What to Wear in Los Angeles in December

Pack for the evening and the wet street, not the afternoon. NOAA's figures for LAX put December at 19°C / 66°F by day, two degrees under November, but nights fall to 9.5°C, the coldest of the airport's year, and rain climbs from 0.82 inches to 2.23 over about 5 wet days. That is Los Angeles winter: a similar afternoon, a colder dark, a wetter pavement. The sun sets about 4:45pm all month, and the plans that define December start after it. L.A. Zoo Lights opens at 6pm and Descanso Gardens' Enchanted Forest of Light at 5:30pm, both until ten. Stay for New Year, and the Rose Parade curb in Pasadena opens to campers at noon on 31 December. So: a trench, a crew under it, leather underfoot.

The capsule

1. 
   01

   Camel packable belted trench, knee length

   December is when the rain comes: NOAA's LAX figures put 2.23 inches on the month, nearly triple November's 0.82. A knee-length camel trench sheds a Pasadena shower on a 19°C / 66°F afternoon, when wool would be too hot, and the belt closes it for the walk out of Descanso at ten. Packable, because in a car city the coat spends most afternoons folded on the back seat.

2. 
   02

   Light grey crew-neck sweater, sweatshirt weight

   Put it on at sunset, which comes about 4:45pm all month. December nights at LAX fall to 9.5°C, the coldest of the year, and a sweatshirt-weight grey crew under the trench is what gets you through Zoo Lights, open until 10pm, without a heavier coat. Light grey sits between the camel trench and the charcoal tee, so it works with either one showing.

3. 
   03

   Charcoal cotton tee

   Charcoal, cotton, crew neck: the base under everything else here. On a dry 19°C / 66°F afternoon in Silver Lake it is the whole top, and after dark it goes under the grey crew with the hem showing, a line of darker colour above the jeans. Charcoal rather than white also gets through a night on a Rose Parade curb without showing it.

4. 
   04

   Dark-wash wide-leg jeans, cuffed hem

   Dark wash, because December puts water on the pavement: 3.5 of the month's wet days clear a tenth of an inch at LAX, and indigo hides a splash that pale denim shows. The cuff lifts a wide leg clear of a wet crosswalk and sits on top of the Chelsea boot. Our October guide passes on dark denim as too heavy; at 10°C / 50°F after dark it is the right weight.

5. 
   05

   Heather-grey ribbed knit maxi dress, button front, long sleeves

   One dinner dress for a month of 10°C / 50°F nights. A heather-grey ribbed knit to the ankle, with long sleeves, covers what a slip dress leaves bare, and the button front opens a notch at the collar in a warm restaurant. Belt the trench over it for the drive, and wear the chestnut boots under it for the walk from the valet stand.

6. 
   06

   Dark chestnut leather Chelsea boots

   Leather, not suede. Our November guide gets away with a tan suede boot on 3.2 wet days; December brings 5.4, and wet suede spots for the rest of the trip. Dark chestnut Chelsea boots pull on in a car seat, wipe clean after a wet parking lot, and see you through a night on the Rose Parade route, where curb camping starts at noon on 31 December.

7. 
   07

   Tan structured leather crossbody, flap and buckle

   Worn across the body, it leaves both hands free for an umbrella and a coffee. A structured tan crossbody with a flap and a buckle keeps rain out where an open tote fills, and it stays put in a crowd on the Rose Parade curb, where from 11pm you may move up to the blue honor line. Tan picks up the camel of the trench, a shade lighter than the boots.

8. 
   08

   Black compact folding umbrella

   Our October guide calls an umbrella dead weight. In December, pack one: NOAA's LAX figures give the month 5.4 days of measurable rain, and 3.5 of those bring a tenth of an inch or more, which is a shower rather than a mist. A black compact umbrella folds into a trench pocket, and black goes with camel, grey and chestnut alike.

A suggested look — camel trench coat, light grey crew over a charcoal tee, dark wide-leg jeans, dark chestnut chelsea boots.

What to avoid

• Suede — 5.4 wet days, and wet suede spots for the rest of the trip
• A puffer or wool overcoat — 19°C / 66°F afternoons turn it into luggage
• Sandals — wet pavement, and 10°C / 50°F by the end of a light show
• Dressing for the afternoon — sunset comes about 4:45pm and the light shows run until 10pm
• A thin jacket on the Rose Parade curb — noon on 31 December to 8am on 1 January