Le béret français Posted by Bridgette on Feb 26, 2021 in Culture
Bonjour mes amis,
When you envision the look of a French man stéréotypé, what is it that you imagine? Probably une marinière (striped shirt), une cigarette, une moustache, et…. un béret.
Image from pixabay, CCO.
First, I have to admit where this blog inspiration came from. J’ai acheté un béret de Laulhere cette semaine ! I bought a béret from Laulhere this week! La France me manque tellement, I miss France so much, so it was one of those nostalgic, I want to pretend I am in France purchases.
Admittedly, the béret is not nearly as popular as the stereotype would like you to think, but I am living in my dream world before I can visit again, ça va? In this world, on adore les bérets.1we love berets When my purchase arrived from Paris, I was hyper contente (very happy).
L’histoire du béret – The history of the béret
Ce type de chapeau sans bord existe depuis le Moyen Âge sous d’autres appellations dans les divers pays d’Europe.
This type of brimless hat has existed since the Middle Ages under other names in various European countries.
Le Béarn, une ancienne province française au pied des Pyrénées, revendique la paternité du béret.
Béarn, a former French province at the foot of the Pyrenees, claims paternity of the beret.
La fabrique Laulhère est implantée à Oloron-Sainte-Marie dans le Haut Béarn, et elle a commencé à confectionner des bérets en 1840.
The Laulhère factory is located in Oloron-Sainte-Marie in Haut Béarn, and it started making berets in 1840.
Le béret était généralement un couvre-chef masculin et paysan. Cependant, il est devenu un élément de la mode féminine en France dans les années 1930, promu par certaines vedettes de cinéma de l’époque.
The béret was generally considered to be a masculine peasant head covering. However, it became an element of women’s fashion in France in the 1930s, promoted by some movie stars of the time.
Il est estimé que le mot « béret » est issu de l’ancien occitan be(r)ret « bonnet », qui procède lui-même du bas latin birretum.
It is believed that the word “béret” comes from the ancient Occitan be(r)ret “bonnet”, which itself comes from the low Latin birretum.
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Alors, je suis curieuse2So, I am curious, would you wear a béret? Excuse me as I style mine and drink some French wine with my sandwich jambon-beurre as I envision myself en flânant3strolling along the streets of Paris. One year into this pandémie4pandemic, and I have become folle5crazy!
Montmartre, image from pixabay, CCO.
- 1we love berets
- 2So, I am curious
- 3strolling
- 4pandemic
- 5crazy
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About the Author: Bridgette
Just your average Irish-American Italo-Francophone. Client Engagement for Transparent Language.
Comments:
Denise:
Love reading your blog, especially with both the English and the French. Very helpful for this beginner!
Marilyn Framrose:
During the 1950s and 60s my school, like many others in Britain had a beret, often with the school badge on as part of the uniform which was compulsory. Ours were lined and stood up at the front so the first thing to do was remove the lining and drop it in a puddle to make it less stiff, to be able to wear it on the back of the head. Detention if you didn’t wear it when wearing school uniform! Thanks for your lovely e-mails.