Style

When the question is plastic versus wood, a gentleman goes with the latter

By: Geoff Van Dyke
Published: November 2006   [ Updated: Mar 2, 2009 - 3:24:56 PM ]

Umbrellas have been hollowed out as flasks, turned into swords, and, once, used by the KGB to dispense a deadly ricin pellet into the leg of a Communist defector. Given how often these suckers blow inside out or hightail it out of your life in the back of a taxi, you, too, may think them better suited for drinking and dueling than for downpours—until you show up at a big meeting with a $3 “one-stormer,” looking as haggard as Jack Nicholson’s liver. Instead, look for a handmade umbrella with a solid shaft of a fine wood. A good canopy, one that won’t bust during a gale, should have at least eight ribs. And a proper handle should have some heft to balance out the umbrella when it’s open, keeping it from being blown out of your hands.

FINE Longchamp, $142
Since the mid-1950s, Longchamp has churned out umbrellas from the French village of Segré. This hand-assembled piece has a handle made of walnut wood and a nylon canopy. longchamp.com

FINER Asprey Travel, $275
This company’s men’s umbrellas have included extras such as shoehorns on the handles and built-in flasks—you can even have a bespoke model created to go with your bespoke suit. Handmade by artisans in Europe, this travel edition has a waterproof cotton canopy, and a leather wrap over the rosewood handle. asprey.com

FINEST Swaine Adeney Brigg Classic, $370
For 250 years, this British company has handmade umbrellas in a Cambridgeshire workshop. Understated, with a black nylon canopy, this malacca (a Malaysian hardwood) wood edition comes with a brass collar that can be engraved with your initials. swaineadeney.co.uk