Visit to Francesco Maglia Umbrellas in Milan and Custom Umbrella Review

I've been wanting to make a visit to the Francesco Maglia Umbrella atelier for a couple of years, but whenever we were in town for business, or on holiday, our time was too crunched to allow for the long visit this magical workshop deserves.   When living in California one is not pressed to even consider the umbrella much.  I'm not even entirely sure I owned an umbrella when I lived in So. Cal.  Rain, of course, does occur in California, but with such infrequency that, an umbrella let alone a bespoke luxury umbrella is not on one's radar.  Munich, on the other hand, can be a bit of a rain bucket, where a good sturdy, well-made umbrella is more than just handy, but a necessity.  Having too long huddled under a cheaply made canopy, suffering the indignity of inferior materials and badly bent frame, an upgrade was long overdue!  To characterize a bespoke Francesco Maglia umbrella as merely an upgrade is an understatement of the highest order.  Indeed, it's like trading in a Yugo (remember those) for a Ferarri.

Even fully collapsable umbrella are entirely handmade on site:

Located away from the center of Milan, Francesco Miglia, is not a shop that will just be stumbled on while enjoying the sights, it must be sought out and even then, it's a bit difficult to find being located off-street in the underground space of the large apartment block, it's hardly the showroom/boutique that one would expect from one of the world's great luxury, handcrafted umbrella makers.  Once one has found it, however, one is greeted by the maestro himself, who will gladly lead you down into his enchanted domain.

Choosing my hardware and initial Plaque:

Senior Maglia turning on the old-school Italian charm:

Steaming out the wrinkles before final shipping:

Francesco Maglia is not just the name of the company but the name of the great man himself. 5th generation mastercraftsman (the firm having been founded in 1854), salesman, enchanting wizard and glad-hander in equal measure, he is happy to speak with you in English or German and of course Italian and probably a dozen other languages as well.  Preaching the gospel of the bespoke, handmade umbrella, he will patiently show you the entire process of building your custom umbrella, walking you through all your choices and offing advice as needed to achieve your own canopy of perfection.

Senior Maglia and my wife Andrea choosing a fabric to match my chosen stick (no detail is too small for the maestro):

All fabric from the lake Como mill is closely inspected to assure water tightness:

Senior Maglia's sister in law laying out the fabric for cutting:

Canopy fabric cut and ready for assembly:

Senior Maglia, together with a small staff of craftsmen and craftswomen, some of whom are members of the family and others are longtime employees, make each and every umbrella onsite and almost entirely by hand.  I think about the only machine I saw on site was a sewing machine for assembling the canopies.  Many parts including the sticks and handles and much of the hardware is made in-house.  Most of the fabrics are woven exclusively for Francesco Maglia at a friend's factory in Como Italy,  a region famous for weaving silks from many centuries.

For my custom umbrella, I chose a solid stick of bentwood maple cut to the perfect length for my height and with a handsome fabric of green with contrasting strips of Yellow and Orange - I think this particular fabric has great country colors that will pair well with my Tweed heavy wardrobe, but as you can see, he's got just about any color, stripe, polka dot, and pattern one could possibly imagine.

Showing the family tree and photo album:

Photo of the founding family members:

The Maestro points to a photo of a sea of umbrellas

To say that my wife and I were charmed by Senior Maglia and his umbrella kingdom is an understatement.  This is among the happiest memories we have of our many visits to Milan that we will cherish for the rest of our lives.

As my wife say's "It's like stepping into a Mary the Poppins wonderland".

My bespoke umbrella Arrives about 6 weeks:

Beautiful satin finished solid maple handle:

So pleased with these color stripes:

Beautifully assembled canopy:

Solid metal tip will last many years:

The feeling of quality is unmistakable:

My Initials hand engraved on a plaque of Silver:

