Berets are still available in the pays Basque.

Yes, it is a Basque beret, not a French beret. You need to go to a place like Pau or Bayonne to get a beret.

In the rest of France, old guys might wear a casquette.

I don't know what the distinction is in a Basque vs "French" beret, but there are plenty of them (even 100 pct wool, made in France) in lots of stores where I've seen them, even MOnoprix has them. If those aren't real berets, don't know what they are, they are what most of us foreigners think of as a French beret (soft all over, small "tail" in the middle on top). I thought a casquette had a harder edge and was more like a male cap.

Tourist stores aren't "fancy", they are cheap, in fact, you have to be careful not to buy the ones that are blends of wool and maybe poly.

I see old men wearing them sometimes in smaller towns, outside working. If these are really not berets and what all the stores and souvenir/gift shops are not berets, I think they are what a lot of people might want to wear, though. They are in the female accessories section of Monoprix.

see "beret uni en laine" for example
http://courses.monoprix.fr/RIDJ/Beret-uni-en-laine-2146118

But of course I gather she wants it for a man, not a woman (although woman can be balding, also), so that section might be too small. I'm sure it is harder to find them for men, although I would have thought it would be easier to find that in a small regional town as that is where I've seen men wear them.

Berets are like cowboy hats in the States,very regional.

I know that wearing a cowboy hat is pretty normal and common in some parts of Canada( prairies etc) , but if you wore one in my city( west coast city) you would stick out like a sore thum we'd likely think you were a tourist from Texas,, lol )

So , its the same with berets I suppose.

I saw plenty of what I thought were berets (in all colours, but probably mostly for women) in tourist stores and market stalls all over Paris last month.

The fine distinctions regarding this headwear are not at all clear to me, but I did not purchase one, since I don't have a garlic plait to wear it with at home (although I do have a nice striped T-Shirt after Venice!)

(The flat-cap I bought in London was enough of an addition to my hat collection which is rarely used at home (except for sunhats). It's problem is that it seems to transform me into a vision of my late father, and makes me feel that I look 20 years older than I am (or perhaps I just normally kid myself that I look 20 years younger than I really am????)

There is only one remaining authentic Basque béret factory, and it came very close to being wiped out earlier this year:

http://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-eco/2012/05/29/97002-20120529FILWWW00541-la-derniere-usine-de-berets-sauvee.php

Basque bérets are distinctive, and though there may be high-end stores outside the Pays Basque where you can buy them, you wouldn't be likely to find one in Orléans. However, imitation wool bérets are all over the place - there are a handful of stores about 20 feet from Notre Dame in Paris, for example, that sell them to tourists. In smaller towns without big crowds of tourists, probably harder to find.

Old guys in the Dordogne sometimes wear them. Young people, never that I've seen.

I wear Berets as do some Frech women but men I have seen few except for Basque country, Alot of shops on Rue de Rivoli had them for sale

You can find Basque berets (traditional blue) in the Pays Basque, (red) in Navarra, and black throughout the region. The traditional Spanish Basque berets are from Tolosa, which is also known for its outstanding beans. The major manufacture in France is in the Bearn region, just south of Pau, in the village of Nay, Blancq-Olibet (www.blancq-olibet.com). And they are not inexpensive.

They are quite common in Navarra and the Basque country (both sides) and worn by both young and old during fiestas.

Less expensive ones can be purchased in most tourist shops in the Pays Basque as well as Paris.

Probably made in China.

I did a search, starting with the Basque Cultural Center in South San Francisco.

I found this retail import place for berets. http://www.basqueimports.com/

It's somewhere on the SF Peninsula.

I've bought them in department stores in Paris over many years. I wear them as I travel when it's cold and they keep my head warm and are easy to pack.

I've also bought them here at home on the beret website.

http://www.berets.com/

Happy Travels!

"There is only one remaining authentic Basque béret factory"

No, there is another one in Baudreix.
The word "beret" comes from the dialect of Bearn, Oloron and Baudreix are in Bearn and not in Basque country and the first bérets were worn in Bearn. Don't trust Paris journalists when it comes to berets.

So French wearing berets are one of the bigger urban myths around - even ones we think are berets are actually casquettes and this is a dying trend, being mainly worn by old guys.

Thanks to all for the info on Basque berets and factories - very interesting.

For fine quality Basque berets try Ponsol in San Sebastián/Donostia

If you're looking for a boina (beret) or any other form of headgear, consider a visit to the venerable shelves of San Sebastián's oldest hat manufacturer, Ponsol, Calle Narrica 4 (tel. 94-342-08-76).

>>So French wearing berets are one of the bigger urban myths around<<

Just as much as Englishmen wearing bowlers.

Exactly. Both are ridiculous stereotypes which concern a tiny (well under 1%) of the population of either country. I wonder if at least 1% of Americans wear cowboy hats. I doubt it.