June 20, 2022
I’m finding it hard to believe (okay, maybe hard to ACCEPT) that tomorrow will be the longest day of the year. It feels like the weather here in Chicago just “hotted up” in the last 2 weeks…
But let’s think of the Solstice as a chance for celebrating our extreme daylight (or darkness, if that’s your hemisphere!). And that means a chance to treat ourselves!

Image – Tokyo Pony
I think many of us worry about our clothes quite a bit, at the expense of paying good attention to our accessories. Maybe, for balance, we should celebrate the Solstice with a self-gift of something beautiful?
Maize collection scarf – Pineda Covalin UK; earrings – Freida Rothman; bracelet – De Grisogno; necklace – Farra; sandals – Bell Vita; bag – Sinbono
I’m not sure what neutrals are best served by this lovely bright blue – white certainly. Maybe navy?
Mushrooms collection scarf – Pineda Covalin UK: earrings – Talbots; headband – Barrus London; bracelet – Eliou; necklace – Talbots; macrame bag – Brunna.Co
If you want to really celebrate the Solstice, you could go to Stonehenge…
Image- Getty Images
Here’s another accessory family that would be lovely with white, or grey…
The Swan scarf – Pig, Chicken, & Cow; earrings – Justine Clenquet; bracelet – Kendra Scott; blue topaz necklace – Latelita; bag – Proenza Schouler; sandals – Cole Haan
This next accessory grouping sings to me – for someone who loves black and white, but who wants to embrace on off-beat accent color or two…
yes, “moulin” is spelled incorrectly here…
Moulen Rouge scarf – Un Poco; earrings – Simona; bracelet – Soul Journey Jewelry; necklace – Nusa; bag – Themoire; sandals – Franco Sarto
Newgrange, in Ireland, would be a delightful place to be for the Solstice. Imagine being in this tunnel when the sun shines DIRECTLY in the door!
Image of Newgrange, Ireland from Vagabond Tours
If you love butterflies, you must look at this scarf… I could cheerfully embrace every last thing here in my wardrobe!
Scarf – Emma Wallace; earrings – Justine Clenquet; bracelet – Chan Luu; paisley necklace – J.Crew; black wallet crossbody bag – Aimee Kestenberg; sandals – Munro
What’s not to love about a picnic-themed scarf in bright and pretty summer colors?
Picnic scarf – Texas and the Artichoke; earrings – Auree Jewellery; bracelet – Auree Jewellery; pendant – Auree Jewellery; sandals – Caslon; tote – Lolas Bag
You’re not traveling for the Solstice this year? How about just settling down somewhere cool, shady and peaceful for a while? Take a break, enjoy some good company (which may be just your OWN company!), and celebrate any way you choose!
Image – The Spruce
I suspect that tomorrow will just be a normal work day for me; I really should be attentive to the swing of the seasons, and to the red-letter day that every Solstice once was, in our ancestors’ lives…
love,
Janice
p.s. Eight years ago, I was in the middle of “How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe from Scratch” – it was time to add some jeans! It’s surprising to me how very well this plan has held up over time…
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I love the picnic and swan scarves. I don’t wear scarves but they’re real works of art.
Butterfly, swan and Moulin Rouge scarves and their clothes; and the bright blue accessories – all yummy.
Such a lovely selection of accessories. Blue, lilac, pink and silver with the butterfly scarf would be my choice. Depending on cloud cover, I will watch the sun rise tomorrow over our lake and be glad.
Beth T, that sounds like a lovely Plan. Watch the sunrise and be glad. I think I will follow suit.
I really am enjoying these mini season posts. And today’s is a reminder that I need new sandals, so I had better get a move on. The look back was interesting as that was the first post I remember reading, with the discussion of rude emails. Time so does fly.
These are all just lovely. As I scrolled down each one made me think, “oh wow, that’s really pretty”. love the light blue mismatched earrings – those are right up my alley and even moderately priced! I agree, the scarves are works of art. Cloudy here today – but at least warmer, close to 70, and looks like they are forecasting a sunny and warm weekend – at last! I don’t know why I am surprised. Born and bred here, i should know our summer never really starts until after Fourth of July.
These are beautiful! You may wish to check, the passage at Newgrange is only illuminated at the winter solistice…
Regarding your post script: I find myself coming back to “ to Build a Capsule Wardrobe from Scratch” time and again–especially when I drift away from the basics and discipline of sticking to my color plan.
Thanks for that and for 4×4 plans and 5-piece capsules. They keep me sane!
If I win the lottery (ha!), I will go to the Wolf and Badger site and order all of the scarves plus the little brown owl earrings you have shown several times. So much beauty! Thank you for these visual treats. P.S. my daughter and her family spent last week in Chicago and suffered the blazing heat as they went to the museums. But they loved the vacation. When we lived in Dubuque, Iowa, we came to Chicago regularly. Chicago is my second favorite city (after Singapore) in the world.
Asymmetrical earrings, Yes! Well usually you could blink and miss our Dutch summer. I also have no special plans for tomorrow.
I truly adore the bright blue accessories capsule! Would be perfect with my navy summer neutrals. Alas, I don’t wear scarves anymore, I already have a blue bag, and I just cut my hair too short for a headband. So I will shop my closet for my bright blue jewelry and carry on from there.
Tomorrow I have a Solstice Zoom call with my two BFFs so that will be special.
Oh, I was looking at the corn scarf (I LOVE corn) and saw they have another colorway, this is in my colors! Maybe I should start saving my pennies for it. I will be enjoying a 4 year old, Frozen, birthday party tomorrow night! Should be fun. :)
Hi Janice and Everyone: beautiful scarves!
Well, my hard work in my garden(s) has come to fruition: Stella d’Oro daylilies blooming, stalks of daisies sprouting, clematis climbing, and nasturtiums everywhere. Hummingbirds darting around the feeder. Lunch under the (offset) patio umbrella. That’s a good day 🌞
That sounds perfect – so beautiful….
love,
Janice
Lovely post Janice…the picnic group calls to me because of the lovely green. All the plans sound nice too. My solstice day will be in an office, but I will take time to enjoy the sunset afterwards.
The bright blue and, surprisingly, the pink/purple sets are my favorites here, but of course the picnic scarf with the rabbit made me smile! If you invite a rabbit on a picnic, make sure there is plenty of salad :)