It was ninety degrees. She was not cold. That was not what the scarf was for.
Nothing else changes
Same sandals, same cotton, same bare arms. Only the neck is different.
It closes the neckline
All summer the throat stays open. A knotted square ends that, and everyone reads it at once.
The calendar, not the thermometer
September starts on the first whether the weather agrees. The wardrobe turns at the smallest point.
Why it works on the Gulf Coast
Waiting for a cool day here means waiting until November. You decide the season instead.
One knot, then wait
A light shirt with a collar carries the change. Everything else stays as it was.