For those looking to take it a step further, consider styling the hat with a piece ... reach for a beret in a print that doubles as a neutral—think plaid or wallpaper florals.

By the 1970s, it could be a signal of black pride and by now, the 2010s, it can symbolize pretty much anything, from a political stance to just wanting to innocently wear a beret. For a hat ...

She paired the black beret with a belted plaid dress. Princess Diana also put a royal twist on more traditional-shaped hats. She wore this oversized, wide-brimmed hat with a net overlay during a ...

To edge up the otherwise traditional look, go for a faux leather beret, which brings a contemporary element to this accessory. Let your hat be the ... just cherry on top. Black is timeless.

Since 2001, the black beret has been the official headgear for the Army Combat Uniform. At the time, the Army chose the beret because it said it represented excellence in some of its specialty units.

It wasn't until the 1900s that the black beret became a stylish accessory with both men and women in France. Cheap in construction, the hat was a military staple in the 1950s and 60s.

There's no one answer for why a hat associated mostly with the peasant class became a fashion statement. There is only just this: The black beret looks chic as hell. And at the turn of the century ...