Parasols were introduced to England from China. The earliest ones were silk and often shaped like a pagoda.
This elegant accessory was mainly to shade a lady’s delicate, fair complexion. Jaunts through warehouses for accessories would have included buying parasols to match particular outfits.
The frames were bamboo, cane, or steel. Funny for us 20th-21st century ladies to realize that suntans were extremely unfashionable until the 1920s, when Coco Chanel helped to popularize the suntan. Prior to that, only women who had to labor outdoors were tan. After the 20s, chic, wealthy women were outdoors because they alone had the leisure time for outdoor games like tennis and golf.
Wear your sunscreen, ladies!
Originally posted 2014-02-10 10:00:00.
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