Piñatas, Ponches and Nochebuenas: Latin Fashion
Plus, fashion guide's holiday edition.
Although Substack has a huge U.S. readership, I know this is a very global community, which means we don’t all celebrate the following holidays in the same way.
So, I’d like to take this opportunity to share some of the traditions I follow in Mexico and, of course, through fashion—that’s why we’re here after all.
Let me introduce you to three key elements of this season: Ponches, Piñatas, and Nochebuenas. As a side note, there are many more traditions, and I’ll be sharing others in the upcoming weeks.
Ponche (Fruit Punch)
Just a few days ago, I made ponche (fruit punch). The recipe I followed included the following fruits: guava (guayaba), tejocote (Mexican hawthorn), apple, sugarcane (caña de azúcar), cinnamon, and/or jamaica (hibiscus flower). The idea is to chop everything and bring it to a boil, adding a bit of sugar.
By the way, in defense of the tejocote, I truly believe it’s an underrated fruit! My mom actually has a recipe to make pie with it, but this time around, I will only be making pancakes with tejocote compote.
Inspired by fruits, I’ve chosen this two brands that share the fruit craze:
Pura Utz
I struggled to find the exact fruits of the ponche, but I chose these lemon-shaped earrings because they could definitely pass as guavas. A fruit salad and apple necklace also seemed fitting.
Cari Caribeña
In this Colombian brand, you can find a fruit salad in your neck and for your shirt!
Piñatas
Over the past few years, my dad eventually stopped buying Christmas trees and instead started buying colorful piñatas from his neighbor to hang around the garden. This made me realize it was a wonderful way to decorate for the season. This year, I’ve also been eager to go to a local Christmas market and buy artisan crafts, but I haven’t had the chance yet—hopefully, I will in the next week or so.
With the idea of the piñata, two brands quickly came to mind:
Chela and Lucha
This bag brand was created by two sisters based in Aguascalientes, Mexico. They recently launched a stunning piñata-inspired collection. The photos were fantastically colorful, and the pieces sold out as quickly as they were released. Their work is fascinating because they use scraps and leftovers to create their products. They launched bag charms shaped like stars and piñatas, as well as gorgeous starry bags.
JOYA MERMEO
Another inspiration drawn from the piñata, but for earrings. They look like so much fun!
Nochebuenas (Poinsettia flower)
This red flower is typical of Mexico, and every year around this time, you would normally buy one to decorate the home, gift to people around you, or, if you have a big garden, you probably have some that bloom around this time of year. This was the hardest fashion reference to find, since I couldn’t find brands literally inspired by the flower, but I did find other red florals that seem very nochebuena-like.
Flavante
This Mexican brand has a flowery red fabric harness that fits perfectly.
Christy Bolívar
Not Nochebuenas per se, but definitely close enough! Those tops are beautiful!
And now, here's my updated holiday Evernote guide for my paid subscribers:
You’ve hit the paywall! This is just a reminder that I don’t receive any kind of commission for the linked pieces! That’s why your support is really important to me. If this newsletter is helping you deepen your knowledge of the Latin American fashion scene, please consider supporting my work—from a monthly subscription of $5 USD to an annual offer!