The Origin of the Beret
French people are often portrayed wearing a striped shirt, a beret, and carrying a baguette under their arm. Although they may love a fresh loaf of bread, it is highly doubtful that a person would walk around with a baguette tucked under their arms saying, “ooh la la.” Speaking for many natives, “C’est vraiment faux, très archi-faux!” Bottom line is, that’s very wrong, and the French aren’t too pleased.
If you look around campus, there’s hardly a French person, or anyone for that matter, walking the streets of Berkeley with a beret and baguette in hand. If you visit France today, barely any adults wear berets. It all makes sense, because even the highest of haute couture houses would get tired of the same style for decades. But how has this stereotypical piece become a part of fashion?
Berets were not always fashionable accessories. They were worn throughout Northern Europe and were not introduced to the fashion world until the 1930s, when movie actresses would appear on screen with them. The soft wool accessory could keep warm but was later adapted by the French as a military piece.
If you think of its adaptation in the U.S., berets were worn by members of political and revolutionary movements, such as the Black Panther Party. This symbolized solidarity across third world nations who proved that governments were systematically flawed, and the dominant discourse could be manipulated by marginalized groups. However, in our generation, most of us wear the piece as a fashion statement.
Although they have been a part of the armed force’s uniform since the mid-20th century, the beret’s popularity in the U.S. has skyrocketed now that fashion icons have reintroduced the look. Two prominent fashion icons include the “Umbrella” singer, Rihanna, and the “We Are Young” featured singer, Janelle Monae. The two have been fashion figures for at least a decade now, so reintroducing berets to the world quickly influenced fans to hop on the trend. No need to book a flight to France to rock the piece!
Perhaps the most common way to style a beret is directly positioning the beret as you would a regular hat. Then, push the hat down to secure the placement on your head a few inches up your forehead and tuck in the brim. Rihanna wears this beret style, especially with her signature black beret.
The “salut” look tilts the beret on the side of the head, nodding to a military salute. This is the most playful look, as it adds an obvious shift to your whole ensemble. This tilt, along with colorful berets, is a signature look for Janelle Monae. The only nuisance to the look is positioning the beret at an angle that will prevent it from falling. You don’t want to be running late to your 8am in Dwinelle surrounded by a group of staring students as you continuously pick up and adjust your beret! In the words of the French, that’s a fashion faux pas.
A special thanks to these celebrities for sharing their style of berets. But most importantly, we thank the French for aspiring a trend that would live on to become one of fashion’s most symbolic power dynamics of style. Vive la France!
Words by Raissa Ngoma