What to Wear in Toronto in January

Dress for the wind chill, not the thermometer. NOAA's 30-year record for Toronto Pearson makes January the coldest month, at −1.1°C by day and −8.9°C at night, with about 29cm of snow, about 17 days that stay below freezing all day, and three or four nights below −18°C. Environment and Climate Change Canada puts the real problem simply: "Wind chill cannot be measured with a thermometer. It is felt by our skin." Its index warns that at a wind chill of −28 to −39, exposed skin can freeze in 10 to 30 minutes. The ground matters too. The City of Toronto notes that salt "begins to lose effectiveness at -10C and is ineffective below -20C", so the coldest mornings are the iciest. Pack a knee-length parka with a hood, a merino base and a roll-neck, wind-blocking trousers over thermals, mitts, a toque and boots with a cleated sole.

The capsule

1. 
   01

   Black knee-length down parka, faux-fur-trimmed hood

   On a wind-chill day the exposed parts are your face and the tops of your legs. A knee-length parka covers the legs, and a hood with a trimmed edge cuts the wind across your face at a street corner. Pull the drawcord at the waist so the down sits close. Zip it open in the PATH, which the City says connects more than 75 buildings downtown, and much of the core is walkable with it unzipped.

2. 
   02

   Navy fine merino base crew

   A thin merino base does the job thermals do without the bulk, and it is what you are left in at a Winterlicious lunch in a warm restaurant. Merino wicks sweat from the walk so you do not cool down wet afterwards. Navy shows less wear than black over a week.

3. 
   03

   Black chunky ribbed roll-neck

   Your neck is the gap the wind finds between toque and parka. A chunky roll-neck closes it without a scarf to retie at every door, and ribbed wool holds heat in the dead air of a bus shelter. Over the merino crew it is enough for the coldest January day on NOAA's 30-year record.

4. 
   04

   Red insulated gauntlet mitts, leather palms

   Mitts keep your fingers together, which keeps them warmer than any glove on a day when Environment Canada's index puts frostbite in minutes rather than hours. Gauntlet cuffs go over the parka sleeve so no wrist is exposed, and the wrist leashes mean you can pull one off to tap a phone without dropping it in the snow.

5. 
   05

   Red ribbed wool toque

   Ears freeze first, and a deep-cuffed wool toque doubles over them and fits under the parka hood. Red matches the mitts and makes you easy to spot on a snowy sidewalk. Toronto calls it a toque; pack one even if you never say the word.

6. 
   06

   Black fleece-backed thermal leggings

   Trousers alone are one layer of cloth between your legs and a −9°C / 16°F wind. Fleece-backed leggings under the trousers add warmth you do not see, and they come off in a hotel room when the day turns mild. On the three or four nights in an average January below −18°C, they are the difference between a walk and a taxi.

7. 
   07

   Olive waxed canvas trousers

   Wind goes straight through knitted fabric and most denim. Waxed canvas blocks it and sheds wet snow, so over thermal leggings these trousers do what ski pants would do without looking like them at dinner. Olive goes with black and red and hides salt marks.

8. 
   08

   Black felt-lined lace-up winter boots, cleated rubber sole

   Buy the boots before the coat. The City of Toronto says salt loses effectiveness at −10°C and is ineffective below −20°C, so on the coldest mornings the sidewalks are ice. A cleated rubber sole holds on it, the felt lining keeps toes warm for an hour outside, and leather wipes clean of the salt the City says damages shoes.

A suggested look — black knee-length hooded down parka, red ribbed toque, black chunky roll-neck, red insulated mitts, olive waxed canvas trousers.

What to avoid

• Fingered gloves on a wind-chill day — mitts are warmer
• Suede and canvas — salt damages shoes
• Trusting the sidewalk on the coldest mornings — salt is ineffective below −20°C
• Travel on a declared snowstorm day — the City asks you to stay put
• Walking downtown above ground on the worst days — use the PATH