Poncho and Lefty

I had a weird day yesterday.  It wasn’t a bad day.  It was just… weird.  It was very busy, which is good… cause it feels awesome to get back into the swing of things with some structure and organization since the holidays.  But the whole day I felt like I was swimming upstream.  Or fighting someone in a never-ending, incredibly slow and lame ring fight.

Let it first be known that I am suffering from some sort of rib injury.  I don’t do doctors unless I have to, so I can’t be exactly sure what it is.  But it’s either bone, organ, ligament, facia, muscle or all of the above.  (Doctor Abbey)  So most of my movement is compromised.  Breathing is kinda painful.   Laughing is a challenge.  So Resting Bitch Face has sorta been my thing.  (But I promise I’m laughing on the inside.  At, or with you.)

The one constant thing in my day was my outfit.  I ran a bunch of different errands, saw a bunch of different people, was out all day, driving here and there, with odd stuff happening all around me and to me, and my clothes somehow became my armor.  My super suit?  In a very odd way, I felt powerful and protected by them.  Like, I coulda had who knows what scary stuff under that poncho. I felt very Clint Eastwood.  And badass. Now, maybe it’s because what I was wearing garnished a lot of stares, which always makes me buck up and walk with more confidence (trick I learned from the nasties in middle school), but I felt almost untouchable and dangerous.

So maybe that’s why I didn’t feel the need to sit for hours with the police yesterday to ID the guy who was following me around the mall filming me.   Maybe I figured if I came at him, I’d be starting a revolution I just didn’t have time to deal with.  I would have crushed him with my secret stuff under my poncho though.

Maybe that’s why I felt like the cashier at the grocery store who (physically) wouldn’t let me leave, on account of her needing to tell me about all the ‘cardigans’ she wears when she’s not at work and how mine looks like it would fit her and could she please try it on over her polo, didn’t need to be coddled.

Dat bitch was just crazy.

I had on my badass bandit gear.  I was untouchable, boi.

Although I did get stuck inside a dress in H&M.

Here’s the thing though- I don’t wear a lot of ponchos.  I generally find them a bit awkward.  I think they look great on most people, but they always seem to slip and shift and before you know it you’re wearing a cape.  (Ahh, understanding the stares a bit more now.)  But this particular one came from my mama as a Christmas present.  I opened up the box and truth be told, I had no idea what the hell it was.  It kinda looked like a Muppet Baby.  So I just stared and word-tripped for a minute or so.  And yet, I couldn’t take my eyes off of it.  It was just so damn different.  Which, y’all know I love.  Plus, knowing the history behind the poncho makes me love it even more… in a totally Classic Abbey Rebellious sort of way.

Men used to be the only people who were allowed to wear them.  Take that, boys.

This one here is from Chico’s.  A store in which I have never ever shopped in my entire life.  I’ve just never considered them to have things that fit my personal style, so I’ve never bothered.  I have since eaten those words, Chico’s, and you have my apologies.  Also thank you mama.

I styled it with some white leggings from Uniqlo, a simple white long sleeved shirt from… the bottom of my shirt drawer (does it really matter?  It’s a white shirt and you all have one.), tall, stiletto heeled boots from Forever21 (no longer in stock- geez they rotate stock like lunatics, but found here on a secondary site), a faux-suede bag from Target (an older purchase but similar one available here), sunglasses from Forever21 (purchased that very day as I tried to lose the creep who was following me) and a messy pineapple bun that felt incredibly good to take down once I finally walked in the door yesterday afternoon, along with the bra and the boots (girls know).

One quick note on the bag choice- whether it be a clutch or one with short straps such as this one, it needs to be one that doesn’t require a shoulder to carry it.  Ponchos limit what you should be doing with your arms and shoulders.  And they look very awkward if you forget that rule. (Which came in handy with my mystery rib injury.)  

I love the simplicity in colors from the outfit.  It feels very winter to me- the white and the taupe-grey.  Very classic.  And yet, cool as hell.

The earrings came from…. Payless Shoes.  (What?)  Yup.  I found them when I wandered across the parking lot into a Payless killing time awhile back… they were having a 75% off all accessories sale and I got a ton of surprisingly cute stuff for pennies.  I loved how they matched the feel of the outfit, and they also received many a compliment on my funky day.  (Tried to find you a direct link but it seems Payless does not carry accessories anymore, which makes the whole 75% sale make a lot more sense now.)

When I got in my car for my final errand, trunk full of bags, hungry, headached, occasionally checking the rear view for evidence of the return of creepy man, feeling a bit worn down from my day… all the bandit-badassery having left my system… One of my favorite songs came on.  And it brought a wry smile to my face and filled my veins with a bit of hero juice.

All the Federales, they say

We could have had him any day

We only let him slip away

Out of kindness, I suppose.

It doesn’t matter what you need to feel powerful.  And it doesn’t take much.  It shouldn’t take much.  Find it and wear it well.  And don’t let anyone take that shit away from you.

XO, Abbey