What to Wear to Christmas Markets in New York

Packing philosophy

Dress for standing in slush. NOAA's National Weather Service normals for Central Park give December 6.8°C by day and 1°C at night, with 4.38 inches of precipitation and 4.9 inches of snow, and daylight is at its shortest, about nine and a quarter hours. The Winter Village at Bryant Park runs its Holiday Shops from 23 October to 3 January around a free rink, and a December itinerary here is mostly standing: a rink queue, a crowd at the Fifth Avenue windows, a stall. So wear a knee-length wool coat over a cardigan you can open in a heated shop, duck boots for the slush ridges at every crossing, and gloves and a hat that stay on.

What the dress code actually is

New York does not dress down for its markets; the Holiday Shops at Bryant Park, Union Square and Columbus Circle are part of an evening out, and the city's winter uniform is a good coat. The Winter Village is free to enter, and the rink is free if you bring your own skates, with rentals and reservations extra. Expect crowds on weekend evenings and the week before Christmas, when a weekday morning is the better visit. A crossbody over the coat is the city habit in any crowd.

The capsule

1. 
   01

   Camel wool single-breasted car coat, knee length

   At 1°C / 34°F a knee-length wool coat is enough, and the car-coat cut is New York's winter uniform. It covers you through a rink queue and stays smart for dinner. Camel reads warm under the Winter Village lights.

2. 
   02

   Ivory cotton-wool long-sleeve base

   A base layer under the cardigan is what makes a knee-length wool coat enough for an hour outside. Cotton-wool does not overheat in a crowded shop, and ivory shows at the neck of the cardigan.

3. 
   03

   Dove-grey crew-neck button cardigan

   The shops, the Library and the subway are heated, and a cardigan opens in one movement where a pullover has to come off. Dove grey sits between camel and cream.

4. 
   04

   Light dove-grey pleated wide-leg trousers

   Wool-look pleats go from the market to dinner without a change, and a wide leg falls over duck boots. A thermal legging fits underneath on the coldest nights.

5. 
   05

   Tan leather and rubber lace-up duck boots

   Slush ridges form at every crossing in a snowy week, and a rubber shell keeps your feet dry through them. A lug sole grips when the slush freezes after dark. Tan leather above the shell goes with camel.

6. 
   06

   Camel nappa gloves, cashmere-lined, touchscreen tips

   Thin enough to hold a hot chocolate and tap a card at a stall, warm enough at 1°C. Wear them, don't carry them; the gloves in your bag are the ones you need in a queue.

7. 
   07

   Cream cable-knit beanie, rib cuff

   A hat you wear rather than carry, for the wait at the rink and the walk down Fifth. Cream cable goes with camel and reads festive without novelty.

8. 
   08

   Small tan pebbled zip crossbody

   Worn over the coat, the strap has to be long enough, so check it before you leave. A zip top keeps a phone and cards safe in the Bryant Park crowd, and tan matches the gloves.

A suggested look — camel wool car coat, dove grey cardigan over an ivory base, dove grey wide-leg trousers, tan duck boots, cream cable-knit hat.

What to avoid

• Smooth soles — slush, then ice
• An unlined coat — an hour in a queue
• Hat and gloves in the bag
• A short bag strap