They’re called April Showers for a reason.
No matter how glorious the sunshine, in the UK in spring, the showers aren’t far behind. It’s lovely out there at the moment, but I’ve been caught by a few already. After several previous drenchings I have learnt my lesson, and now carry an umbrella on days out. Well, most of the time.
I favour a walking umbrella. One of those which hooks over your arm and you can swing in a jaunty fashion while you walk. My handbag is never big enough for those folding jobs and I end up leaving them all over the place. I have 3 currently. A black and white stripy one, a Lulu Guinness birdcage umbrella my Mum and Dad bought me for Christmas a couple of years ago, and my prized tacky “map of Germany” umbrella I bought on holiday.
A couple of mine are now getting a little shabby and will need replacing soon, and you can never have enough umbrellas is my motto. Match them to your outfit, leave one in the car and one at work for emergencies, or lend one to a friend in need. So I’ve picked out some of my current favourite umbrellas for all budgets.
I’m poor, but I’d still like to stay dry.
Pretty walking brollies can be found in the budget friendly under £20 range if you look hard enough!
Edwardian Parasol £12.99 Brollies Galore
Multi function, come rain or shine, and only £12.99. Perfect.
Floral Print Umbrella £16 Topshop
This has a pretty scalloped edge and nice details for the price.
Scarlet Springtime Walker £17.95 Simply Umbrellas
This has a pretty print of gold roses around the edge, and I love the striking red.
It’s worth paying for quality….
If you’re willing to spend up to £50 then the choice broadens significantly. I could find LOADS in this price bracket, but here are a few top favourites.
Soho Rainbow Umbrella £25 Fulton Umbrellas
Oh I love this! When it’s dreary and raining, you need a bit of brightness!
Lola Rose Horse Print Walking Umbrella £30 John Lewis
A nice neutral colour that won’t clash with your outfit, but inside there are horses!
Diagonal Stripe Bloomsbury Umbrella £40 Lulu Guinness
Lulu Guinness really does make pretty umbrellas. I dream that one day I’ll be given a trolley dash in Lulu Guinness.
Money? I use £50 notes to blow my nose.
Just for fun, or maybe in case of a lottery win, here are the umbrellas you can buy if you think it’s reasonable to spend over £300.
Alexander McQueen Skull Umbrella £390 Harvey Nichols
Oh, but look at the skulls! That’s worth it, right? *Checks credit card balance*
Malacca Flask Umbrella £530 Swain Adeney Brigg
It has a cane handle with a flask hidden in it so you can take along a tot of whisky to warm you up. Genius. Says it’s a men’s umbrella, but why functional alcoholism should be confined to men I have no idea. You can also choose a handwoven silk canopy for a mere £300 extra.
Oliver Ruuger Ring Lizard Handle Umbrella £945 LN-CC
Now you’re just being silly. An Ebony pole, hand sewn canopy and a blue ring lizard handle. If you’d prefer your handle in Nile crocodile skin it’s a mere £1,475. There is a one year warranty though. I hope it’d last longer than a year, as, I suspect, does the ring lizard.
Which brolly is your favourite if money was no object?
I can’t believe people would pay over £300 for an umbrella. The Lulu Guinness one is definitely my favourite.
Jesus wept – nearly a grand for a brolly – for that money I’d expect someone to be carrying that for me and showering fivers at me if it isnt raining! great post as always xx Have a happy Friday xx
I need the lulu guiness one in my life! I love the topshop one too – I am a printing geek and digital has revolutionized so much. When I first started it was all screens and something like that would be 16 screens so either a huge quantity or huge cost love that it’s no filtering down to the highstreet. MCQ has some amazing digital print dresses this season alas credit card said no!
RT @Retrochick_uk: Quirky Umbrellas for April Showers: They’re called April Showers for a reason. No matter how glorio… http://t.co/ZfRhD…
I absolutely LOVE the Lulu Guiness one!!
That said, I might start replacing my umbrella handles with flasks now…
I’ve also hankered after those Edwardian ones, but never got round to purchasing! This must be rectified.
For several years, I always had the 1960s Fulton “birdcage” brolly. They really lasted because their cage-shape really helped against the wind (very hard for the wind to turn inside out), and they’re made from clear plastic so you can have the brolly right down over your head without colliding with oncoming pedestrians or buses. It turns out that the Queen Mother was a fan of Fulton birdcages because it meant she could keep dry on public appearances and people could still see her. Bearing in mind those brollies were under £20, it’s not bad (more money to spend on the geegees, I suspect).
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You are a bad influence – I’ve just bought the red Edwardian parasol! I can’t get much sun on my skin as it makes my eczema flare up, and my other parasol is black lace so lets quite a lot through. I have way too many umbrellas – I think my favourite is a dark green one with peacocks that my Nan made in the (I think) 1930s. I’m too scared to take it anywhere though. I only ever really use a fold-up purple and black striped umbrella, even though it’s got a broken spoke.
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I love see through dome umbrellas! I always lose umbrellas though so can’t buy very expensive ones.
Great post.
I have about 5 walking stick umbrella’s as I love matching them to my outfits.
If you really need to watch the pennies I have brought a few from Primarni in the past they are still holding up well, but my all time favorite is the one with Pin up girls on it I got a good few years back from next.
Well…. If you need to be out in the rain, best to make the most of it and have a fun umbrella!
Would you pay £1000 for an umbrella? http://t.co/mhR135sopN
@Retrochick_uk one word. No
@Retrochick_uk Not with the risk of it blowing inside out or getting left behind somewhere. And I like the £12.95 red one anyway!!
@retrochick_uk Haha! Very true!
I have one of those parasol ones, I love it! It’s so windy in Edinburgh that only sticky umbrellas (I didn’t know they were called walking umbrellas) work, I’ve ruined so many foldable ones!
You have found a lovely selection here. I have been searching for one with clouds on the inside. My daughter saw one some years ago but not since. I recently bought a red heart shaped one but it hasn’t rained enough to use it yet!
Hi
You can pay serious money for an umbrella I know. I feel sorry for people in Folkestone in Kent when I was there. It was an awful day which did not stop raining and then in the afternoon a real big gale came up. My umbrella turned inside out and ruined itself instantly and I was not the only one. Just about every litter bin was full of umbrellas that the wind had destroyed almost instantly. I expect the only people who were happy that day would of been the shops selling the umbrellas because after that wind most people needed a new one.
Lee