your eyes or your skin and gives a special flavour to your outfit.
And last, but not least…when you opt for a beret, never forget the effort which you will need to put into cleaning and maintenance. As it is normally made of wool, the beret requires a special care. However careful I was, using cold water and avoiding spin-dryer, I often ended up with my beret shrank badly to a baby size hat.
With my beautiful friend, who became a model for the day of our photo-shooting, we explored different colours and added them to different street-styles. Which is your favourite? Would you like to try a style coaching session combined with photo-shooting?
I am more than thankful for the fantastic pictures, made by Marc , also for Christiane's patient and professional model-work.
Comments