Apparently, everything old is new again — again.
In recent months, fast fashion retailers Old Navy and H&M both made waves on social media by selling items that looked remarkably like a tallit, or traditional Jewish prayer shawl.
And now, high-end hipster label rag & bone is hawking its “Ines Poncho,” a wool-blend garment adorned with fringe and banded stripes that recall the prayer garments of observant Jews.
Nordstrom’s, the department store, describes rag & bone’s “oversized” and “bohemian” poncho as something “that offers effortless layering in transitioning seasons.”
It retails for the very un-boho price of $375.
Last summer, Old Navy sold a women’s cardigan ($34) that strongly resembled the religious garment.
Then, in January, H&M sold a seemingly tallit-inspired beige scarf with black stripes ($17.99), along with a matching fringed poncho ($34.99). It wasn’t even the Swedish retailer’s first foray into synagogue-friendly garb; they sold a similarly striped poncho back in 2011.
H&M quickly apologized for marketing the Jewish-inspired garb and pulled the garment from stores in Israel.
Despite the kerfuffle, the tallit has quietly edged its way from religious garb to High Fashion. In February, in the days leading up to New York Fashion Week, Vogue street-style photographer Phil Oh snapped a pic of a dapper man wearing a black wool coat, a black beanie and, to top the ensemble off, an actual tallit.
And now, with this latest tallit-inspired design from rag & bone, it’s clear: The Jewish prayer shawl is so 5777.
