Poncho Plunge

First off, Happy New Year!

I hope you had a fantastic holiday and found time to relax and do the things you love. I know I did! One of those things is obviously travel (and eat, but that’s unrelated), so for my birthday hubby and I did just that.

So welcome to one of the wonders of the world! No, not this blog (but thanks, I’m flattered). Niagara Falls, Canada people! We’re lucky to be just a short drive away, but even if you’re not you should take the plunge (ha, see what I did there?). A little hint: going in the off season (winter of course) will save you a bundle on a swanky fallsview room and you’ll avoid the crowds. For my birthday Mother Nature gifted me some mild temperatures so that we could really enjoy the sights. Yup, I’m a December baby, and I do accept belated presents…:)

How to Wear a Poncho

The abnormally tolerable Canadian weather also gave me a chance to show off these super cute new ponchos by NY Collection. Yes plural, two of them! So spoiled, I admit it. Now, I’ve never owned a poncho to tell you the truth, and was always a little nervous about how to wear them. How do you wear a poncho?! They’re a little intimidating on the rack, with all of that billowing fabric and the arm holes hiding somewhere in there. Similar to chunky sweaters (check out my post “Sweaters, Sparkles & Sand” for my tips on those) when you wear them you have to think about proportions and balance. What I mean is you can’t go pairing a poncho with big baggy boyfriend jeans, you’ll look like your clothes have swallowed you whole. Balance it out: roomy up top, snug below, and vice versa.

Poncho Pairing

Please don’t ask me which one is my favourite! My New Year’s resolutions do not include curbing my shopping addiction since I would surely fail. I love them both! The black, white and grey patterns make them simple to pair with clothes you already own, so you don’t have some wacky piece taking up space in your closet (and you would probably never wear it anyway). I went with the black fringe sweater underneath since it adds a little fun and movement without competing with the ponchos. I love that it can easily be worn with either one. Bonus.

Throw in a vintage floppy hat, a long necklace, big gold earrings, tall boots and you’re basically an urban hippie. Hey, the 70’s are coming back in a big way, and ponchos are no exception. Hooray! You can stay fashionable and cozy. Just don’t wear platform shoes and flared pants with your poncho, so no one is looking around for Dr. Who or a time machine.

So hopefully that packed poncho rack is a little more approachable now. Know what to look for, think colour, fit, how you can pair it and layer it (tips on layering here: “Falling for Layers”). We’ll be trendy and on the poncho-wagon together, looking poncho-tastic, poncho-rific, and poncho-mazing. Ok, ok, I’m having too much fun! I’ll stop before you puncho me.

Wearing:
Fringe Poncho, Elbow Sleeve Poncho, and Fringe Sweater by NY Collection. All on sale!
Square necklace from Forever 21. Wear it with any long chain, but you can find a similar one here.
Le Chateau leather over-knee boots, find them here.
Hat, accessories and purse are vintage finds, as per usual!

Anna

Disclosure: I received these pieces from NY Collection in exchange for inclusion in this post, all of the photos, opinions and silly comments are my own of course.