Beret
| This article is part of the Hats and Headgear series: |
| Overview of headgear |
| Hats; Bonnets; Caps |
| Hoods; Helmets; Wigs |
| Masks; Veils; Scarves |
| Tiaras; Crowns |
| List of hats and headgear |
A beret (UK: ["bE-reI], US: [b@-"reI]; SAMPA) is a soft round cap with a flat crown which is worn by both men and women. The cap fits snugly around the head, and the soft crown can be shaped in a variety of ways – it is commonly pushed to one side. Berets were originally worn by Basque peasants, and were knitted from wool. Today berets are normally made from wool felt.
Berets are associated with a variety of different people. A beret completes the stereotypical images of Frenchmen (even though berets are fairly rare in France nowadays) or French peasants; artists, painters and intellectuals.
Che Guevara is wearing a beret in the iconic photograph taken by Alberto Korda.
Berets are also worn by some scout groups.
Berets are a part of certain military uniforms such as the Royal Marines Commandos, and United States Army. Blue berets are worn by United Nations Peacekeeper forces.
The United States Army Special Forces are generally known as "green berets" for the color of their headgear. Other US Army units can also be distinguished by the color of their headgear, as follows:
Berets in the military
Berets were originally worn only by elite units of the US Army. Hence, there was controversy when in 2001 the United States Army adopted the black beret, previously reserved for the Rangers, as standard headgear for all army units. The Rangers are now distinguished by brown berets.