New York Daily Photo Analytics

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Parasol

In order to make this photo and story work, I wanted to make a case for the resurgence of the parasol. Perhaps a little spin on the facts. Certainly the use of parasols makes the utmost sense since avoidance of the sun is now of paramount importance with ozone depletion, skin cancer, sunburn, freckling. Plus, hats don't shield enough and can lead to the dreaded hat hair. And then there is the sun-shunning goth crowd. So in a way, I'm surprised that parasols aren't HUGE, since they can also be a fashion statement. I did uncover an article in 2005 from the Village Voice that proclaimed the parasol's emergence from the 1920s, citing two shops in the city that are a seeing a renewed interest: Rain or Shine and Brella Bar. The collapsible umbrella/parasol is of Chinese origin, dating back nearly 2000 years. They are still produced in large numbers with a variety of colors, patterns and materials, so Asian product stores like Pearl River are great places to go for selection and pricing. I do occasionally see more women with parasols on sunny, hot or hazy days. (BTW, the dog in the photo is a Wheaten Terrier). In 2001 there was a photo that rocked the world - personal assistant Fonzworth Bentley holding an umbrella over P. Diddy's head in Saint Tropez. Perhaps the male parasol is not too far away ...

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

The lady and her dog make a nice-looking couple out for a stroll in the park. Nice shot.

Thank you for visiting my blog. I appreciate your comments too.

Anonymous said...

Stumbled upon this blog a while ago and have finally caught up to the present day post, after starting from the very first one. Have to say it's fantastic, and you do very well not to be repetitive and to keep on with something different EVERY day. Also, you've given me plenty of ideas for what to do when I visit NYC this August, places to visit that aren't on the "tourist track" so to speak. Thanks so much, and keep up the good work!

Chris, Liverpool

Brian Dubé said...

Thanks. I hope to make the site more usable as a resource in the near future.
Brian

jbworks said...

Brian .. still really enjoy your blog. Spent 8 days in NY in Dec 06 .. had an awesome time.
I am doing the Wellington NZ blog now. Louise, previous blogger said that you have a special theme at the start of each month .. who do I make contact with about this.

ciao... Jeremy

lv2scpbk said...

Nice photo. Love dogs.

Anonymous said...

If you carry a parasol, your hands aren't free. I can't imagine being that tied to carrying an item, especially since as a female, I've never even carried a purse (seem horrible feeling of having your hands occupied when you might need them for something else).

Merisi said...

Beautiful image!

I regularily see Japanese Ladies, walking the grounds at Schönbrunn Palace, carrying an umbrella like a parasol. And they are right, the park does have many shady walkways, but you also have to cover large distances in between in glaring sunshine.