When it rains, it pours and when it pours, you’re better off with one of these. A timeless testament to high fashion and the changing times, the following umbrellas are a few of the most luxurious in the world.
Alviero Martini Geo Classic: There are cartographers who spend their whole lives perfecting maps of geographical terrains and then there is Italian designer Alviero Martini, who has made the “ancient map” motif his identity, covering his clothes and accessories with details of older maps of the world. With the simple logic that people who love geography will love it during the rains as well, the Automatic Open-Close Geo Classic umbrella by Maritini is quite simply a map of the world on an umbrella! Priced at $146 (Rs 9,264), it comes with a smartly mapped textile fabric case and a svelte leather handle.
Alexander McQueen Skull Handle: Few fashion geniuses have displayed an obvious flair for the eccentric than Alexander McQueen. It is little surprise, then, that the Skull Handle Umbrella marries the in-your-face luxury of McQueen’s brand with the characteristic imaginative humour of the maverick designer who passed away in 2010. Coming at a price of $565 (Rs 35,851), this 17-inch long sleek-water-repellant monsoon accessory comes with its own carrying case. In a clear leap of the brand’s London-bred extravagance, the skull at the end of this iconic umbrella’s handle comes in both gold and silver. Who says the rich don’t know how to have fun?!
Burberry Nuback Ostrich Handle: You cannot do British high fashion without sporting a classic tartan Burberry trench. It turns out that you cannot brave the rains without their umbrella, once you’ve laid your eyes on it either. A blend of polyester and cotton twill, the $850 (Rs 53,935 umbrella comes with a handle made of nubuck ostrich skin. With intricate and unique detailing on the handle alone, the umbrella opens at the push of a button and comes in a deep and reserved shade of blue. Even more than protection from the rain, this umbrella is crafted to accompany the fashionable on their evening walks about town.
Tess Van Ghert Greyhound: It’s 96 centimetre long, adorned in rich polyster, comes in three shades of deepest patterned grey and was handcrafted by the craftsmen of Italy. But that’s not why this Tess Van Ghert (run by the mother-daughter duo Augustina and Kristina Pokrovskaya) umbrella comes with a $375 (Rs 23,795) tag. What makes the Greyhound a truly lavish item to own is the head of a greyhound, carved in liquid silver, that doubles as the handle of this umbrella! That’s right, complete with soulful eyes, a realistically set mouth and floppy ears – the greyhound head at the end of this umbrella is a sight to behold.
Alexandra Sojfer Sauvage: Hand-sewn, hand-assembled and displayed at a store in the iconic Boulevard St Germain of Paris are the umbrellas of Alexandra Sojfer. Taking after her mother who created umbrella and parasols as accessories for the most prominent Parisian haute couture houses in the 1970s, Sojfer creates umbrellas with materials like gossamer and silk and more often than not, the canopy is studded with Swarovski crystals. While her prices are only available on request (starting at around $180 or Rs 11,421), one has to visit her store to believe the sheer delicate variety of her creations. One of her most famous is the Umbrella Sauvage, which is lined with mink and has a removable Macassar handle.
