If you’re not going to meet common sense half way and settle for a plain black or navy newsboy, you can only go the whole hog and add Paraboots, hitched up oversize trousers, striped sweater and a pencil moustache!
Seriously though, I see a lot of photos of those old French and Spanish guys wearing them well with big overcoats, straighter trousers and plain toed shoes.

If you don't look British then wearing a beret is perfectly acceptable. Why? I'm not going to speculate, but for whatever reason that seems to be the way it is. So, 2Rs, walk around talking (or singing) to yourself (or someone else) in Italian (or any other tongue) and no one will mock your hat.

And for what it's worth, imo the beret is a classic hat. What I'd wear one with I have no idea but definitely nothing too fashionable or try hard.

Yes definitely not to be worn with anything that looks late 1980s.

You need a heavy herringbone Harris Tweed coat with raglan sleeves, at least knee length, baggy cord trousers and big, heavy boots of some description. Good luck with that.

Well here we have it - wear a beret a look like a twat. As David Cameron used to say "I get it". Not worn it out yet. About to leave the house on Sunday I popped it on my head and invited opinion from the family. My 15 year old son just shook his head and said "why..?" I get it.

Citizen Smith style, 'innit!

On two of my bike rides over X-mas I spotted two people wearing berets. An old jazz cat with round tortoise spectacles and a lady with a red one on.