THE PETITE BÉRET

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The commercial production of Basque-style berets began in the 17th century in the Oloron-SainteMarie area of southern France. Originally a local craft, beret-making became industrialised in the 19th century. The first factory, Beatex-Laulhere, claims production with records dating back to 1810.

Originally worn by nineteenth-century French seamen, it was adopted during World War I for alpine troops. British Field Marshal Montgomery popularized the beret during World War II as a badge of honour for elite military units.

The move to women sporting this hat began as early as the 1800s, but the ultimate credit goes to Coco Chanel in the 1930s.