Midsummer approaches! With that in mind, what surprises have you had?

Angie always recommends a wildcard. Did you pick one? If so, what is it, and has it worked for you?

And workhorses. Sure, you know your standards and could probably guess them in advance, but have any items surprised you by how versatile they've become or by how indispensable they seem?

I have a couple of items to show.

1. My wildcard was this scenic tee from Banff. V neck (not my usual or best), scenic photo print (really???), bought in a souvenir shop, made of some unknown polyester fabric -- and I pretty much rule out polyesters in summer. Uh...guess what? It is not just my summer wild card. It's a summer workhorse! Wearing at least once a week for work-at-home. And in cooler temps, under a jacket for going out.

What did I learn? I love the diagonal lines of the print and the colours. The shirt works well with denim, white, grey, olive, and navy bottoms. Some Vs can work (if they are shallow enough or cover enough at the neckpoint.)

Next workhorse, same photo: the GAP BF shorts I inherited from my daughter's donate pile. She is about my height but has a slightly larger frame; these fit her last year but not this year. Well, guess what? They are perfect for me. I now have two pair -- these grey ones, and an olive pair. Most worn shorts so far apart from my white bottoms. In fact, I bought the blue camo version also because I like these so much.

2. Surprising workhorse #2 is this BR silk top. (Waving at Tanya & Vix.) Last year, I wore this top but never loved it. I almost considered donating it this year, but decided that would be wasteful in the extreme because although purchased on sale it was not a throwaway price for me, the silk is a really nice weight and drape, and I like the colours.

Well, duh, it turns out I just wasn't styling it to my liking last year. I tended to wear it untucked then, for reasons unknown. Had I not yet discovered the semi-tuck? Sheesh? Semi-tuck this baby and I am in heaven in it!! I am wearing at least once a week. For work-at-home and going out outfits.

I'd love to hear about your surprising successes.