Every August an entire country postpones real life. Then comes the day it ends.
Il rientro
The re-entry. Italians use it for the end of any break, but in late August it means the moment the beaches empty and the year quietly restarts.
A whole country turns around
The return wave is mapped in advance: the big push north on August 16 and 17, then the last two weekends of the month.
We have the same week
Sarasota classrooms open August 10. The alarms move back, the calendar fills in, and summer is over. We just never named it.
They dress up for it, not down
No new wardrobe. One considered layer over the summer clothes you already live in, and the whole look reads as a decision.
Pick it while you are still in a good mood
Choose the return outfit now and hang it where you will see it. Then there is nothing to decide.