Berets

One of the Oldest Hats There Is

Soft, round, brimless headwear appears in Bronze Age figurines and classical-era art across Europe — the beret is among humanity's oldest hat shapes. The modern felt version comes from the sheep country of the French–Spanish borderlands, where wool was knitted, fulled and brushed into a weatherproof disc. Armies made it elite in the world wars — armour and airborne units chose it as their colour — and artists made it an emblem of the intellectual life.