• Other names for umbrellas: Brolley, gamp, rain-shade or bumbershoot.

$39.50 at Lands' End Canvas

Valet. Advocates

A Proper Umbrella

You don't think about an umbrella until it's raining. Perhaps that's why so many of us have crappy ones. And why the British have such nice ones. A handsome umbrella is always alluring when you see it in the store. You imagine yourself, in a trench, looking sharp and staying dry. But then you worry it will be like all those $8 numbers you bought at Walgreens and then left in a cab or under a restaurant table. Which is why we're so fond of this one. It's good looking—yes that's a real wood handle—and sturdy enough to withstand a storm. Then there's the size. The 48-inch canopy means it covers a lot more of you (and is harder to lose) than the dinky drugstore umbrella. And even if you do, you're not out too much.