The Umbrella as Fashion Accessory

CEBU, Philippines — Umbrella is one of the most important fashion accessories in everyone’s wardrobe, both woman’s and man’s. It’s a very handy weather tool – useful in both sunny and rainy weather – especially for those in tropical countries like the Philippines.  And the thing can also be used to project a personal fashion statement.

When buying an umbrella, many people pay attention to the print and color. However, while style matters much, quality and durability should also be sought in an umbrella to make it last for a long time. And yet it must be of a size convenient enough to carry around, something to fit in a bag.

Armine Karapetyan, at www.fashionisers.com, shares tips on how to choose an umbrella and make it part of you’re the image you wish to project of yourself. An umbrella’s opening mechanism can be mechanical (opened and closed manually), semi-automatic (opens with a click and closes manually), automatic (opens by pressing a button) and double gun (opens and closes by pressing a button). There are other features to consider:

Wind-up Mechanism. It makes the umbrella hold against strong gusts of wind and not break easily. The umbrella may be bent inside out, but its structure shall easily return to its original form. A good umbrella shall have this mechanism.

Handle. In buying an umbrella, pay attention to its handle. Choose one with a semicircular curved handle with a rough surface. Rubberized umbrella handle is the best, as it doesn’t get broken or slip off the hand easily. For fashion purposes, you shall also pay attention to the design of the handle; there are many nice handle designs to choose from.

Material. An umbrella shall be waterproof and windproof. A nylon-treated hood is a good choice. Nylon repels the water and the hood may not get wet quickly.

Size. The ideal size for collapsible umbrellas is between 42 and 44 inches in diameter.

Color. A traditional black umbrella can certainly flatter almost everyone and easily goes with any outfit. Nowadays, designers offer stylish umbrellas with gorgeous prints, patterns or an original drawing. But umbrellas come in many other attractive colors too. There are even transparent umbrellas nowadays.

Shape. The usual shape is round, of course. But there has since been other shapes available – heart-shaped umbrellas, triangle-shaped, flower-shaped or square.

With a good umbrella at hand, the eclectic weather won’t get in the way of one’s fashion. On both cloudless and cloudy days, an umbrella gets one’s fashion sense covered.