Spring in Arkansas means lots of rain and generally crazy weather. so you’ll understand the disdain I felt last week when I opened up my umbrella one rainy evening last week only to discover that one of my sweet, precious doggies had made a chew toy out of a small portion of it. It being the super-cute Jonathan Adler “Words” umbrella (above) from the collection he did for Barnes & Noble. And while it’s still mostly functional, I have to replace it. Umbrellas are one of those fun little necessities that just begs for a bit of personality, right? Here are few cool ones I’ve found so far…
Kate Spade’s signature stripe umbrella with bright turquoise handle—could anything be more cheerful on a gloomy, rainy day?
Marc Jacobs‘ adorably quirky icon Miss Marc gets the girlie treatment with this lacy, black-and-white number from the Marc by Marc Jacob collection. I absolutely love the overall detail of the lace design that envelops the character and the border at the top and bottom of the umbrella.
Shopbop is one of the best places to find fabulous designer accessories, like this chic umbrella from M Missoni. The “Tribal” design boasts a wide geometric border that recalls the fashion house’s signature knits.
I knew cork was a versatile material, but who knew you could make an umbrella out of it? Portuguese designer Sandra Correia certainly did, as she created this oversized umbrella out of the stuff, with a cotton lining. Not only is it waterproof, it’s also eco-friendly and helps Portugal’s economy—roughly 50 percent of the world’s cork is produced there. This brilliant umbrella is available at the MOMA Store.
If you don’t want to give up basic black altogether, try this cool umbrella from TopShop. The Lazercut Walker umbrella boasts a super-subtle and feminine design on the black backdrop, and is offset with a simple wooden handle. Perfect!
And finally, a not-so-classic Burberry design. The signature check gets the black-and-white treatment, and is overlaid with a painted-heart pattern in an eye-popping crimson red. The detailing is exquisite, of course, with a leather topstitched handle and pewter accents. If I were going to drop $250 on an umbrella, it would totally be this one. I accept PayPal.
Love the Burberry, but at $250 a pop, I’d hate to leave it in a public umbrella holder and have a stranger walk off with it by mistake. This winter I adopted an all-weather fedora like hat which kept me warm and my hair dry and left my hands free for little extras like briefcase, handbag, keys, groceries…