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In 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 your look by wearing a new color or changing 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/tuft in the middle. The beret is super practical, as it is warm, water-resistant and can easily be put in your bag or pocket.
The beret is also known as a beret or in Danish you also use the word 'alpehue'. The modern beret originates from shepherds in the Pyrenees, although archaeologists believe they can trace the hat back to the Bronze Age. It was a hat made of felted wool used by workers and farmers.
As early as the 17th century, these hats began to be produced 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 'beret'.
The beret is also linked to the military and revolutionaries; the military and revolutionaries used colors to indicate who they belonged to, while the black beret remained the neutral hat for the shepherds, farmers and even artists as immortalized in Rembrandt's self-portraits, for example.
Beret or mountain hat?
In Denmark, the beret is also called an alpine hat. The word alpine hat is believed to derive from the hat being used by French alpine hunters, but today we also often use the more international word 'beret'.
It was in the 1920s that berets really became popular. Nobody quite knows how, but the beret found its way into artistic circles and became modern. From the 1920s onwards, it was worn by artists, writers, musicians and movie stars, spreading 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' rebellion. However, the beret was also still a sign of Parisian Chic, which you can see in the many French films and movie stars who also wore the hat in 60s and 70s France.
How to wear a vintage beret?
One of the beret's many advantages is how differently it can be worn and styled, and how well it suits all heads. You can style it to the side, front, back or in the middle of the head. The beret can be small or oversized, and you can decorate it with a brooch or badge.
You can also steam your hat if it is too small, or give it a gentle wash if it is too big, 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 just the classic black beret. It can be a great advantage to have many colors to choose from, so that you can create a wonderful authentic vintage look every day. They also take up very little in the cupboard.
Matching your alpine hat with something else in your outfit, such as gloves, scarf or shoes, gives a beautiful overall look. And when you often use the same coat throughout the coldest months of the year, it's a wonderful way to change your look in 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 goes all the way back to 1905, when the grandfather of the current owner Pia Diefenthal opened the store in Cologne. Diefenthal designs all hats in Cologne, and they stand for artisanal quality. An alpine hat must be able to last, which is why 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 loose knit berets from The House of Foxy. These have a different, more casual, style than the classic beret look, and are a good change in your vintage outfit. WE carry these in two beautiful colors ideal for the autumn color palette, and perfect together with The House of Foxy's beautiful knits and cardigans.
Vintage clothes, retro clothes or repro clothes?
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 at 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 any further questions about our vintage berets?
At 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 endeavor to respond within one working day.