Who would leave home without one?

But it seems that the fashionistas down south think it a most bizarre piece of headgear and can’t understand why anyone would want to wear one.

For those of you who think I’m more deranged than usual, you obviously haven’t seen all the furore about designer Christopher Kane’s new collection unveiled at London Fashion Week.

Now I must admit that I don’t usually take much notice of such events myself but was slightly tickled that he had his model’s parading down the catwalk with rainmates on their head.

Coverage of the show had them described as all sorts of things, including rain bonnets, rain hoods and plastic headpieces – but that was the nicest thing said about them!

It seems our London cousins were more than a little perplexed by the plastic headscarves and couldn’t quite see their use.

Given this was his Autumn/Winter collection and he was brought up in Scotland, Mr Kane probably grew up like the rest of us knowing that his granny would have a little folded up pouch in her handbag that was brought out at the merest hint of rain. You couldn’t possibly risk a perm going frizzy or a shampoo and set getting flattened by the vagaries of the Scottish weather.

It was really like a precursor to those jackets you get nowadays that claim you can fold them up and carry them about in your pocket to use when the heavens open ... except I can never get them to fold back up and am always left trying to cram them back into the pouch.

Plenty people are happy to wear those plastic ponchos that they sell at every theme park so that when the rain comes on you can still wander around, albeit miserable and cold but not wet.

And wait a minute, have you seen some of the outfits that these designers put their models in at these shows and try to call it fashion. I wouldn’t be seen dead in most of them – even if I could afford the astronomical prices.

These little rain hoods are the most ‘normal’ thing I’ve seen at a fashion show in years!

And given the vagaries of the Scottish climate, also the most valuable.

So I say well done to Christopher Kane – you’ve obviously listened to your granny when learning your craft, proving the family matriarch does know best.