The béret, as they discovered, is also a strong part of the Basque Country identity.
But first things first.
To kick of the learning unit we looked at the French art of millinery ’la chapellerie’ to help students understand the time and passion it takes to create a hat.
French millinery is important because it represents France's historical leadership in high fashion, exquisite craftsmanship, and enduring cultural heritage.
While researching, students discovered that putting on a hat is seen as a way to finish your outfit and to bring it to the next level.
As a fashion accessory which is an expression of the wearer’s personality, a hat also plays a functional role in offering protection from the sun and inclement weather.
‘On ne sortait pas ‘en cheveux’’ historically means ‘being in hair’ (going out without a hat or headscarf), which was perceived as inappropriate for the older generations.
In fact, there are many expressions in French about hats, such as ‘travailler du chapeau’ which means that a person utters nonsenses, ‘faire porter le chapeau’ which means to blame someone for an act when they are not responsible or ‘chapeau bas! ou chapeau!’ (hats off) which shows respect and admiration to a person.
Next up, to inject some passion and savoir-faire, I invited the Australian milliner Jennifer Wood into my classroom to speak to students.
Jennifer explained to the class that twenty years ago, a friend asked her if she was interested in making fascinators, formal headwear that are an alternative to hats. Her passion quickly started to bloom.
But most interestingly, she explained to my students the origin of the expression ‘mad as a hatter’, because in the 18th century, hatters were using very toxic solvents to stiffen hats.
Consequently, the fumes of the solvents made them mad, hence the expression.
My students came to realise that millinery is a long process and requires patience, time and involves expensive materials, which explains the final cost of the average hat.
Students were interested to learn that the first step in making a hat is to use a wooden block to dampen or stain materials, and Jennifer showed us how she would do this with a piece of sinaway (manille).
Then the second step is the crown, a wooden circle where you can wet, dry, stretches or stiffen what will become your hat.
Many weeks later, after many other steps are taken, your hat is ready.
When dry, the milliner unmoulds it and adds the final headband.
My students were dying to personalise their bérets because of their early research on the accessory.
Originally, the béret was used (and still is) by shepherds to get protection from the rain and sun or while collecting berries while in the country.
Some wear it on the right, the left, or towards the front of the head, with every side having a different meaning.
Students learnt that béret are also worn by celebrities, army members and tourists - French people don’t wear many berets now, except in the Basque country.
They are a symbol of Basque identity and regional pride. Laulhère, founded in 1840, is a famous French beret factory known for its traditional craftsmanship.
Here bérets are made by felting wool, cutting, shaping, washing and soaking the raw materials, before they are dyed and finishing touches like unique designs are added.
After this short introduction to millinery, my students could personalise their own béret with accessories such as pearls, feathers, charms, and ribbons.
Jennifer also showed them how to wear the béret according to their morphology.
Considering my students’ creativity in decorating their bérets, I could only say: chapeau bas!
