Berets, Anyone?

[Daan]

There are these great moments that I find something I really like and a good example of this exaltation comes from the personalized limited edition Barretines from Catalonia.

The perfect gift for any hat collector: these authentic 100% Wool Barretines are hand painted with the Senyera (national flag of Catalonia) and the red star by Catalan artist Jordi Sanahuja. Every barretina comes with a signed and dated certificate of authenticity. A unique and true collector's item.

The Senyera is one of the oldest flags in Europe to be used in present day, but not in continuous use since its creation. There are several theories advocating either a purely Catalan or a purely Aragonese origin for the symbol.

According to a 14th-century legend, the flag dates back from the 9th century, when the four red bars were drawn, as an act of gratitude, on Wilfred I the Hairy's (Count of Barcelona) golden shield by king Charles the Bald's fingers drenched with blood from the Count's war wounds prior to Wilfred's death in 897 during the siege of Barcelona by Lobo ibn Mohammed, the Moorish governor of Lleida.

 

[GrayEyes]

One of the aspects that defines the quality of a beret, is it's "touch"; how soft and smooth is the surface of the beret. The more velvety the feel, the longer the process of shaving and brushing and with that, the higher cost. Therefore, a boina Dame (or a Basica, Basco Roma, Espinosa, and all those other more basic -lower cost- berets), will not feel like an Auloronesa (or Super Lujo, Pedrito and all those other high end -more expensive- berets).

You can say that again! There is no comparison between my Basco Roma, Elosegui Basica, and Bonigor Espinosa on the one hand and my Elosegui Super Lujo and M.d.B. Boneteria Auloronesa on the other. The former have fairly rough, nubby wool and no lining or poor linings. The latter are smooth and well lined.

But 1) there is a real cost difference, and, in this case, you get what you pay for, and 2) a lower tier beret is perfectly fine for wearing. For me, it's just a matter of when and where I would wear it: going for a hike on a cool day or working in the garden vs. wearing with suit and overcoat to the office.

 

[RJR]

You can say that again! There is no comparison between my Basco Roma, Elosegui Basica, and Bonigor Espinosa on the one hand and my Elosegui Super Lujo and M.d.B. Boneteria Auloronesa on the other. The former have fairly rough, nubby wool and no lining or poor linings. The latter are smooth and well lined.

But 1) there is a real cost difference, and, in this case, you get what you pay for, and 2) a lower tier beret is perfectly fine for wearing. For me, it's just a matter of when and where I would wear it: going for a hike on a cool day or working in the garden vs. wearing with suit and overcoat to the office.

I agree.

 

[Kreissaege]

As I had to experience again today, bad weather is the raison d'etre for the large diameter beret!
And the Boinas Elosegui Super Lujo is big and quite stiff, so it doesnt flop around. One of my faviurites and I own enough spares to last me two lifetimes.
From the BA range I have to order some more, because they are not so thick and warm as the Super Lujo. One beret is definitely not enough!

 

[GrayEyes]

[. . .]
And the Boinas Elosegui Super Lujo is big and quite stiff, so it doesnt flop around.

Any tips on breaking in (and shaping) a BE SL? I find it to be incredibly stiff!

 

[RJR]

As I had to experience again today, bad weather is the raison d'etre for the large diameter beret!
And the Boinas Elosegui Super Lujo is big and quite stiff, so it doesnt flop around. One of my faviurites and I own enough spares to last me two lifetimes.
From the BA range I have to order some more, because they are not so thick and warm as the Super Lujo. One beret is definitely not enough!

Any tips on breaking in (and shaping) a BE SL? I find it to be incredibly stiff!

In my limited experience I'd say that use and time is the secret to successfully taming one.

 

[Daan]

Any tips on breaking in (and shaping) a BE SL? I find it to be incredibly stiff!

The technique to stretch a stiff rimmed beret (like a boina Super Lujo) is as simple as it is adequate. Below the instructions I give:
The headband-less berets stretch to even the largest head size, providing they are stretched in the correct manner.
To stretch your new beret:
Sit down. Place beret upside down on your lap. Grip the beret’s headband with both hands.
Gripping the headband with one hand gently, but firmly pull your other hand away from the gripping hand, dragging it along the headband. You don’t want to grip so hard that you rip the fabric but you should feel some heat from the friction of your grip.
Rotate the beret a 1/4 turn and repeat, trying the beret on every few pulls. This process, depending on your head size, may take a few a few minutes to ‘work’ the fabric to your size.
If you follow these simple instructions you shouldn't have any problem stretching the headband to fit. Don’t pull with foot and hand, or simply hands opposite each other; you really need to pull, or stretch the fabric fibers using the technique described above. Once stretched the beret stays that size well.

