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I Mondo Kaos in addition to beautiful clothes, outerwear and shoes in vintage style, we also carry a number of indispensable vintage accessories. For example, we carry berets and alpine hats of the highest and finest quality.
An alpine hat is a wonderful accessory that can easily spice up your vintage look, and you can easily change the look by wearing a new color or change how you wear your vintage beret.
What is a beret?
The beret is a round, flat hat usually made of felted wool, with a small tail / dut in the middle. The beret is super practical as it is warm, water-repellent and can easily be tucked into a bag or pocket.
The beret is also known as a beret or in Danish the word 'alpine hat' is also used. The modern beret originates from the shepherds of the Pyrenees, although archaeologists believe they can trace the hat all the way back to the Bronze Age. It was a hat in felted wool used by workers and peasants.
As early as the 17th century, these hats began to be made locally, and from the early 1800s, the production of the famous hats began to be industrialized. It is also at this time that the hat gets its name 'bared'.
The beret is also associated with the military and revolutionaries; military and revolutionaries used colors to indicate who they belonged to, while the black beret remained the neutral hat for the shepherds, peasants and even artists who, for example, are immortalized in Rembrandt's self-portraits.
Beret or alpine hat?
In Denmark, the beret is also called an alpine hat. The word alpine hat is thought to originate from the fact that the hat was used by French alpine hunters, but today we also more often use the more international word 'beret'.
It was in the 1920s that berets really became popular. No one really knows how, but the beret found its way to artist circles and became modern. From the 1920s onwards, it was worn by artists, writers, musicians and movie stars, and spread further into the fashionable landscape.
Also in the 20th century, the beret was used by the military and revolutionaries. Thus, the soldiers wore the felt hat during World War II, and for Che Guevara and Fidel Castro, the beret was a sign of the workers' revolt. However, the beret was also still a sign of Parisian Chic, as can be seen in the many French films and movie stars who also wore the hat in 2s and 60s France.
How to wear a vintage beret?
One of the many advantages of the beret is how different it can be worn and styled, and how well it suits all heads. You can style it to the side, forwards, backwards or in the middle of the head. The beret can be small or oversize, and you can decorate it with a brooch or badge.
In addition, you can steam your hat if it is too small, or give it a gentle wash if it is too large, and thus always be sure to have the perfect vintage beret.
The beret can be washed in cold water with a little wool detergent.
Vintage alpine hats in many colors
Today, the alpine hat can be worn in all colors not only the classic black beret. It can be a great advantage to have many colors to choose from, so you can create a wonderful authentic vintage look every day. They also take up very little space in the cupboard.
It gives a beautiful overall look to match your alpine hat to something else in your outfit, such as gloves, scarf or shoes. And when you often wear the same coat throughout all the coldest months of the year, it is a wonderful way to change the look of everyday life.
The beret can even be worn indoors, which is ideal for bad hair days.
Our berets in the finest wool quality from Diefenthal 1905
Our berets from the German hat makers Diefenthal 1905 are of high European quality, and made with love for craftsmanship and tradition. Diefenthal dates back to 1905, when the current owner Pia Diefenthal's grandfather opened the store in Cologne. Diefenthal designs all hats in Cologne, and they stand for craftsmanship quality. An alpine hat must be able to last, and therefore we have chosen to take berets home in the high quality from Diefenthal 1905.
Alpine hats from The House of Foxy
We also have the loosely knitted berets from The House of Foxy. These have a different, more casual, style than the classic beret hat look, and are a good variation in your vintage outfit. WE bring these in two beautiful colors ideal for the autumn color palette, and perfectly together with The House of Foxy's beautiful knitwear and cardigans.
Vintage clothing, retro clothing or repro clothing?
As most of our customers already know, our clothes are not "true vintage". This means that it is not secondhand clothing made in the middle of the last century, but reproduced (repro) clothing which is inspired, with great love for the details, by vintage clothing, prints and cut patterns. However, we have found that the vast majority of our customers do not know the term "repro", but use both retro and vintage to describe the clothes we sell, despite the fact that they are newly produced clothes. That's why we do exactly the same here Mondo Kaos. All our clothes are always newly produced, not second-hand, and are primarily inspired by the wonderful, feminine fashion from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.
See all our retro & vintage hats and accessories in our store in Copenhagen
In the store, we are available to help you find the right vintage and retro clothes and accessories in a feminine retro style for you.
Do you have further questions for our vintage berets?
With Mondo Kaos our first priority is always happy customers. If you have any questions, whatsoever, about our range, please do not hesitate to contact us.
You can always write your question to shop@mondokaos.dk where we strive to answer within a weekday.