Berets, Anyone?

[Kreissaege]

Hello Daan, good to read from you again.
One question, though: how many berets did you bring along on this journey?

 

[Daan]

Hello Daan, good to read from you again.
One question, though: how many berets did you bring along on this journey?

How many I brought? Nothing too extravagant, really - it's the number I came back with that's impressive!
Still sorting through luggage, opening boxes that were waiting here during my absence, but all will be revealed in due time.

Two berets that I am particularly happy with, are the beautiful Elósegui Super Lujo's from the Ertzaintza and Policia Foral, the police forces of resp. the Basque Country and Navarre. For obvious reasons not for sale and I feel very privileged to now own one of each. They are worth a post here in their own right (later, later...), as a lot of history, rivalry and gossip surrounds these berets.
But to get back to your question, I mainly wore my Auloronesa in denim-blue 11p; when too hot I changed for a Aotearoa custom made casquette in khaki (I had one made extra; drop me a line if interested) and when the mercury crossed the 30oC, I went for the cotton Tolosa Tupida in red/white.

 

[Babbo Philipe]

the khaki Aotearoa is sweet, what pouce do they come in

 

[Daan]

the khaki Aotearoa is sweet, what pouce do they come in

All casquettes are based on 10 pouce berets, both the Laulhere and Auloronesa casquettes.

 

[Babbo Philipe]

i just love berets, so sleek so soft i am am naked without them

 

[Nico]

Out shoe shopping with my daughter.
Dad, nothing.
Daughter, two pairs.
Dad paid.
Daughter happy.

Sorry for the photo orientation

 

[Tiki Tom]

Out shoe shopping with my daughter.
Dad, nothing.
Daughter, two pairs.
Dad paid.
Daughter happy.

So nice. Enjoy your time with her. My daughter just came back from university for the summer. So nice to have her around again. Shopping will definitely be scheduled.

 

[Nico]

So nice. Enjoy your time with her. My daughter just came back from university for the summer. So nice to have her around again. Shopping will definitely be scheduled.

Tiki Tom.
Thank you for the kind words. Enjoy your summer with the family.
Cheers
N

 

[RJR]

Out shoe shopping with my daughter.
Dad, nothing.
Daughter, two pairs.
Dad paid.
Daughter happy.

Sorry for the photo orientation
View attachment 75576

Per my daughter,"as it should be".

 

[Daan]

Out shoe shopping with my daughter.
Dad, nothing.
Daughter, two pairs.
Dad paid.
Daughter happy.

Sorry for the photo orientation
View attachment 75576

Lovely picture and somehow, that text sounds very familiar!

Per my daughter,"as it should be".

Yep, I can hear my daughter say the same... At least yours (Nick), wears a beret in the process - mine has long given up.

 

[Nico]

Lovely picture and somehow, that text sounds very familiar!


Yep, I can hear my daughter say the same... At least yours (Nick), wears a beret in the process - mine has long given up.

It sure does Daan.
My daughter loves her shoes and wearing her beret in the cold wet weather we are currently experiencing in Melbourne. My status amongst my daughter friends has been elevated to the cool dad.

 

[Daan]

It sure does Daan.
My daughter loves her shoes and wearing her beret in the cold wet weather we are currently experiencing in Melbourne. My status amongst my daughter friends has been elevated to the cool dad.

Aah, that much coveted status of "Cool Dad"... The problem is, what's cool for one, is embarrassing for the other. Where my oldest one was happily being taken to school, friends or parties by me (preferably on the motorbike), daughter #2 still requests to be let out around the corner, so no one needs to know that this bearded, beret wearing weirdo is her dad.
Just to proof that things can always be worse, a small selection from the beret archives:

All fine, well dressed gentlemen from my perspective, but I can imagine not every teenage girl would agree.

 

[Babbo Philipe]

no, teenage might not, but from a certain mans point of view, they look very comfortable and relaxed, which is worth a lot more than the adoration of teenagers, LOL

 

[Nico]

Aah, that much coveted status of "Cool Dad"... The problem is, what's cool for one, is embarrassing for the other. Where my oldest one was happily being taken to school, friends or parties by me (preferably on the motorbike), daughter #2 still requests to be let out around the corner, so no one needs to know that this bearded, beret wearing weirdo is her dad.
Just to proof that things can always be worse, a small selection from the beret archives:
View attachment 75637 View attachment 75629 View attachment 75630 View attachment 75631 View attachment 75632 View attachment 75633 View attachment 75634 View attachment 75635 View attachment 75636
All fine, well dressed gentlemen from my perspective, but I can imagine not every teenage girl would agree.

Yes, I can relate. Now my girl is at Uni I am back to being cool.

 

[Kreissaege]

It sure does Daan.
My daughter loves her shoes and wearing her beret in the cold wet weather we are currently experiencing in Melbourne. My status amongst my daughter friends has been elevated to the cool dad.

We have a real heat wave over here, 34°C, so wearing a woolen beret is out of question. Mch to the dismay of some children in my class, who got used to that old man wearing such strange headgear

 

[Yarbles]

We have a real heat wave over here, 34°C, so wearing a woolen beret is out of question. Mch to the dismay of some children in my class, who got used to that old man wearing such strange headgear

LoL .....heatwave.....thats just an average summers day. In january it got to 47 celsius here in NSW.... panama hat weather

 

[Kreissaege]

Dont they wear only Akubra down under?

 

[Yarbles]

No but some people wear He-man jocks...

I know stetson branded some berets but never heard of an Akubra beret.

 

[Daan]

Visiting Boinas La Encartada

One of two museums dedicated to the beret is the La Encartada Museoa in Balmaseda in Bizkaia, Spain. The factory was established by Marcos Arena Bermejillo in 1892 and continued production until it's closure a century later, in 1992.

In 2007 the factory re-opened as a museum, displaying a range of machines for processing wool originating in many parts of Europe.
Visiting La Encartada on a Friday morning, I found the door closed and, with little hope started calling and banging on the door. To cut a long story short, I was giving a personal tour by one of the workers at the place and thoroughly enjoyed seeing what I saw!

La Encartada displays a traditional Basque factory, but it also shows how entrepreneurs were able to integrate machines from many European countries into a single manufacturing process.

Nearby are several workers’ houses, some built at the same time as the factory and some from the early twentieth century, showing how community and factory were closely related; there was even a school on the factory grounds for the workers' children.

Some of the most enjoyable displays were the beautifully kept vehicles that were used to transport the boxes with berets to the railway station in Balmaseda for further distribution in Spain and abroad.

 

[KarlCrow]

^ cool post, thanks Daan.