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Home » Japanese 24 Seasons of the Year – Tōji – Winter Solstice

Japanese 24 Seasons of the Year – Tōji – Winter Solstice

December 21, 2022

The days start getting longer tomorrow! And while I’m quite ready for a big massive snowstorm (I love snow…), I’m also ready for a bit more daylight. 

We live in a place just a bit too far south, and too brightly lit, to ever see the Northern Lights. Sigh…

image- The Odyssey Online

For no clear reason I can offer, this post turned into 3 pairs of outfits – maybe I’m thinking about the balance of the solstice?

First up – a 2-piece dress!

Triple-star earrings – Wolf and Zephyr; top – Boden; cashmere wrap – Nordstrom; flats – Cole Haan; skirt – Boden; black silk bag – Moye

You could pack the 2-piece dress, and then this sweater and pants; you would at that point be ready for at least a couple of parties!

Black cashmere sweater – J.Crew; necklace – Mamour Paris; ring – Mamour Paris; bag – Charlott Vasberg; flats – ARA; lurex pants – Boden

Doesn’t this look frigid, and beautiful?

image- Yanika

If you find a scarf that you like somewhere, it makes sense to look at that same retailer for other accessories (or garments) that will go with it! Make your shopping easier…

Navy cashmere crew – Lands’ End; earrings – Talbots; bracelet – Talbots; scarf – Talbots; loafers – Birdies; khaki chinos – Alex Mill

Similarly, if you have a cardigan you love, look to the same company for a matching tee shirt or other top:

Cardigan – L.L.Bean; earrings – Loca; tee shirt – L.L.Bean; scarf – Barbour; loafers – Fairfax and Favor; navy cords – Alex Mill

Sunset comes early tonight!

image – Yale.edu

I love the idea of wearing green this time of year – it’s almost like we’re invoking a spell on Nature to get the green to come back!

Green cashmere turtleneck – Orvis; chrysocolla earrings – Fermin; bracelets – Fierce Lynx Designs; scarf – Fable England; grey cords – J.Crew; moccasins – Lucky Brand

This second outfit gives you 2 monochromatic “cores;” 1 in green and 1 in grey. Such an easy way to get dressed:

Sweater – J.Crew; chrysocolla earrings – Alon Diller; emerald & moonstone pendant – Alok Jain; scarf – Pierre-Louis Mascia; skirt – J.Crew; pewter pumps – L’Amour des Pieds

It wouldn’t be the Solstice without some ancient traditions, right?

image – English Heritage Organization

We’re expecting a blizzard tomorrow (which often means that it won’t happen!). Do you love snow?

I’m excited…

love,

Janice

p.s. Six years ago, our heroine was taking a long weekend in San Francisco – lucky her!

JAPANESE 24 SEASONS OF THE YEAR – TŌJI – WINTER SOLSTICE

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12.21.22 20 Comments

Tags: cool weather, Japanese 24 Seasons, pants, scarves, sweaters
<<Oh dear….Six Paintings, 12 Months – a 2023 Preview!>>

Comments

  1. Rebecca says

    December 21, 2022 at 3:22 pm

    Yay! Beautiful outfit ideas for celebrating the solstice…even if it’s just at home. I’m excited for the snowstorm, even though it means shoveling and potentially some problems for Christmas Eve. I guess we’ll just have to roll with the punches (go with the snow flow?) and see what happens.
    I did wear red and yellow today to honour the solstice, but I will try green tomorrow to invoke nature.

    Reply
  2. Sandy b says

    December 21, 2022 at 3:33 pm

    These images are beautiful. And the clothes and other goodies. I wore a green plaid flannel shirt today, Black Watch tartan I think. And while I didn’t feel like I was invoking anything, I did feel warm, cheery and seasonally appropriate. I was honestly tiring of the red but still wanted to be festive.

    Reply
    • rb says

      December 21, 2022 at 6:39 pm

      I have been wearing a lot of dark green too. Red is not my best color anyway!

      Reply
  3. Cindy says

    December 21, 2022 at 8:30 pm

    Winter lovers seem hard to come by. I never understood the need to travel to Florida during the best time of the year. Bring on the snow!

    Reply
    • Mary says

      December 22, 2022 at 8:20 am

      I couldn’t agree more.

      Reply
  4. Sheila says

    December 22, 2022 at 6:00 am

    What a lovely post. The photos are outstanding. I didn’t check back yesterday after seeing your original post about Covid striking, so this was a nice surprise this morning. I also wore green yesterday – and will probably wear same today – not much red left in the closet after purging all year. I love the Fable products. So whimsical and fun. And usually within my price range. I do hope the illness is of the lighter variety. My husband had it last year, just aches and pains. So far I have escaped, but one of my coworkers has had it twice! We are in bitter cold here in PNW – although not as cold as Minot ND where my son is – a couple of nights ago on his tour the “feels like” temp was -51!!!!!! I’m hoping to get out today as they are forecasting freezing rain over night tonight (Thursday) and roads could be even messier tomorrow! Have a great day everyone!