 

[Kreissaege]

It will stay sort of stiffish, thats the way it is. By wearing it, sweating in it, having rain splattering onto it, it will conform to your head and acquire the desired shape. But soft and foppy the Super Lujo will never be, for this purpose you have to choose another beret.

On breaking in a beret, any beret: generally, the more it is worn, the better it will fit. Like with good leather boots, time and patience will do.

 

[Kreissaege]

I must admit of being a bit biased towards spanish berets in the last years. Their one-size-fits-all aproach by stretching the rim to ones own size makes fitting so easy. With the pre-sized french berets I never got it right the first time. That said, once I shrunk my two french Tartes into shape, they were ok. One fits good, the other one is still a bit too loose.

The exception are the french ones from Boneteria Auloronesa with their Ligette. Perfect to give a good fit and less stiff and thick as the Super Lujo, so more universal. Close to these are my BE Edicion Limitada (predecessor of the Ano 1858?), a bit more lightweight than the Super Lujo and I feel that I progress towards lighter berets in the last months. So yesterday I ordered two more Foulard Alpin, in navy, from Boneteria Auloronesa.

 

[Babbo Philipe]

I must admit of being a bit biased towards spanish berets in the last years. Their one-size-fits-all aproach by stretching the rim to ones own size makes fitting so easy. With the pre-sized french berets I never got it right the first time. That said, once I shrunk my two french Tartes into shape, they were ok. One fits good, the other one is still a bit too loose.

The exception are the french ones from Boneteria Auloronesa with their Ligette. Perfect to give a good fit and less stiff and thick as the Super Lujo, so more universal. Close to these are my BE Edicion Limitada (predecessor of the Ano 1858?), a bit more lightweight than the Super Lujo and I feel that I progress towards lighter berets in the last months. So yesterday I ordered two more Foulard Alpin, in navy, from Boneteria Auloronesa.

me too i love the spanish berets, but they shrink unevenly, so water was a flop, i ended up with bonateria, no issues, soak them in water with downey, they come out awesome, just ordered 2 more, another black and a loden green

 

[Nico]

A somewhat hot autumns day and heading out for a Sunday country drive.
Decided on the Laulhere heritage green for this outing.

 

[Babbo Philipe]

thats a good green,the lay looks nice, i alway s wanted a heritage Laulhere, how is the thickness compared to the aulornonesa

 

[NoHorse]

Well!

Today I received a noir Auloronesa universal as a gift!! Such friends one has...

Already now, brand new, it has a more pleasantly draping fit than my Elosegui SL. And what is more - the "size" it came adjusted to is just fine for my noggin: no need to untie and re-tie. I can now join the chorus of praise. Not floppy, not stiff - just right.

Some questions:

Right now, a couple of hours out of its plastic bag, it has a pronounced chemical odor. Mothproofing perhaps? Does this fade away by itself?

I take it the wool is not treated with teflon, so shape it with water?

Nico: in your photos of Auloronesas they appear rounded, while mine has the wrinkled, "corrugated" look around the side. Is that about head shapes, or softening, or what?

And finally, the website has the 9.5P in Navy but not in brown. Is that a temporary situation, or just the way it is?

 

[Babbo Philipe]

Well!

Today I received a noir Auloronesa universal as a gift!! Such friends one has...

Already now, brand new, it has a more pleasantly draping fit than my Elosegui SL. And what is more - the "size" it came adjusted to is just fine for my noggin: no need to untie and re-tie. I can now join the chorus of praise. Not floppy, not stiff - just right.

Some questions:

Right now, a couple of hours out of its plastic bag, it has a pronounced chemical odor. Mothproofing perhaps? Does this fade away by itself?

I take it the wool is not treated with teflon, so shape it with water?

Nico: in your photos of Auloronesas they appear rounded, while mine has the wrinkled, "corrugated" look around the side. Is that about head shapes, or softening, or what?

And finally, the website has the 9.5P in Navy but not in brown. Is that a temporary situation, or just the way it is?

well the smell is "i believe" someone smokes in the shop, (could very well be moth proofing, never thought of that,) what i do is soak the beret in luke warm water and downey softener, press it out with towel and turn inside out to dry shaping as needed throughout drying session, be aware if you do this the iron imprint around the emblem goes away , if you find it is a little to big i use hot water, sometime the pouce come out different , as far as wrinkles i am not sure what that means, pictures would be easier to answer,,, the brown beret answer is Yes they do have them , but the colors have to be made in batches , if not enough 9.5 browns are on order you have to wait, this was my experience

 

[RJR]

Well!

