What to wear "Out West" this time of year
 

My husband and I are traveling to Las Vegas and Los Angeles next week. I'm having a hard time deciding what to bring for wearing. We live in Minnesota so we are wearing heavy winter wear. I've checked out the the temps in both cities - Las Vegas has been around 50-60 degrees and LA between 60-70. OKay, so here are my questions. Are leggings and tights too warm to wear? What about shoes? Boots or sandals? I know to bring a light jacket and sweaters for evenings. I'll mostly wear skinny jeans and T shirt with sweater or jacket during the day. I just don't want to look too wintery. Thanks for any input.

Hi! The weather has been rather up and down for the past few days (rain on Monday and then 75 degree weather yesterday) so just about anything goes right now. Leggings and tights are perfectly fine-as long as you aren’t bundled in a snow jacket you won’t get any odd looks. Jeans, a t-shirt and sweater is just fine for LA, and you can get away with both boots or sandals really. Vegas is always very windy, so keep that in mind. Enjoy your trip!

Tho we haven't had a lot of rain yet this year, ya just never know, so be prepared for that as well.

My east coast friends always laugh at how bundled up we all are at the slightest hint of cold weather. Friends were visiting over Christmas and we went down to the harbor to watch the boat parade - it was chilly, so I had my jacket, scarf, gloves. "Who are you, Nanook of the North?" my friends asked. Meanwhile, they didn't even have jackets on.

So while 50-60°F will seem very warm to you, we think it is chilly. Don't worry about looking too wintery - just wear what you will be comfortable in for those temperatures. And the layered approach is good so you can adjust throughout the day based on temperature - t-shirt with a jacket or sweater will work great.

L.A. temps during the day are usually very pleasant, but it can be quite cool in the early morning (lately, mid-40s at my house near the beach) and after the sun goes down (low 50s).

You may find the daytime temps warm enough for sandals, but in some parts of L.A. sandals (and shorts) in February may get some stares. It depends on where you're going. If that wouldn't bother you, then go for it.

January/February may be windy/rainy in Vegas, so I wouldn't choose sandals.

Stares in Feb? I wear shorts, Polo type shirts and tennis shoes year round in SD.

If you have a light parka with a zip out liner - that would suffice for almost anything, or if you had a light poncho - for possible rain - even the liner itself would probably cover almost anything a polar bear such as yourself might encounter.

Then the old - layer up if necessry - throw on a sweater, etc, if needed.

And for your husband - a wool sports coat would probably all you would need - assuming you have a foldup umbrella should it rain, which is unlikely in Vegas - but possible in LA.