What to Wear in New Orleans in February

Dress for the longest days of Carnival. NOAA NCEI's normals for the airport put February at 19.1°C by afternoon and 9.8°C at night, with 4.13 inches of rain on about 9 days and one freezing night to January's three. Parade week stretches that whole range across a single day. Zulu steps off at 8am on Mardi Gras, about an hour after sunrise, and Endymion leaves Mid-City at 4pm on the 6th and rolls on past a 5:40pm sunset. You stand through all of it, so the capsule is layers you shed rather than a coat: a dark indigo trucker, an ecru sweatshirt over a long-sleeve tee, olive waxed trousers and waterproof sneakers, with one Carnival colour in a plum beanie.

The capsule

1. 
   01

   Dark indigo denim trucker jacket, flap chest pockets

   Button it at seven on Mardi Gras morning and open it by noon. Zulu steps off at 8am, about an hour after a 6:46am sunrise, while NOAA NCEI's daily normal is still close to its 9.2°C low, and the afternoon then climbs to 18.5°C. Denim blocks the wind along a parade route without trapping heat, and the two flap pockets button over cash and an ID in a crowd.

2. 
   02

   Ecru fleece crew-neck sweatshirt

   Fleece rather than wool, because a parade curb means spilled drinks and king-cake icing, and this goes straight in the washing machine. It is the middle layer: under the trucker for Muses at 6pm on Thursday 4 February, off and tied round your waist when the afternoon reaches 19°C / 66°F. Ecru keeps the look light against dark denim and olive.

3. 
   03

   Plain ecru long-sleeve crew tee

   NOAA NCEI counts about 12 February afternoons at 21°C / 70°F or warmer, against 9 in January, and the daily normal high climbs from 17.7°C on the 1st to 20.6°C on the 28th. Wear this tee alone with the olive trousers on those afternoons. In parade week it sits under the sweatshirt, so taking the sweatshirt off at 2pm still leaves you in sleeves when the sun goes at 5:40pm.

4. 
   04

   Dark olive waxed-canvas straight trousers

   Waxed canvas sheds the shower you get on about 9 February days and wipes clean after an afternoon sitting on a curb. New Orleans & Company's Mardi Gras FAQ warns that the neutral ground turns muddy after rain, and mud brushes off wax where it soaks into denim. A straight five-pocket leg falls over the sneakers instead of tucking into a boot, so the same pair sits at a restaurant table after Ash Wednesday.

5. 
   05

   Cream waterproof leather sneakers, grey toe and heel panels

   New Orleans & Company's Mardi Gras FAQ asks for close-toed shoes, and a cushioned sneaker is the one closed shoe that lasts through all of Endymion, which puts 3,200 riders on 81 floats. Waterproofed leather handles the 3 February days that bring half an inch of rain or more. Cream matches the sweatshirt, and the grey panels at toe and heel hide the curb.

6. 
   06

   Olive waxed-canvas flap crossbody

   Wear it across your body and slide it to the front when the floats arrive. Both hands stay free for throws, and a flap over the opening is what you want in a crowd standing shoulder to shoulder. Waxed canvas matches the trousers and shrugs off a shower, and there is room inside for the folded poncho, a phone and cash.

7. 
   07

   Deep indigo packable rain poncho with a hood

   A poncho, not an umbrella, is the rain plan on a parade route. An open umbrella blocks the view of everyone behind you; a poncho covers you and the crossbody and leaves both arms out for throws. The airport's normals give February about 3 days with half an inch of rain or more, so it rides folded in the bag all week.

8. 
   08

   Deep plum rib-knit beanie

   One Carnival colour is enough when the rest of the capsule is ecru, indigo and olive. Purple is one of the three that New Orleans & Company's Mardi Gras FAQ encourages, and a beanie is the smallest way to wear it: on your head for Zulu's 8am start, in the crossbody by eleven. Deep plum rather than bright violet reads as a choice, not a costume.

A suggested look — dark indigo denim trucker jacket, ecru fleece sweatshirt, dark olive waxed canvas trousers, cream and grey sneakers, deep plum ribbed beanie.

What to avoid

• An umbrella on the route — it blocks the view behind you and takes a hand you need for throws
• A heavy winter coat — about 12 February afternoons reach 21°C / 70°F
• Open-toed shoes or heels — close-toed shoes are the parade advice, and the neutral ground gets muddy
• A ladder within 6 feet of the curb, or a spot staked more than 4 hours before a parade
• Parade plans after 9 February — Ash Wednesday starts Lent