What to Wear in Chicago in January

Pack for the bottom of the year. NOAA's figures for O'Hare make January Chicago's coldest month and its snowiest: a 31.6°F afternoon, a −7.3°C night, 11.3 inches of snow, and a high that stays at or below freezing on about 16 days. On 3.5 nights the low reaches 0°F, and the National Weather Service's wind chill chart says a 15 mph wind at that temperature can freeze exposed skin in 30 minutes. NWS Chicago's daily normals reach their lowest between 17 and 26 January. So this capsule covers skin rather than decorating it. You want a parka to the knee with a lined hood, a thermal base, dense wool on the legs, felt-lined boots, mittens and ear flaps. In the Loop, use the Pedway, which links more than 40 blocks through tunnels and bridges.

The capsule

1. 
   01

   Dark navy knee-length insulated parka, sherpa-lined hood

   Knee length decides this slot. On the 16 or so January days when the high stays at or below freezing, a hip-length jacket hands your thighs to the wind, while this dark navy parka runs to the knee and cinches at the waist with a drawcord. The sherpa-lined hood goes up over the trapper hat on the worst nights, and elastic cuffs close the gap above a mitten.

2. 
   02

   Ivory heavy lambswool crew

   One heavy knit, worn every day. A dense ivory lambswool crew with dropped shoulders goes under the parka without dragging at the sleeves, and it is warm enough to be the whole top half at a Chicago Restaurant Week table from 22 January. Ivory also lifts a capsule of navy, grey and brown that would otherwise vanish against grey kerbside snow.

3. 
   03

   Black waffle-knit thermal long-sleeve

   A base layer goes on every morning: O'Hare averages 28 January nights at or below freezing. A black waffle knit holds a layer of warm air against the skin, sits flat under the lambswool crew, and dries overnight on a hotel radiator. On Pedway and museum days, when you spend most of the day indoors, leave it off and wear the crew alone.

4. 
   04

   Heather-grey herringbone tweed trousers

   Put dense wool on your legs. Herringbone tweed stops a wind that goes straight through denim, and in a month with 3.5 nights at or below 0°F that matters more than the cut. Heather grey hides the white tide line road salt leaves on a hem, and the straight leg falls over the pac boot's cuff so snow stays out at the ankle.

5. 
   05

   Dark brown felt-lined pac boots, rubber lower

   Snow lies an inch or deeper on about 16 January days, and a leather ankle boot is wet through by the second crossing. These pac boots put a rubber lower where slush collects and a felt lining above it, with a deep lug for the packed snow outside every L station. Lace them snug over wool socks so the cuff closes around your shin.

6. 
   06

   Charcoal wool-lined leather mittens

   The National Weather Service puts it in five words: "Mittens are better than gloves." Fingers inside one shell share their heat, and a wool lining keeps it there on a 0°F night. Leather sheds snow that soaks a knitted glove, and the ribbed cuff tucks under the parka sleeve. Pull one off for a card at a Pedway coffee counter, then put it straight back on.

7. 
   07

   Brown suede trapper hat, cream shearling lining

   At 0°F, a 15 mph wind takes the wind chill to −19°F, and the National Weather Service's chart gives exposed skin 30 minutes before it can freeze. Its cold-weather advice lists ears first among the parts to cover. This brown suede trapper has a cream shearling lining and flaps that fold down over your ears and button up over the crown indoors, so you can leave the hood down and still see the street.

8. 
   08

   Long loden-and-charcoal patterned wool scarf

   Wrap it twice and pull it over your nose on the platform. A long, wide wool scarf in loden green and charcoal bands closes the gap between the parka's collar and the trapper's flaps, which is where a crosswind finds bare skin. Tuck the fringe inside the zipped parka before a skating session. The green is the one colour in a navy, grey and brown capsule.

A suggested look — navy knee-length hooded parka, brown suede trapper hat, loden and charcoal wool scarf, charcoal leather mittens, heather grey tweed trousers.

What to avoid

• Gloves on their own — the National Weather Service rates mittens warmer
• Ankle boots and sneakers — snow lies an inch or deeper on about 16 days
• A hat that leaves your ears bare — at a −19°F wind chill bare skin can freeze in 30 minutes
• December's layering plan — the high stays at or below freezing on about 16 days, not 10
• Street-level walks across the Loop at dawn — the Pedway covers more than 40 blocks