I had been wanting to try this ensemble ever since Angie featured it a month ago.

But I didn't have cords. And I didn't have a poncho.

I like the look of ponchos on others but they aren't very practical for my climate or my lifestyle, alas. Yet when I saw this oversize, cropped, sleeved turtleneck at Zara, it reminded me somewhat of the poncho shape.

Also, I wondered if its curving drape might help me wear the cropped sweater-over-a-shirt look a little more successfully. Some of you might remember that I tried that look quite a few times last season with a straight-across-the-bottom sweater and really didn't care for it much on myself (I think I succeeded with a look I genuinely liked maybe once?)

Anyway, it turns out that I do like the curved lines on this sweater -- it seems to flatter in a similar way to the semi-tuck, or is that just my imagination? In any case, it's really comfortable to wear layered because it is so loose on the bottom. Yet because it is fitted at the neckline and on the sleeve it doesn't overwhelm me.

Wearing with old DL1961 ultra-skinnies that I hadn't been using much. They have a fairly high rise so I decided to crop them, to see if I would wear them more often. I like them this way. (These are my first "designer" jeans and one of my earliest YLF purchases! They're not exactly what's in the Finds but they are similar.)

I also tried a vest outfit with the Gap cropped Sloans. This was also fun to wear.

Thanks for the inspiration, Angie!