THE REAL PARAPLUIES (UMBRELLAS) DE CHERBOURG

In 1963, when director Jacques Demy was making his enchanting musical film Les Parapluies de Cherbourg with Catherine Deneuve, one of the fascinated onlookers was 12-year-old Jean-Pierre Yvon, son of an old Cherbourg family whose tanneries dated back to 1800. After studies in Paris and a 10-year career as a photojournalist, Yvon returned to his hometown and opened a gift and accessories shop. In 1986, with the film and its colorful umbrellas in mind — and the wet and windy weather of the English Channel coast as an added incentive — he decided to make a real parapluie de Cherbourg. He designed three models, had them made and the rest is local history. Now manufactured in Yvon's own Cherbourg factory, Le Véritable Cherbourg has been called the Rolls Royce of umbrellas. Made with fine fabrics, engraved brass, gilt or steel fittings and handles of polished maple, chestnut and other fine woods, it can withstand winds up to 75 mph head on and 34 mph from the underside. Latest update: microcuir, a tough new microfiber fabric with a simulated leather surface. Priced at around €125, each Véritable Cherbourg is embroidered with the company's crest — a shield surrounded by a laurel wreath and a pair of crossed umbrellas.
The Department store on the Left Bank – Au Bon Marche sells these wonderful umbrellas.