What to Wear in Prague in February

Pack for walking, not for rain. The Klementinum, in the Old Town, has kept a weather record since 1775, when the physicist Antonín Strnad "began systematic recording of meteorological and climatic measurements", as Prague City Tourism puts it. On ČHMÚ's averages for 30 Februaries, the month is the driest of the year there on every count: 16.2mm of rain or snow, 5.0 days of a millimetre or more, and 10.5 days with any at all. Afternoons reach 5.6°C, nights fall to 0.0°C / 32°F, and frost comes on about 12 of them. So the sheepskin comes out, the suede goes on, and the umbrella stays home.

The capsule

1. 
   01

   Brown suede shearling jacket, cream collar, hip length

   Sheepskin is a dry-weather coat. Sandro's care guide puts it plainly: "Exposure to water can damage shearling." ČHMÚ's Klementinum averages give February 16.2mm of rain or snow over about 5 wet days, the fewest of any month. The fleece lining holds warmth on a 0°C / 32°F morning, the cream collar turns up on the Charles Bridge, and hip length clears the climb to the Castle.

2. 
   02

   Cream cotton button-down shirt, one chest pocket

   Build the outfit on a shirt that stands alone indoors. Afternoons at the Klementinum average 5.6°C, so the shearling and the cardigan come off at lunch in a Malá Strana pub or a café below the Castle. A cream cotton button-down with one chest pocket keeps its collar over the cardigan's crew neck, and the cuffs turn back clear of your gloves.

3. 
   03

   Brown cable-knit cardigan, crew neck, five buttons

   Frost settles on about 12 February nights at the Klementinum, and in mid-month the sun is up only at 7:13am, so the first walk of the day is the cold one. A brown cable-knit cardigan buttoned under the shearling holds the warmth in; unbuttoned, it covers the shirt in a concert hall or a café. Brown cables repeat the suede of the jacket.

4. 
   04

   Light-wash straight-leg jeans, hem turned up

   Denim takes hours to dry, so it suits the month least likely to soak it: ČHMÚ counts about 5 days of a millimetre or more in February, and only about 2 of 2.5mm or more. A light-wash straight leg, slightly wide, with the hem turned up once, sits above the boot laces and shows a line of cream sock. Light blue lifts the brown and rust.

5. 
   05

   Rust suede lace-up ankle boots, ridged rubber lug sole

   Suede is the boot leather a dry month allows. With 16.2mm of rain or snow at the Klementinum and snow lying on about 4 days, rust suede gets through a week of walking with a brush each evening. A ridged rubber lug grips the setts on frosty mornings, and laces hold your heel on the steep climb up to Prague Castle and back down.

6. 
   06

   Cream ribbed crew socks

   A turned-up hem leaves an inch of ankle between denim and boot, and on a morning that starts near 0°C / 32°F that inch gets cold first. Cream ribbed crew socks cover it, stay up at the calf through a day on foot, and repeat the shirt and the shearling collar. Pack a fresh pair for each walking day and rinse yesterday's in the sink.

7. 
   07

   Cognac leather gloves, wool-lined, press-stud cuff

   This fastening has a Prague history. In July 1902 Jindřich Waldes co-founded a small Prague workshop, and its main article became "a very fashionable snap", which he named KOH-I-NOOR after the diamond. Cognac leather lined in wool, with a press-stud tab across the wrist, closes over the cardigan cuff on a frosty morning and opens fast when you pay for a Castle ticket.

8. 
   08

   Brown suede crescent shoulder bag, braided handle

   A short braided handle holds this bag high under your arm on the Charles Bridge and on a tram, where a long strap swings. Warm brown suede matches the jacket, and in a month with about 5 wet days it comes home unmarked. The half-moon shape takes a phone, a card, a Castle ticket and the gloves when they come off indoors.

A suggested look — brown shearling jacket, brown cable-knit cardigan, light-wash straight-leg jeans, rust suede lace-up boots, cognac leather gloves.

What to avoid

• An umbrella or a rain shell — about 5 wet days and 16.2mm in the month
• Saving the Castle for late afternoon — its historical buildings close at 4pm
• St Vitus on a Sunday morning — the cathedral opens at noon on Sundays
• A walk in the Castle gardens — closed to the public through 28 February
• Smooth leather soles — frost on about 12 nights