This very seasonal brolly from Burberry is so liberally covered in lovehearts that it's hard to make out the distinctive tartan lurking beneath. I have to admit I'm not totally convinced by this dual pattern: it makes the whole thing look cheaply made, which couldn't be further from the truth when this umbrella is priced at over £100.
If you're a Burberry lover though, nothing could be more apt during the often rainy and occasionally romantic month of February.
If you didn't like any of the fine umbrellas we brought you earlier today, this chic, smart handbag by short-run designer Mawliso Minilli should ensure you stay dry (keeping itself beautiful too, no doubt!)
It has a 'special place' to store your brolly tidily, while you look the business with lustrous faux-fur and contrasting silver buckles. They look a bit like giant eyelets from a distance, which gives the overall look a bit of a Stella McCartney feel.
Rain. Are you a fan? I have to admit that I loathe the wet stuff, and find it very hard to keep up good spirits in a downpour. What's there to like about rain? Apart from the stuff that's too obvious to think about - like how we'd all die without it - there's little to love about rain. It makes you damp and uncomfortable. It ruins your hair. It wants to ruin your day.
That's why it's crucial that you arm yourself wih one of the season's must-have umbrellas; the only weapon against the weather. But make sure it's one you like, as you'll be toting it around with you for many months yet. I've picked out a few of my favourites, all of which are not only chic and stylish, but sturdy and reliable too.
1. Lulu Guinness 'Every Cloud has a Silver Lining' umbrella: £32 at John Lewis
Umbrellas may have their flaws (horizontal, rain anyone?) but they are also things of beauty, and I think it's a shame that so many of us put up with plain, flimsy old things when there's so much scope for turning umbrellas into works of art. All that canvas is just crying out to be decorated, so that's what indie design collective 'Um...' have done.
These lovely brollies are decorated with tiny squiggles to look like giant petals in the sky. That's got to be a good thing in the gloom! Available in white or pink, they're £25 at Not on the High Street.
D'oh! What made me think after yesterday's sporadic drizzle/sun pattern that today would be any better? It's worse! As I write this, we're debating whether the sunroof at Shiny Towers is going to cave in on us under the weight of this torrential downpour (and that thunder and lightning isn't pretty either).
Of course, after all the amazing weather we've had for the past week or so, I've forgotten that in London, you should really take your brolly with you everywhere you go in summer - even if it's sweltering hot when you leave the house in the morning. Now I'm stuck in the office with no umbrella and the prospect of a mad dash to the tube station. I'll probably have to make a mad dash to Topshop Oxford Street first to pick up this Union Jack print umbrella, although I'll be such a drowned rat by the time I get there, there might not be much point! If you work a little closer to Topshop to make it an actual mission worth braving, you will find it there for £15.
One of my friends visited London over the weekend and after returning from Spitalfields Market out east, regaled me with tales of an amazing umbrella which featured the London skyline and which changed colour when exposed to water. I have since learned that I missed out on the launch of Squidarellas™, an "interactive umbrella design concept" by Viviane Jaeger and Emma-Jane Parkes of Squid London... and now I really, really, really want one (and yes, while the sun has switched on for the moment, how long it will last into the UK summer is debatable!) They are now being sold at at The Tate art galleries in London and Liverpool. Check out the video above to see how it works.
After such a fantastic weekend weather-wise, I can't feel too upset at the rain returning this dreary Monday - at least it held off long enough for me to bask in the sun at Greenwich Park and pretend like summer was well on it's way. Well, today has been a fast reminder that UK summers are temperamental creatures and so an umbrella is actually an accessory you'd be smart to keep up your sleeve.
However, my depressing black brolly just isn't going to cut it anymore I've decided - I need something bright and cheery to remind myself that even though it's raining today, the sun will hopefully be returning soon. Here is my pick for three umbrellas to perk you up...
Read on for product details.
This very seasonal brolly from Burberry is so liberally covered in lovehearts that it's hard to make out the distinctive tartan lurking beneath. I have to admit I'm not totally convinced by this dual pattern: it makes the whole thing look cheaply made, which couldn't be further from the truth when this umbrella is priced at over £100.
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