    Reply
    • Kristi says

      December 22, 2022 at 11:29 am

      We must be close Sheila because I’m in the PNW and the weather is the same! It’s pretty crazy. We drove around last night in the snow looking at lights and my husband had to help a few people who were stuck in the snow. We had a lovely time. I’m hoping it mostly clears for Christmas celebrations. I really like these combo’s Jancie both the navy/tan and the grey/green ones I would love!

      Reply
  5. V says

    December 22, 2022 at 7:25 am

    Lovey outfits and winter images.
    The crysocolla earrings are so pretty.
    I do like the snow, if I could have it without layers of slick ice, I’d like winter more. Overalls, heavy boots, yaktrax, a balaclava and lined mittens are my uniform for clearing snow and doing chores. If I lived in a more urban/suburban area I’d switch out the overalls for a long down coat, but I’d be hard pressed to give up the heavy boots. Warm feet and hands make me happy.
    Hope you and yours have mild symptoms and a quick recovery.

    Reply
  6. Beth T says

    December 22, 2022 at 10:15 am

    Through the power of YouTube, I was able to watch sunrise at Stonehenge this morning from the comfort of home. Not that there was much to see as it was cloudy and drizzling.

    I love the idea of building a capsule around a special outfit or two. If you go away for Christmas or the New Year, there will bound to be walks, family meals, games nights, trips out as well as the special events. If you want to look well turned out but look effortlessly glam, it takes thought and care. It’s worth having more than one dressy or casual option just in case there is a surprise invite. Distinctive jewelry and a touch of sparkle lift any outfit from the ordinary to the special but not OTT.

    Well done Janice. Hope your family are feeling better and you’ve not succumbed.

    Reply
  7. Annir says

    December 22, 2022 at 10:37 am

    Lovely post today Janice. Thank you. I hope all are recovering well. I am wondering if one of our upcoming heroines has an allergy to wool and cashmere? Since these lovely fabrics are a no-go for me, I would love to see a post with this dilemma for cold weather dress. Lucky for me I live in Northern California so the temps are not really frigid.
    Thanks in advance.
    Annie

    Reply
  8. Margery says

    December 22, 2022 at 12:21 pm

    I love that 2 piece dress! I hope they come back because that used to be a core piece starting to pack and for a seasonal capsule. All of a sudden they disappeared. They make perfect sense and this one would be a perfect way to build a small celebration capsule of mix and match separates for attending parties or formal nights on a cruise. Exactly as pictured here.

    I hope your family is recovering & you remain unscathed by the plague.

    Reply
    • rb says

      December 22, 2022 at 1:01 pm

      I am a tall person, and two piece dresses are so great for me (as long as the skirt is long enough.) Dresses usually hit me in the wrong place, waist wise.

      I managed to buy a couple of two piece dresses from MM LaFleur a few years ago (shortly before the pandemic) but they are suiting material more or less. Still great, but not really party dresses. Though, full disclosure, I wore one to the most recent wedding I attended.

      Reply
      • Beth T says

        December 22, 2022 at 5:01 pm

        I used to buy a lot of two pieces when they were fashionable and I’m 5ft tall. They were very versatile.

  9. Susan from Dublin says

    December 22, 2022 at 12:25 pm

    Lovely clothes.

    Weirdly when I first looked at outfit number three I thought the scarf was a dress.

    It only came apparent it was a scarf on my second glance.

    Happy Christmas everyone.

    Reply
  10. sheila says

    December 22, 2022 at 2:52 pm

    Janice, what are the pants on your instagram post today? Dec 22? Look like some sort of lantern pant? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Janice says

      December 22, 2022 at 3:10 pm

      They are the grey flannel pants from 4 Objects – they are VERY tapered at the ankles, and have adjustable waist tabs! This is the first time I’ve worn them, and I’m quite smitten!
      love,
      Janice

      Reply
  11. The other Nancy O says

    December 22, 2022 at 4:24 pm

    Susan in Dublin,

    I went back to look at the green plaid scarf and laughed because on the 2nd look, I saw why you thought it was a dress!

    Reply
  12. The other Nancy O says

    December 22, 2022 at 4:29 pm

    Janice,

    I hope your symptoms are mild! I was diagnosed with Covid yesterday with headache and body aches. Family Christmas events will be held in my absence.

    Reply
  13. Wendy All says

    December 22, 2022 at 4:58 pm

    Thank you, thank you for the matching print skirt and blouse as a dress option! Versatile, elegant and gives great milage to a wardrobe. Your posts are the first thing I enjoy with my coffee in the morning Janice, you’re the best!

    Reply
  14. Sally in St Paul says

    December 24, 2022 at 11:29 am

    The dark green are my favorites here…probably because the scarves are so gorgeous. I also like to see 2 piece dresses, though with the short puff sleeves, layering options seem limited (and it’s not short sleeve season in MN, haha).

    One of the best things about moving north is that the snow is usually just that – snow. Not as often ice or the dreaded wintry mix that’s common in more southern areas. The Mississippi River is mostly frozen here, and with the recent snowfall, I have a lovely view out my windows.

    Reply

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The Vivienne Files is a unique personal style blog with carefully-selected capsule wardrobes based on color palettes drawn from works of art, nature, and more. It helps women buy less clothing, and to love what they buy. Read more...
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