Harris Tweed Wash Bag by British Bag Company

Anyone who has spent for than a few moments persuing this blog will know that I'm a bit tweed obsessed - OK, perhaps 'addicted' is closer to the mark.  Having given my old, but in very good nick, Jansport toiletry bag to my son on our visit to see him in New York City last summer has left a wash bag shape hole in my luggage collection, leaving me using a zip-loc freezer bag (oh, the horror!).  shopping online, I found wash/toiletry bags in just about every shape and size.  Made from materials ranging from Nylon (yuk) to leather, canvas and leather, waxed canvas and even a couple of sexy ones from LVT and Hermes ($$ Cha Ching$$).  But being tweed enamored as I am I kept hoping for a really nice Tweed (especially Harris Tweed) and leather bag that I could call my own.  Then along comes this beige and blue herringbone little number from the good people of British Bag Company and I was hooked.  It's such a looking I just couldn't resist and it was in such a great colour/pattern of Harris Tweed, how could I?  Fair disclosure, the leather is faux leather not genuine, which at first was going to be a deal breaker, because I gave up fake leather years ago,  but then I thought, given the wet conditions that this back (especially the bottom and back) were likely to face in bathrooms from here to who knows where (often water soaked counter tops, etc.) that faux leather will most likely offer a great advantage in terms of waterproofness and durability (just towel dry and back in the luggage it goes).  Certainly, the idea of putting a tweed bottomed bag on a wet countertop is rather a bad idea.  So, it seems the good people at the British Bag Company are also quite smart!  Having received the bag, I agree also that these new faux leathers have a very good feel (nothing like the leatherette of old, I can assure).

Arriving in a gift worthy British Bags Company presentation box, was also much more than I expected.

Lined with matching brown easy clean canvas, it's got one large compartment and a side zippered pocket for smaller items.  My old Jansport bag had a compartment in netted pockets galore and even a hanger hook, so let's see how this more basic design and I get along. But for sheer esthetical ..that tweed!

This weave has been named 'Carloway' and is described as 'incorporating tans and browns with a hint of blue' and it's an absolute beauty.  they make this basic style bag from a number of different weaves all of them lovely, but this particular pattern/colour weave I've not seen before (I would love to have a jacket made from this)

The close-ups: 
Provided for my own enjoyment and for that of my tweed obsessed brethren: 'Carloway' Herringbone Tweed in Browns and Beiges with Blue, Rust and Gold overcheck (I love this weave):

This bag seems to have build built to last (only time will tell). Approximately 31cm x 20cm x 10cm,  I had thought initially of buying a bag with a more square profile bag shape, but it seems to me that this flatter envelope shape would fit better in my holdall.  I'm looking forward to my next traveling adventure with my new Harris Tweed wash bag and expect to have many adventures together for many years!

Perfect throw for a cozy couch experience from JM Cooper Knitwear

Spring weather is on the horizon here in Bavaria, with a hint (just a hint) of the threat of warmer weather in our future and the return of birdsong to our garden.  However like most truly 4 season climates, cool and even cold weather will be with us for a while.  On days in which our weather is  (much) less than friendly, a good throw while cuddling (yes real men do cuddle!) on the couch with the Mrs. enjoying 'The Crown' or 'Peaky' on Netflix, and sipping a nice smoky dram will add to one's cozy factor immensely.  In such times the good people at J.M. Cooper knitwear have got you and your loved one covered (literally) with their Aran knit throws.  For the price of a good scarf from many other makers, you can purchase a beautifully knitted Aran style couch throw made from 100% British Wool, which at about 1.6 meters x 1.3 meters (51" x 63") is large enough to keep you and your loved one warm and happy (try doing that with one scarf).

From the JM Cooper eBay Listing:

'J M Cooper Knitwear manufacture a range of Knitted Throws/Blankets, suitable for use where warmth and comfort are required. These Aaran styles are available with a number of colours to choose from. As with all of our products, these are manufactured from 100% pure British wool from sheep roaming the Pennine Hills.

Our range includes natural un-dyed colours, spun using the original colours of the British wool pure breeds. Our newest throw is a pure silk nep which has been developed and added to our range to provide interest and luxury, which can be purchased above.'

Knitted with not so much density as to become stifling - the last thing one needs it to be sweltering.  (Our house does have heating after all).  One just needs a throw to keep off the chill and these Aran knit blankets are perfectly fit for purpose.  Available in several colors to match your decor (I purchased the dark grey), and won't look out of place in any sitting room.  I'm really looking forward to evenings of binge-watching with Mrs. Landless Gentry, cozy under our new Aran knit throw for years to come.