What to Wear in Tallinn in January

Dress for a seat and a street. bachFest's six concerts begin at 16:00 on 1 January and at 18:00 each night after, all after a sunset between 3:30 and 3:40pm, so every evening ends with a walk home in the dark. The Estonian Weather Service puts January at Tallinn-Harku at -0.7°C by day and -5.5°C at night, and Visit Tallinn writes that "From November to January, the sun has no clear effect on air temperatures". Keep the coat on in a pew, open it if the room is warm, then tie it shut for the cobbles. Pack one long wool coat, two thin knits, wide trousers over knee-high lug boots, gloves and a felt hat.

The capsule

1. 
   01

   Grey-blue wool wrap coat, collarless, tied at the chest, below the knee

   Every bachFest concert begins after sunset, so you arrive and leave in the dark on a night that falls to -6°C / 21°F. A wrap coat tied at the chest loosens with one pull when you take your seat and closes again at the door. Below the knee, it covers the trousers down to the boot, and grey-blue lifts a charcoal scarf.

2. 
   02

   Black fine merino roll-neck

   A collarless coat leaves your throat open, so the knit underneath has to cover it. A fine merino roll-neck folds once and lies flat under the scarf, and merino holds warmth without the bulk that would strain the wrap's tie. When the coat comes off at the Town Hall on 2 January, black on its own looks dressed for a chamber concert.

3. 
   03

   Cream fine-knit cardigan, crew neck, wooden buttons

   This is the layer you adjust from your seat. Buttoned over the roll-neck, it adds warmth in a pew; unbuttoned, it lets heat out in a full room without your taking anything off. A fine gauge fits under the wrap coat without lifting the tie, and cream lightens a dark outfit once the coat opens at the Town Hall.

4. 
   04

   Aubergine wide-leg trousers, high waist, front pleats

   Wide legs fall over the knee-high boots and hide the shafts, so leather and shearling sit under each trouser leg as a second layer down to the ankle. Crepe is a concert cloth, not a winter one: on a night that falls to -6°C / 21°F, wear a thermal legging underneath. Aubergine is the capsule's one colour, and the gloves repeat it.

5. 
   05

   Black leather knee-high boots, shearling cuff, lug sole

   Visit Tallinn says there is usually snow from December to March, and that lake-effect snow sometimes drops more than 10 cm in a day. A deep lug grips snow on the cobbles and on the climb up Toompea to the Dome Church. An inside zip means no laces to tie with cold fingers, and the shearling cuff stays hidden under the trouser.

6. 
   06

   Long charcoal brushed-wool scarf, fringed

   A scarf that works indoors has to be long enough to drape. Wound twice, this one closes the open neck of the wrap coat for the walk back; unwound, it hangs loose over the cardigan in your seat or lies across your knees in a pew. Brushed wool holds air, and charcoal sits between the grey-blue coat and the black knit.

7. 
   07

   Aubergine leather gloves, wool-lined

   Uisupark, which runs the Old Town rink, tells skaters to dress "according to the weather, which means warmly" and names gloves and a hat. You want them off the ice too, because your hands come out at every door for a ticket and a phone. Lined leather keeps wind off the wrist where the coat sleeve rides up, and aubergine matches the trousers.

8. 
   08

   Charcoal wool-felt cloche

   Felt sheds snowflakes that a knit soaks up, and a cloche sits low over the forehead and the tops of the ears on the walk home. It rests on your knees during the concert. A bell-crowned felt hat also suits the city: Elvira Liiver, whose workshop in St Catherine's Passage blocks felt by hand, names the 1920s and 1930s among her models.

A suggested look — grey-blue wool wrap coat, black merino roll-neck, cream fine-knit cardigan, charcoal fringed wool scarf, aubergine wide-leg trousers.

What to avoid

• Smooth soles or stilettos — snow is usual from December to March
• Dressing for a sunny afternoon — the sun has no clear effect on the air
• A bare head on the walk back — every concert ends after dark
• 6 January as a day off — it is a working day in Estonia
• The Old Town rink on 1–3 January on a budget — holiday prices apply