Today I received a noir Auloronesa universal as a gift!! Such friends one has...

Already now, brand new, it has a more pleasantly draping fit than my Elosegui SL. And what is more - the "size" it came adjusted to is just fine for my noggin: no need to untie and re-tie. I can now join the chorus of praise. Not floppy, not stiff - just right.

Some questions:

Right now, a couple of hours out of its plastic bag, it has a pronounced chemical odor. Mothproofing perhaps? Does this fade away by itself?

I take it the wool is not treated with teflon, so shape it with water?

Nico: in your photos of Auloronesas they appear rounded, while mine has the wrinkled, "corrugated" look around the side. Is that about head shapes, or softening, or what?

And finally, the website has the 9.5P in Navy but not in brown. Is that a temporary situation, or just the way it is?

Ask Daan directly.

 

[NoHorse]

Ask Daan directly.

I always wondered what Daan's last name was...

 

[Daan]

Well!
Right now, a couple of hours out of its plastic bag, it has a pronounced chemical odor. Mothproofing perhaps? Does this fade away by itself?

I take it the wool is not treated with teflon, so shape it with water?

well the smell is "i believe" someone smokes in the shop, (could very well be moth proofing, never thought of that,) what i do is soak the beret in luke warm water and downey softener, press it out with towel and turn inside out to dry shaping as needed throughout drying session

Wow, some big misunderstandings here! One of the most significant differences between the berets made by Boneteria Auloronesa and Laulhere / Boinas Elosegui is that no chemicals are used in the whole process of beret making. The only exception are the dyes, but no Teflon or similar and certainly no anti-mite or -moth.
During the 1950s and 60s berets were typically treated with the product Mitin, a rather unfriendly chemical substance that caused suffering to 10s of 1000s of French conscripts. Sometimes you come across a vintage beret on Ebay where the ignorant seller proudly states the beret has been treated with Mitin (it usually carries a small label stating so) - stay away from it!

The peculiar smell of berets made by Boneteria Auloronesa comes from the savon de Marseille, an olive oil based fatty soap that is extensively used in the process of felting and has a very distinctive smell - some beret customers love it, others don't... Wearing the beret for a few days in the open air takes most of the smell away.

As for soaking the beret in water and worse, using a fabric softener, don't. A beret will get it's right shape perfectly fine by simply wearing it; the merino fibers have good "memory" (the regular shape will be retained over time) and by washing (and adding a softener), you take away all remaining oils and traces of the savon de Marseille; elements that keep your Auloronesa water resistant.

 

[NoHorse]

Ok - so it's the savon de Marseille that I smell. No problem. I like that idea much better than Teflon! Thanks - one more time - for your encyclopedic knowledge.

I was not going to use softener, and now, after learning about the purity of this product, I will subject it exclusively to snow, sleet and rain!

And it's supposed to do a bit of each tomorrow. Perfect timing.

 

[Nico]

Philipe, the Laulhere heritage is a less dense lighter weight beret. I own three, green, blue and brown.
Prefer wearing them in our spring/autumn.

No Horse, as for the odour it will dissipate over time. Shaping, I just wear them, they shape themselves.

 

[Babbo Philipe]

Wow, some big misunderstandings here! One of the most significant differences between the berets made by Boneteria Auloronesa and Laulhere / Boinas Elosegui is that no chemicals are used in the whole process of beret making. The only exception are the dyes, but no Teflon or similar and certainly no anti-mite or -moth.
During the 1950s and 60s berets were typically treated with the product Mitin, a rather unfriendly chemical substance that caused suffering to 10s of 1000s of French conscripts. Sometimes you come across a vintage beret on Ebay where the ignorant seller proudly states the beret has been treated with Mitin (it usually carries a small label stating so) - stay away from it!

The peculiar smell of berets made by Boneteria Auloronesa comes from the savon de Marseille, an olive oil based fatty soap that is extensively used in the process of felting and has a very distinctive smell - some beret customers love it, others don't... Wearing the beret for a few days in the open air takes most of the smell away.

As for soaking the beret in water and worse, using a fabric softener, don't. A beret will get it's right shape perfectly fine by simply wearing it; the merino fibers have good "memory" (the regular shape will be retained over time) and by washing (and adding a softener), you take away all remaining oils and traces of the savon de Marseille; elements that keep your Auloronesa water resistant.

Darn i wish i knew that earlier, well they still wear fantastic, would it be safe t say i soak the beret in savon de Marseille again it would retain some of its properties again, if so desired