Short answer: yes, berets are in style, and they have been for long enough that trend is the wrong word for them. A trend fades in a season. A beret has stayed in rotation on runways, in street style and in ordinary wardrobes for decades, which is a different kind of staying power.
I am Camille. My family has shaped berets in the Béarn for three generations, long before anyone called them fashionable again. What keeps a beret current is not one big runway moment. It is how easily it sits alongside whatever else is happening in fashion that season.
- A beret has stayed current for decades, closer to a wardrobe staple than a passing trend.
- It reads modern because it pairs easily with whatever silhouette is popular that season, from oversized coats to sharp tailoring.
- Runway and street style both keep circling back to it, which is unusual for an accessory this old.
- A beret in a neutral shade dates the slowest. Bold colours and embellishment date faster but cycle back around.
- Styling it with current pieces, not only vintage ones, is what keeps it from reading as a costume.
Why a beret keeps coming back in style
Quick look at where a beret shows up each fashion cycle and why it keeps earning its place.
| Where it shows up | Why it still works | What pairs with it now |
|---|---|---|
| Runway | Reads editorial without extra effort | Oversized coats, minimal tailoring |
| Street style | Photographs well, low commitment | Denim, blazers, everyday layers |
| Everyday wardrobes | One purchase, works for years | Whatever you already own |
A shape that outlasts trends
Most accessories that fall out of style do so because they are tied to one very specific silhouette. A beret never was. Its round, soft crown works over loose hair or a sleek bun, with a fitted coat or an oversized one, which means it never gets stranded when the rest of fashion moves on to a new shape.
That flexibility is the real reason it keeps resurfacing. Stylists reach for it because it solves a problem rather than making a statement on its own, and a piece that solves a problem stays useful long after a piece that only makes noise gets retired.
Who a beret in style suits best
Anyone who wants one accessory that will not look dated in two years, people who like to follow trends without buying into a new wardrobe every season, and shoppers who want their first beret to earn its keep.
★★★★★ 4.8 · 62 reviews
Black French Beret
Sleek matte black wool that pairs with anything you already own. The easiest way to start if you are new to the shape.
Shop now · $39Modern pairings keep it current
The beret itself has not changed much in a hundred years. What changes, and what makes it look current, is what it is worn with. This season that means oversized outerwear, chunky trainers instead of ballet flats, and a slightly slouched fit rather than the tight, formal placement it once had.
A bold colour choice does more for a modern read than any other single decision. A neutral beret can look timeless in either direction, older or newer. A bright one, worn against otherwise simple clothes, reads unmistakably current.
Who this pairing suits
Anyone dressing a beret with current pieces rather than styling it like a vintage photograph, and wearers who want one bold colour to carry a whole outfit's worth of interest.
★★★★★ 4.8 · 80 reviews
French Red Beret
Vibrant soft felt in a true red. One colour choice that carries a whole plain outfit into something current.
Shop now · $45Pair a beret with one current season piece, an oversized coat, chunky trainers, a bag shape that is having a moment, and it reads as styled now rather than borrowed from an old photograph.
From Audrey Hepburn to street style regulars
Audrey Hepburn wore a black beret in Funny Face and made it look effortless decades before it was ever called a trend. Brigitte Bardot wore hers with a Breton top and made the whole pairing feel casually chic. That lineage is part of why a beret photographs so well today, on someone waiting for coffee just as easily as on a runway.
The same instinct shows up in every fashion capital's street style photos each season. Our guide on who famously wore a beret covers more of the figures who kept it visible long before it cycled back into style.
Who this look suits best
Anyone who wants their beret to feel like part of an ongoing style, not a costume reference to one decade, and wearers who like a piece with real history behind the current interest.
★★★★★ 4.8 · 60 reviews
Beige Wool Beret
Cream wool with a soft, textured surface. A quiet neutral that has stayed in style through every colour trend.
Shop now · $45Why designers keep returning to it
Fashion houses reintroduce the beret almost every few seasons, usually as a small, reliable win rather than the headline of a collection. It is a low risk way to add French reference to a look without redesigning the whole silhouette, which is part of why it never fully disappears from runway coverage.
For the person buying rather than designing, that pattern is useful information. It means a well made wool beret is a safe long term purchase, not a piece you will need to replace once the current styling moment passes.
How to keep a beret from feeling dated
- Update the fit, not the beret. Wear it slightly looser and further back than the tight, formal placement of older photographs.
- Pair it with one current piece. An oversized coat or a current shoe silhouette does more than any change to the beret itself.
- Do not style it only with vintage pieces. One old fashioned reference reads intentional. A whole vintage outfit reads costume.
Where it can slip out of style
A beret can look dated fast if it is the only current piece in an otherwise old fashioned outfit, striped top, red lips, nothing else current. Balance it with something clearly of the moment so the whole look reads styled rather than themed.
The same applies to fit. A beret pulled tight and low the way it was often worn decades ago reads costume today. Loosened and set further back, the exact same beret reads current.
Frequently asked questions
They are closer to a wardrobe staple. Berets have stayed in rotation on runways and in street style for decades rather than one single season.
Pairing it with current pieces, an oversized coat, a bold colour, a looser fit set further back on the head, rather than styling it exactly like an old photograph.
Yes. Black and other neutrals like navy and beige wool date the slowest of any colour, which is why they anchor most wardrobes.
The styling around them shifts, fit and colour lean differently each season, but the beret itself has stayed present far longer than most accessories.
Yes. They continue to appear on runways and in street style, and our guide on are berets still trendy goes further into what is driving that.
So, are berets in style? Yes, and they have earned that longer than almost any other accessory. Wear one with whatever you already have on, and it will keep looking current.
Worn well, never overthought.
Camille
