Ruana – A Historical Fashion Statement

This textured wave stripe ruana arrived in my mailbox the other other day.

A ruana is a cross between a poncho and a shawl with some ruanas having a hood.

This particular ruana is made of  cotton, nylon and rayon.  It has neutral black, brown, white, tan, and gray wavy stripes running through the material.

When you wear this ruana the strips flow down diagonally and not straight across.

Striped Ruana Striped Ruana Close Up of Ruana Close Up of Ruana

Not all the fabric stripes are the same with stripes of various sizes.

Some of the stripes are made of nubby yarns.

Although you can not see it on this photograph, the light gray stripe has a slight bit of sliver threading running through it.

The sides of the ruana are open.  If you want to add a bit of drama you can always toss one side of the ruana over your shoulder.

Not sure how I am going to wear it but probably with black dress pants and a black turtle neck.

Any suggestions from my Readers?

Side Opening of Ruana Side Opening of Ruana

History of the Ruana

Surprisingly, my research found the ruana garment has a long history going back to 16th and 17th centuries.  It was worn in the Columbian or the Venezuelan Andes areas.

Ruana comes from the Spanish word meaning “ragged”.  In Quechua it means “textile”.

The ruana was popular in colder weather and is a sleeveless square made of thick, soft material.

The ruana can also pull double-duty as a blanket or can be used to sit on.

History shows the ruana was a very useful garment to own.

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