Asian women
aren't the only ones carrying sun umbrellas these days. But with all the talk
about skin cancer, why aren't more people using them?
Much to his amusement, Simon Doonan, creative director at
Barneys, New York, has noticed a new trend on the streets of Manhattan this
year: women carrying umbrellas or parasols to protect themselves from the heat
and harmful rays of the sun. "And it's very entertaining because in New
York you always have too much to carry anyway and now with the cellphone
culture you see girls fumbling with all their accessories," he says.
"What you do is put your purse in the crook of your arm, your parasol in
your right hand and your cellphone in the other hand. Then you're totally
defenceless if someone tries to pinch your butt or stuff a flyer down your
cleavage."
Nevertheless, as cumbersome as a sun umbrella may seem, as
tanning fades and skin cancer rises, we might just be on the verge of a
parasol revival.
"All over New York City, people are carrying
them," says Margo Donohue of Manhattan-based fashion and shopping
magazine Lucky. "It's a fun, chic accessory that does the job [of sun
protection]," she says. Donohue has seen a lot of Asian- or
Hawaiian-inspired parasols this summer. She favours parasols over plain old
rain umbrellas because of their daintiness. "And they say, 'Like, I know
it's not raining,' " she says and laughs.
 |
ONE WOMAN FAVOURS PARASOLS BECAUSE OF THEIR
DAINTINESS: "And they say, 'Like, I know it's not raining.'
"
|
In Toronto, Bobi Juric, the owner of Raindrops, a shop that
stocks more than 500 different kinds of umbrellas, agrees that it's nice to go
for something perkier and prettier in the summer so she imports frilly
parasols from France. "People want something cheerful and nice-looking
when they're walking in the sun. I also have some with flowers or the
Impressionist reproductions." Juric says business has definitely been up
for sun umbrellas. Aside from the parasols, she sells umbrellas with special
linings to block UV rays. "Quite a few people have come in to buy for
medical reasons -- a hat doesn't give you as much protection as an
umbrella," she says.
Alysia Abbott can sympathize with Doonan's observations
about the inconvenience of the parasol. She, too, lives in Manhattan and just
bought a rice paper one in Chinatown to protect her fair complexion. "But
I haven't used it a whole lot because I can't bring it on the subway and
during the work week I already have too much to carry," she says. She
uses it while out shopping on a Saturday and says it's good because she
doesn't wear sunglasses.
As for Doonan, he carried a small disposable umbrella on a
trip to the Grand Canyon. "People thought I was mad, like Mary Poppins. I
carried it everywhere and while everyone else was burnt to a crisp, I still
looked like a human being."
Obviously, this isn't news to the Asian community. In
Toronto's Chinatown, it doesn't matter whether it's pouring rain or sunny and
hot, there will be about the same number of umbrellas in use. Many Chinese
women wisely carry umbrellas to block out the sun and have done so for eons.
What's crazy is that more of us haven't adopted this simple way of keeping
cool.
Susan, a Chinese woman in her late 30s living in Toronto's
Chinatown, has been using an umbrella for the sun since she was a child.
"Chinese people favour white complexions, which is considered
beautiful," she says. "Too much sun gives you freckles and when I
was young my grandmother would scold me to come out of the sun. As well, hats
don't cover your back and they mess up your hair." She carries a nylon
rain umbrella and says the bamboo ones have gone out of fashion because of the
rarity of bamboo.
Hong Kong-based writer Charles Foran says women there,
especially the older ones, regularly use umbrellas to block the sun and in
Kyoto a few weeks ago he saw women carrying the traditional parasol. "And
on a hike this weekend, I passed by more than one woman wearing those
astounding-looking umbrella hats, which make them look like they could take
off at any moment," he says. "Very fashionable Hong Kong women
wouldn't be out in the sun regardless. Milky skin is the thing here."
The September issue of Jane magazine reports that when
actress Rose McGowan was their cover girl she wisely requested an umbrella for
the outdoor shoot to preserve her snow-white skin. But not all of us want to
hide when the sun finally comes out. "We have so much cold weather, so
when the sun comes we're just so bloody happy," says Richard Igra,
president of Fulton Umbrellas. "I'd rather slap on a 30 sunscreen and put
on my cool shades and feel the sun on my face," he says. And while he has
had more requests for special UV-blocking umbrellas from people with medical
conditions or sensitive skin, he doesn't think our North American culture is
quite ready to adopt the sun-umbrella habit because of our short summers.
And the response from a Canadian expat living in London when
asked if she's noticed any parasols around town was an incredulous "When
it is sunny, the last thing in the world they want is to hide. They're not
huge believers in sunblock, either," she adds.
But Doonan thinks the parasol is just right for current
trends. "Fashion is very exhibitionist these days with belly buttons and
butt cracks showing everywhere," he says. "And a girl on the street
with a parasol makes a big impact." His favourite parasol moment is a
photograph of Picasso and his wife walking along a beach. Picasso is slightly
behind her, holding the parasol over her head. "What you really need is a
grovelling guy to carry it for you and use your other hand to hold your
doughnut."
- Samantha Grice National
Post 16 Sept 2002
