It’s Raining Umbrellas

This ShedRain stick umbrella looks like a mating of Henri Matisse and Mr. Rohrschach. Made with a steel shaft and frame, it’s 32.5 inches long and has a 38-inch-diameter canopy. It’s $45 at shop.bellaumbrella.com.

Dog Park umbrellas! Of course! Who needs protection from rain and snow more than canine concierges? (That’s what we sometimes feel like.) The canopy is 48 inches, and the stick is 36 inches long. At shop.bellaumbrella.com, you can find this English bulldog; also chihuahua, dachshund, dachshund puppies, Jack Russell terrier, beagle, German shepherd, border collie, Shih tzu, boxer, greyhound, Labrador retriever (of course) and Yorkshire terrier. They’re all $39.99.

More animals! These prancing zebras are made with Scalamandre fabric based on the famous firm’s iconic wallpaper from the 1940s (designed by Flora Scalamandre for Gino’s in Manhattan). With a 48-inch canopy in what Scalamandre calls Masai Red, it’s $85 at neimanmarcus.com.

Subtle, subtle “Pluie de H” (Rain of H’s) from Hermes whispers rather than shouts that you just spent $890 on an umbrella. Also available in taupe, the umbrella is hand-made of polyester jacquard canvas and dyed beechwood. The canopy is 49 inches across. Available at usa.hermes.com or the Hermes boutique at Fairfax Square in Tysons Corner, Vienna, Virginia.

These Davek Mini umbrellas are only 7 inches long and weigh only 8.2 ounces. Even so, the canopy is 38 inches wide. Available for $49 in black, turquoise, red or yellow at davekny.com.

This charming travel umbrella comes from Kate Spade, the company that tells us to “Live Colorfully.” The black-and-white Literary Glasses pattern is backed inside with a green that meets the green-painted resin crook handle on its own terms. It’s $58 at www.katespade.com.

Burberry breaks out of its plaid box with a series of Cityscapes umbrellas, bags and scarves. Shown here is the Hong Kong Landmark folding umbrella, in cherry pink, $215 at us.burberry.com and Burberry stores.

ALL THOSE BRAVE HONG KONG protesters warding off teargas with umbrellas made us think about this rainy-day essential. Not to trivialize the ongoing struggle in the East, but we decided we need an Umbrella Revolution of our own.

There are lots of candidates out there, but most people have pretty generic telescoping umbrellas for travel (including the just-in-case folding one) and less-than-thrilling black “walking-stick” umbrellas, the kind that turn a guy into a gentleman.

Swaine Adeney Brigg–Brigg being the oldest manufacturer of umbrellas in England, the Land of Eternal Drizzle–has naturally made a study of what kind and size umbrella suits different people. For people under 5’8″ an umbrella that measures 35.5 inches from the tip to the end of the crook handle is ideal. For those between 5’8″ and 6’1″ the length should be about 36 inches. For those over 6’1″ a 38-incher should do. In all cases, the ideal bumbershoot would have a 42-inch-diameter canopy.

The umbrellas featured here go way beyond the basic. They’re not the $5 street umbrella that lasts almost all the way home. And their prices go w-a-a-a-y beyond $5; in some cases you’re paying for quality (and an investment that can be repaired); in other cases, we suspect, you would be paying for the fashion of it or for the luxury label. So be it. In our case, we vote for something in bright yellow, just to make a gloomy day a little brighter.

–Nancy McKeon