In many ways, umbrellas are made redundant by hoods. Umbrellas require a hand – hoods don’t. Umbrellas are susceptible to horizontal rain and winds. Hoods – less so. Plus, hoods, especially in the hands of some of the functional wizards we see today, get the advantage of being composed of 3L waterproof materials and finished with an assortment of flash ties and fastens.
One thing that hoods don’t have, though, is a chivalrous elegance. Sure, they’re city-ready. Gore-Tex armour for the urban landscape. Taped seams for inner-city-dreams. But have you ever seen a love scene where the main character, to protect a significant other from the relentless droplets descending from above, pulls a peaked BETA SV over their head? No? That’s because hoods are solo endeavours. Will there ever be a gorpcore romance on the big screen? Who knows. Until then, there’s umbrellas. And none come as timeless as one dripped with Barbour’s heritage tartan.
These two, in classic tartan and sleek black/grey, are available at Terraces.
