About every 10 years or so, fashion seems to recycle the ideas of the past and that means you can expect to see a slew of capes, ponchos, and cloaks on city streets this Fall.

The good news is that there are plenty of vintage versions of this trend available for waaaaay less than you’ll pay for similar styles in department stores.

The bad news is that many of these styles — both new and vintage — are labeled with the dangerous warning “One Size Fits Most” or “One Size Fits All.”

Oh, really?

For instance, at a towering five feet tall, any of the long designer capes I saw on the runways would leave a train trailing behind me on the floor.

But a long-bodied beauty might have the opposite problem.

A cape could end up looking more like a poncho and throw her proportions completely out of whack.

So you can see how dangerous it is to assume that a label proclaiming “One Size Fits All” will actually fit YOU!

So if you’re shopping at a store, you have no excuse not to slip into that cape or poncho and see immediately if it’s flattering to your body type.

But it’s a little tougher if you’re shopping online.

That’s why it’s wise to ask the dealer to at least provide you with the length of the cape or poncho so you know for certain if it will hit at your waist or your knees or your ankles.

And here’s one you may like.

Today’s VPOD features a classic 1970s poncho that is faithful to the poncho’s origin among the indigenous tribes of Central and South America. Plus I love that it’s made of natural woven linen and not the much more common acrylic.

It’s an affordable, smart and stylish find for Fall’s Vintage Crusader!

Available at Pickled Vintage.