The beret is not often our go-to winter hat, despite the fact that so many of our current fashion muses are big fans of the style: Meghan Markle, Princess Diana, Rebecca Pearson and…all French women.

By the 1950s, the beret was everywhere, on children and celebrities, such as Che, the jazz musician Thelonius Monk and the artist Picasso. There was even a French cartoon superhero, SuperDupont ...