# what is this vest from Serpico called **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 6, 2015, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-vest-from-serpico-called/736829 "2015-11-06T18:30:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-vest-from-serpico-called/736829/1 "2015-11-06T18:30:28Z")
its the second to the last image here: [https://www.mangotstyle.com/the-style-of-serpico/](https://www.mangotstyle.com/the-style-of-serpico/) They call it a ‘poncho’, but I’ve heard it called a ‘serape’. I have one from that era and I’ve never really known what to call it. I wonder if it is worth anything, but don’t know what to call it to even ask. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-vest-from-serpico-called/736829/2 "2015-11-06T18:40:41Z")
> [@Sigene](#): > > its the second to the last image here: [https://www.mangotstyle.com/the-style-of-serpico/](https://www.mangotstyle.com/the-style-of-serpico/) > They call it a ‘poncho’, but I’ve heard it called a ‘serape’. I have one from that era and I’ve never really known what to call it. I wonder if it is worth anything, but don’t know what to call it to even ask. A [poncho](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poncho) is basically a blanket with a hole in the middle for your head to go through. A[serape](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serape)is traditionally worn as a shawl or cape, but it can also refer to a poncho-like garment. The image you linked to doesn’t seem to be either. It’s not really a poncho since it opens in the front. It doesn’t seem to be a serape either. It just looks like a vest made out of Mexican-style fabric. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-vest-from-serpico-called/736829/3 "2015-11-06T18:44:03Z")
Some sites refer to it as a “[poncho](https://img1.etsystatic.com/000/0/5768958/il_fullxfull.247734811.jpg) [vest](https://img1.etsystatic.com/000/0/5768958/il_570xN.150500913.jpg),” and that’s what I would probably call it. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-vest-from-serpico-called/736829/4 "2015-11-06T18:46:36Z")
Around here we call that a serape. It’s really just a wool vest, but visitors to Tijuana who ask for a serape will be shown one of those. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-vest-from-serpico-called/736829/5 "2015-11-06T18:46:50Z")
A poncho goes over your arms like a cape, it doesn’t have holes for your arms, just a neck hole for where your head would go. A serape is like a blanket you throw over a shoulder and wear like a cape or both shoulders like a shawl. Both items of clothing are common in Latin American cultures, and the vest seems to be decorated in a style common to the area, so people just gave it one of those names. I can’t find a name for such a vest, it’s probably best described as a vest inspired by Latin American clothing styles. One interesting thing I found in doing a bit of research is that even “traditional” clothes like ponchos and serapes were styles borrowed from Europeans who explored Latin America (particularly the Spanish). ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-vest-from-serpico-called/736829/6 "2015-11-06T19:37:00Z")
If it’s a knitted woollen jacket that buttons up the front (as it looks like), in this country it would be called a cardigan. But that usually denotes something comfy for the older generation, so perhaps it needs another name for that sort of character. What would call the knitted thing that whathisname wore in Starsky and Hutch? ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-vest-from-serpico-called/736829/7 "2015-11-07T07:59:30Z")
> [@Sigene](#): > > its the second to the last image here: [https://www.mangotstyle.com/the-style-of-serpico/](https://www.mangotstyle.com/the-style-of-serpico/) > They call it a ‘poncho’, but I’ve heard it called a ‘serape’. I have one from that era and I’ve never really known what to call it. I wonder if it is worth anything, but don’t know what to call it to even ask. If you do a Google image search for “[hippie vest](https://www.google.de/search?site=&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1366&bih=683&q=%22hippie+vest%22&btnG=Bildersuche&oq=&gs_l=)”, you get some pictures of garments that look similar. This would be in keeping with the era (early 70s). ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-vest-from-serpico-called/736829/8 "2015-11-07T10:26:43Z")
It seems that this kind of vest is also commonly found in traditional Eastern European and Greek folk costumes, so maybe there are different names.