What to Wear in Taipei in January

Pack for the cold, wet day as the default. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) puts Taipei's January at 19.4°C by day and 14.2°C at night, with 90.5mm of rain over 13.5 days, 77% humidity and 75.9 hours of sun, the least of any month. Its winter summary says northern cold air reaches Taiwan hardest in January, "以1月最為顯著", and counts nearly 6 January days in Taipei touched by a cold surge, against 2.4 in December. The station also averages 2.8 January days with a low of 10°C or below, the level at which CWA issues its yellow low-temperature alert. December's trench and scarf answer a few cold days. January needs an insulated jacket that works in drizzle, a chunky knit over merino, wool trousers, laced leather boots and a hat, with the umbrella still in the bag.

The capsule

1. 
   01

   Navy quilted jacket, tan corduroy collar, hip length

   Wear it from the first morning to the last night. A navy diamond-quilted jacket keeps its warmth in drizzle, which a cotton trench does not, and CWA counts 13.5 wet days in a Taipei January. The snap front closes to a tan corduroy collar on a 14°C / 57°F evening, hip length leaves your legs free on MRT stairs, and the flap pockets hold an EasyCard and a phone.

2. 
   02

   Tan-brown chunky cable-knit cardigan

   This is the cold-surge layer, and in January you reach for it on most days: CWA counts nearly 6 days when a cold surge reaches Taipei, against 2.4 in December. A chunky cable cardigan buttons under the quilted jacket at 14°C / 57°F and comes off at a 19°C / 66°F lunch to hang on a chair back. Tan picks up the jacket's corduroy collar and the brown boots.

3. 
   03

   Slate grey merino long-sleeve crew

   Merino, not cotton, against the skin. At 77% humidity with drizzle on 13.5 days, a cotton tee turns clammy once the cuffs get wet, while a fine slate merino crew stays warm. Alone under the open jacket it covers a 19°C / 66°F afternoon in Da'an, and under the cardigan it is the base for a cold-surge morning.

4. 
   04

   Deep brown wool-flannel straight trousers

   Wool on the legs, because the Taipei station averages 2.8 January days with a low of 10°C or below, the most of any month. Deep brown wool flannel keeps its warmth through a damp evening in a way cotton chinos do not, and the dark shade hides the splash from a wet kerb. A straight leg with a pressed crease falls cleanly over laced boots and never catches on them.

5. 
   05

   Brown leather brogue boots, lace-up, lug sole

   Closed, laced and lug-soled for a month with 13.5 wet days. Brown leather brogue boots keep drizzle off your socks from the MRT exit to Dihua Street, and the deep lug grips wet paving where a smooth sole slides. Lace them snug: on a cold-surge day these are the shoes you walk in from ten until dinner.

6. 
   06

   Rust ribbed wool beanie

   Pack it for the 2.8 January days with a low of 10°C or below, which is where CWA's yellow low-temperature alert begins. A rust ribbed wool beanie folds into a jacket pocket on a 19°C / 66°F afternoon and goes on at dusk, which comes at about 5:25pm mid-month. Rust is the one bright note against navy, slate and deep brown.

7. 
   07

   Charcoal wind-resistant compact umbrella

   Drizzle, not downpours: 90.5mm spread over 13.5 wet days is under 7mm a day. CWA's winter summary also says the East Asian northeast monsoon is at its strongest in January, so pick a compact built to resist wind rather than the cheapest canopy at a convenience store. Charcoal hides street grime on a grey day under CWA's January average of 8 tenths of cloud, and the wrist loop keeps it on you while you pay at a stall.

8. 
   08

   Black water-resistant crossbody, top zip

   Wear it in front, zipped. A black coated-fabric crossbody with a sealed top zip keeps a phone and an EasyCard dry on a drizzly walk and wipes clean at the hotel, where leather would mark. It sits flat under the open jacket in the crowded lanes around Dihua Street, and black is the one piece in the capsule that needs no care at all.

A suggested look — navy diamond-quilted jacket, tan cable-knit cardigan, slate grey merino crew, deep brown wool trousers, brown brogue boots.

What to avoid

• December's trench-and-scarf plan — nearly 6 cold-surge days in January, against 2.4
• Jeans — denim soaks up drizzle on 13.5 wet days
• Canvas sneakers — wet through on the first drizzly walk
• Sun-dependent plans — 75.9 hours in the month, the least of the year
• Leaving the umbrella behind — northern Taiwan's rain climbs toward 5mm a day in January