"La barett romaine ne se plie pas et reste constamment ouverte: rien n'est disgracieux, en effet, comme cette coiffure, si l'on s'avise de la plier en quatre et de l'aplatir, suivant le système français."
(To enlarge, click on the picture)
After Xavier Barbier de Montault the "real" or original Roman biretta is not foldable/collapsible!
[Le costume et les usages ecclésiastiques selon la tradition romaine, Volume 1: Règles générales, le costume usuel, le costume de chœur, Letouzey et Ané, Paris, ca. 1900, page 229, last paragraph]
Why?
To visualize have a look at the following sketch:
A collapsibel/foldable biretta is not comfortable to wear and doesn't looks elegant.
1. You have open triangles over the ears, the forehead and the occipital.
2. You have pressure sores on 4 sides.
3. If the biretta is made of uncoated cardboard inside, it is very susceptible to rain.
4. "Putting a round peg in a square hole
Sounds easier than it actually is, in Biretta terms, but it does allow us to embrace a new word which is always a source of much rejoicing (apart from for Mother Prioress, who remembers Dr Johnson’s very first dictionary being published), and that word is: ‘dolichocephalic.’ It literally means long or oval-headedness , and is a highly important consideration when trying to fit a square box onto a circular, prolate or oval-shaped head. ..." Domus Birettarum, 29th of March 2011
Oval shape, like the human skull
Inside with a hat-sweatband to improve comfort when worn.
Perfect fit!
High-quality workmanship of a genuine Roman biretta
Custom-made by a professional milliner
Get such a biretta made for your cardinal or bishop!
He will like it for sure! And never wear a collapsible one.
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Non collapsible Toque Avocat worn by Frensh lawyers
