Berets

Soft-crowned and worn to one side, the beret is a quiet piece that lifts a winter coat without asking for attention. It is also the one shape that works with a fringe, because there is no brim and no band pressing on the forehead. Blocked and hand-finished in the London atelier.

Berets made to order

Every beret here is one of a kind. Buy one of the pieces below as it is, or ask for the same shape in a colour matched to your own coat or fabric. Send a swatch or a clear photograph and Monika matches the material by hand. Allow one to four weeks from the first conversation and begin a commission when you are ready.

Felt is the autumn and winter choice. A fur felt beret holds a sculpted crown through a whole season and reshapes by hand if it is caught in the damp. Parasisal straw is the summer version, lighter and cooler, with a crisper edge that keeps the disc flat and open.

Size matters less than it does on a structured hat, because a beret sits behind the hairline instead of on it. It still holds its sculpted shape far better when it is blocked to your own measurement, so measure around the head about one centimetre above the ears and across the middle of the forehead, snug rather than tight.

If a beret is too soft for the dress code, the pillbox hats cover the same small-scale idea with a formal finish, and the everyday hats hold the rest of the winter wardrobe.

Blocking is what separates a couture beret from a knitted one. The felt is softened with steam, pulled down over a wooden block in the shape of the finished crown, pinned at the head opening and left to dry hard. What comes off the block is a disc that already holds its own volume, so it keeps the angle you set it at instead of collapsing flat.

Questions

How should a beret sit?

Push the beret back so the front edge sits a little behind the hairline, then draw the volume over to one side or leave it centred. Over one ear it reads Parisian. Straight back off the forehead it reads softer and more contemporary. Set flat and square it reads as uniform, which is usually the look people are trying to avoid.

What is a beret made from?

A couture beret is blocked from fur felt or wool felt for autumn and winter, or from parasisal straw for summer. Felt gives a soft sculpted crown with weight and warmth. Straw gives a lighter, crisper disc that holds a flatter line. Both are steamed over a wooden block and dried hard so the shape holds on its own.

Can you make a beret in my colour?

Yes. Send a swatch or a clear photograph of your fabric and Monika matches the felt or straw by hand, then blocks the beret to your own head measurement. Crown volume, the depth of the disc and any trim are chosen with you. Allow one to four weeks.

Do berets suit a fringe?

Yes, and better than most hat shapes. A beret has no brim and no band pressing on the forehead, so it sits behind a fringe and leaves it alone. Hats with a brim sit on the hairline and flatten the front of the hair, which is why a lot of people who wear a fringe give up on hats altogether.

What size is a beret?

Measure around your head about one centimetre above the ears and across the middle of the forehead, keeping the tape snug rather than tight. Because a beret sits behind the hairline instead of on it, the fit is more forgiving than a structured hat, though one blocked to your own measurement holds its sculpted shape far better.

Is a beret only a winter hat?

Felt berets are made for autumn and winter and give a coat a lift without the formality of an occasion hat, while a parasisal straw beret carries the same shape through summer. A beret is a poor rain hat in either material. If felt gets damp, reshape it by hand and let it dry at room temperature away from any direct heat, never on a radiator, which shrinks felt and sets the distortion permanently.