Berets, Anyone?

[Daan]

Hi Daan, apparently I could buy directly from Elosegui, but their webshop does not seem to work for me (using four different browsers). On my phone I see a shopping basket but there is no way to put anything into it. Assuming they ever reply to my email I might get to the bottom of this.

Boinas Elosegui had a beautiful website for the time, in the very early 2000's which they upgraded some 5 years ago, including a webshop. However, since then little has happened; the last update to the website's blog was in October 2016 and from what I hear from customers, is that the webshop never became really operational.
The company makes some of the world's best quality berets, but at the same time is a small business struggling to survive and reinventing it's place in the modern world.

 

[Cepice]

I have to agree with Daan, I have an old beret that was too small. I removed the leather headband, and it never really fit well. Headbandless berets have several folds to make the lip, removing a leather band exposes the raw edge and it never quite feels right. I actually thought about taking it to a tailor and seeing if she can't sew the edge together. Essentially, I ruined the beret.

 

[Humanfactor]

I just watched a really good film called "The Blacksmith and the Devil" which is a story based on Basque folklore. The amount of beréts worn in this film is impressive. The time period is during and after the 1st Carlist war (1830's). It's available on Netflix.

 

[Humanfactor]

 

[Bouwerij_Jongen]

To find The Blacksmith and the Devil on Netflix streaming you need to search for "Errementari" which is Basque for blacksmith. Just saw the beginning of the movie but there were plenty of berets.

 

[Daan]

Apart from the Chasseurs Alpins, there are only two other units that wear the grand tarte; the Artillerie de Montagne (Mountain Artillery) and the pelotons of High Mountain Gendarmerie.

The high mountain squads are units of the French Gendarmerie Nationale specializing in aid to victims in hazardous mountain environments. These specialized units were created in 1958, after a dreadful incident on Mont Blanc in 1957, where two young mountaineers were unable to be rescued.

The highly specialized members of the Gendarmerie Haute Montagne are the only units within the Gendarmerie Nationale who wear the Tarte of the Chasseurs Alpins.

South Pacific Berets has now a small number of another piece of uniform in stock: polo shirts that are part of the genuine uniform of the Gendarmerie Haute Montagne (and it is not recommended to wear this shirt in France if you are not an officer of the Gendarmerie).

The 500 grams polo is constructed from a unique, thick hi-tech poly/cotton fabric with excellent insulating and moisture absorption properties. Velcro tabs on each arm and the chest allow for rank and emblem attachments (but can be easily removed).
Great for outdoor enthusiasts and casual enough for everyday use - just not in France.

 

[Bouwerij_Jongen]

With Valentines Day only a week away,
here are a couple of vintage "Sweetheart" French carte postale of
Chasseurs Alpins circa WW1

 

[Bouwerij_Jongen]

continuing my popular Sweetheart carte postales here are three more vintage carte postale with the same chasseur alpin,

 

[Bouwerij_Jongen]

The countdown to Valentine's Day continues,

 

[Daan]

By lack of anyone sending me a Valentine's present, so far, I just had to take one, or two actually, for myself from the new stock that just arrived from Argentina.

This NZ summer I have really come to appreciate the cotton berets by Talabarteria Arandú; easy to wear, sturdy work-gear, made for and worn by gauchos.

New are the vintage red and white models in 30cm and the grey standard and diamond models in the range of regular cotton berets.

In the Guarda Pampa range, there is the new Mataco in a sand/wine colour scheme (below and on top).

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

[Nico]

The temperature is finally dropping below 30 Celsius in my part of Australia.
Nice wearing a beret (Super Lujo) again.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Fedster]

The temperature is finally dropping below 30 Celsius in my part of Australia.
Nice wearing a beret (Super Lujo) again.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Have you ever tried a cotton beret in summer/high heat?

 

[Fedster]

Quick question boinas Elosegui: what's the difference in the felt in Super Lujo and 1858 berets, assuming there is one?

 

[Daan]

Quick question boinas Elosegui: what's the difference in the felt in Super Lujo and 1858 berets, assuming there is one?

There certainly is a difference! The Exposición Año 1858 is the successor of the Boina Aniversario, a limited edition model for the 150th anniversary of Boinas Elósegui in 2008.

The Boina Aniversario was made in a limited edition (I don't know the exact number) and sold better than the manufacturer anticipated. Hence a new model was created, based on the Aniversario: the Exposición Año 1858.
The difference between these two toppers lies mainly in the lining and label;the lining of the Aniversario was Outlast, a very hi-tech material with excellent insulation qualities whereas the Año 1858 is fitted with a satin lining. The label of the Aniversario was black & gold and exceptionally large and circular.

All this as for the background of the Año 1858. The differences with the Super Lujo models and the Año 1858 come from the quality of the merino wool fibres at <17 micron (raising the already high insulation capability of regular merino yarn) and the density of the knitted felted merino at 750 gram/m2.
The Exposición Año 1858 only comes in black and is the very top of berets that Boinas Elósegui produces.

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

Dann your link goes to a 404 page.

https://southpacificberets.com/año-1858.php

 

[Daan]

Dann your link goes to a 404 page.

https://southpacificberets.com/año-1858.php

How strange... I have just tried on two different PC's and my phone and all work.
If you, or other visitors, continue to have any problems, please let me know - that is for me the only way to find out about faults. Meanwhile, you can always place an order by sending me an email with details of the desired beret and I'll reply with a custom invoice.
Thanks

 

[Nico]

Have you ever tried a cotton beret in summer/high heat?

Not yet. I usually wear a broad brim hat in our summer season. The sun and heat can be brutal. We recently experienced temperatures well over 40c.

 

[Bouwerij_Jongen]

Hey Nico, I have been wearing a cotton beret in the summer for the last two years;
because I wear a beret everyday.
I usually wear a 27cm to 30cm, but also have a 35cm.
When things get really hot you can dunk your beret in a bucket of water
for a little extra cooling.

 

[Humanfactor]

By lack of anyone sending me a Valentine's present, so far, I just had to take one, or two actually, for myself from the new stock that just arrived from Argentina.
View attachment 156158 View attachment 156159
This NZ summer I have really come to appreciate the cotton berets by Talabarteria Arandú; easy to wear, sturdy work-gear, made for and worn by gauchos.
View attachment 156160 View attachment 156161
New are the vintage red and white models in 30cm and the grey standard and diamond models in the range of regular cotton berets.
View attachment 156162 View attachment 156164
In the Guarda Pampa range, there is the new Mataco in a sand/wine colour scheme (below and on top).
View attachment 156165
Happy Valentine's Day!

Hi Dan, I really like that all white béret. I plan on being in NZ next Jan - Feb of 2020, would love to pop by and visit you, and perhaps pick up a couple of bérets.

 

[Bouwerij_Jongen]

An uncommon February snowstorm in Portland, so that means wearing an
Elosegui Super Lujo Grande