On an outing at a farmers’ market on a sweltering day this past summer, I was delighted (and envious) to see a woman carrying a pretty parasol. While I was sweating buckets, she looked stylish and as cool as all the cucumbers for sale.
It looked like a fancy Victorian parasol, so my immediate thought was that she was a collector, but before I could find out, I was distracted by snapping up the last quart of strawberries from a vendor famous for their sweet, juicy berries.
But I wondered why this onceubiquitous accessory—the parasol—fell out of favor and why I wasn't carrying one, as someone pale and susceptible to the sun. It's surprising that more people