To poncho or not to poncho? That is the question I never thought I would be asking myself. As fall begins to approach, slowly and quickly all at the same time, and with some days already feeling breezier than others, I am very much open to new ways of staying cozy as the seasons change. I’m not closed off to anything in terms of fashion or trends. I’m very adaptable. But a poncho? If you had asked me this past fall, I would’ve responded with a polite, judgement-free hell no. But, as a trend lingers, I am slowly warming to the idea and have eventually come to view it in a completely different light, in a stare at something long enough and you’ll forget what it is that you’re actually looking at type of way. That, or I’m heavily influenced by what’s considered popular and cool and by who is seen wearing said trend. Call me a sheep.
Proenza Schouler Spring/Summer 2025
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Chloé Fall/Winter 2024
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Proenza Schouler Spring/Summer 2025
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2023 and 2024 saw the return of the cape, and not just in the form of coats. Proenza Schouler’s SS25 collection, for example, played with the idea of cape-inspired blouses and top extensions. Kendall Jenner, on more occasions than one, was spotted out and about donning a cape: A Phoebe Philo cape attachment over a black leather bomber and a beige leather Bottega Veneta trench with a cape, for example. A little tease, if you will, of the poncho trend to come.
Recently, Bella Hadid wore a poncho so everyone wants a poncho, a cycle as old as Hadid’s streetstyle icon status. But that isn’t the only drawing point. I think of a knit poncho as a relaxed sweater: not overly constructed, very free-form, and like you’re wrapped up in a blanket without actually being wrapped up in a blanket.
instagram.com/bellahadid
instagram.com/bellahadid
Ponchos have a rich history: engrained in South American culture and indigenous origins, featuring colors, designs, and patterns representative of tradition.1960s hippie culture and an interest in casual, laid-back dressing Americanized the poncho, and the early 2000s situated them as a trend that some considered polarizing. But polarizing trends are the most fun to recycle, right?
For those bitingly cold New York days where the constant chill in my bones is making it difficult to move and properly function as a working adult with places to be, a poncho will be my go-to (with an additional knit layer underneath, of course). And these are the ones that have really caught my eye recently.
