March 2007
PARAPLUIES & OMBRELLES
Singin' In The Rain By Carol Sorgen
Considering that I don’t live in a particularly rainy climate, you wouldn’t think I’d have such an affinity for umbrellas. Yet, without my even realizing it, I seem to have built up quite a little collection. And no, it’s not because I lose them either. Truth be told, I’ve never lost an umbrella in my life as far as I can recall…which probably accounts for the ever-growing numbers in my possession. I have kitschy umbrellas—ones with Eiffel Towers and French poodles on them. I have serviceable umbrellas—you know, the basic-black-stick-in-a-purse kind. I have ones to match each of my many coats (hmm…that seems to be another so-called collection that’s probably getting a bit out of hand). But my very favorite is a black silk jacquard umbrella that I bought in Paris several years ago at a tiny, crammed-to-the-rafters umbrella boutique on the Boulevard St. Germain. Then known as Madeleine Gely, the shop, founded in 1834, was brimming with umbrellas, parasols, and walking sticks. And needless to say, not your run-of-the-mill umbrella either. There were umbrellas of every size, every color, and every rain-worthy fabric. My heart was set on a breathtaking black cut velvet and silk umbrella, but even I couldn’t justify the several hundred dollars being asked for this exquisitely elegant creation. (The fact that I somehow managed to convince myself that ninety dollars—for the umbrella I did buy—was a somewhat reasonable expenditure probably tells you something about the state of my budget, but I subscribe to that very French fashion philosophy, “Accessories are everything.”) During the same visit, I bought my little niece an adorable white umbrella festooned with painted flowers and French writing. When I brought it home to her, wrapped in its very own umbrella gift package (and let me digress for just a sec—nobody wraps packages better than the French, whether it’s a cadeau for someone else or an éclair au chocolat just for you), her eyes opened wide as she exclaimed, “I’ve wanted an umbrella from Paris my entire life” (all four years of it at that time)! She still treasures that French confection, as I do mine. In 2002, Alexandra Sojfer, the granddaughter of Georges Gaspar, who founded his own umbrella house in 1937, took over her family’s business, and then joined forces with the Madeleine Gely boutique. Today, this is the place to come to buy antique or contemporary canes, umbrellas, and parasols, or to restore and refurbish the ones you already have. The next time you’re in Paris, wander into this quirky little boutique. I guarantee you won’t be able to leave empty-handed…and you’ll actually find yourself wishing for rain. Alexandra Sojfer Parapluies & Ombrelles 218 Blvd. St. Germain 75007 Paris www.alexandrasojfer.com |
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