Sun Umbrellas
Retailers selling sun umbrellas, sun shades and parasols
A sun umbrella, or parasol, is shade carried by hand: a canopy on a shaft designed not against rain but against sun, heat and glare, and in its fashion form an accessory as deliberate as a hat. Deborah Lewis, the designer listed here, draws on her love of design, thoughtful expression and her experiences as a world traveler to make accessories for women who want to express themselves and to look and carry beautiful things. Her Sun Shades are crafted from hardwoods in either a folding or a straight shaft, capped by luxurious Dupioni silk in feminine colors, and punctuated by hand-worked embellishments. Each Sun Shade comes with a coordinating bag, one to match every mood or event for the woman on the go, a detail that shows how the sun umbrella is sold: not as equipment but as an ensemble piece, carried with handbags, which Lewis also designs, and chosen the way jewelry is chosen. On a directory page of one specialist, the lesson is the category itself: the modern sun umbrella survives as a designed object, silk and hardwood and handwork, long after plain shade became a commodity.
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Deborah Lewis :
Drawing on her love of design, thoughtful expression, and her
experiences as a world traveler, designer Deborah Lewis has fashioned
accessories that are made for every woman. That is, as Lewis explains
Women today want to express themselves. They want to look beautiful,
feel beautiful and carry beautiful accessories.
In addition to
handbags, she sells sun shades crafted from hardwoods in either a
folding or straight shaft, the Sun Shade is capped by luxurious Duppioni
silk in gorgeous feminine colors that inspire. All are punctuated by
hand-worked embellishments to add extra charm. What's more is that each
Sun Shade comes with a coordinating bag one to match every mood or
event for the woman on the go.
- Sun Umbrellas
- Handbags
Caring for a Silk Parasol
Silk and hardwood ask for the opposite of rain-umbrella habits: never put a parasol away damp from dew without airing it, keep the canopy out of prolonged direct storage light that fades silk, and store it in its coordinating bag, the bag exists precisely to protect the embellished canopy from snagging. The folding mechanism on a folding shaft should be worked gently and kept free of sand and grit after garden use.
Treated that way, a hardwood and silk sun shade is a decades-long accessory, repaired by recovering rather than replaced, which is the sustainable logic built into every handmade version of this old garment.
Common Questions
What is the difference between a sun umbrella and a rain umbrella?
Purpose and construction. A rain umbrella is built to shed water and withstand wind, with waterproof canopy fabric and a frame tuned for storms. A sun umbrella is built to block light and look beautiful doing it: silk canopies, wooden shafts and embellishment, as in the Deborah Lewis Sun Shades, with no promise of storm performance. Using a silk parasol in heavy rain ruins the fabric; using a rain umbrella as a parasol works, but without the effect.
What materials define a quality parasol?
A hardwood shaft, in folding or straight form, gives the parasol its warm, crafted character and its strength without metal's coldness. Dupioni silk, the canopy fabric Lewis specifies, has a luminous, slightly textured surface that reads luxurious in sunlight and takes rich color. Hand-worked embellishments and a coordinating carry bag complete the object: details no commodity sunshade attempts.
When do people carry sun umbrellas today?
At outdoor weddings and garden parties, race days and festivals, historic and heritage events, photo shoots, and as everyday sun protection for people who prefer shade to sunscreen or whose skin demands both. The parasol's fashion revival rides the same current as the wide-brim hat: sun awareness dressed as style. A designed sun shade suits all of those settings because it was made as an accessory first.