Bundle Up--and Chill Out
A winter chill in L.A. turns warm-weather Angelenos into bundles of winter wear. From the sidewalks of Rodeo Drive to the hustle and bustle of Westwood Boulevard to hip Sunset Boulevard, the winter fashion forecast: denim, sweater coats, scarves and leather--all mixed up.
As temperatures dipped well below 60 degrees, shoppers, students and others layered on shirts, sweaters and coats, which they could peel off in case the midday sun warmed things up and they got a little too toasty.
Many were decked out in the L.A. uniform of black. Adam and Helene Vassos, tourists from Canada, strutted down Rodeo both wearing black on black leather, and sweaters. Helene remarked that many Angelenos wore sweaters and jackets with sandals. So to fit in, she wore her furry bareback mules without stockings.
Michelle Gaston also went for the monotone-look, wearing a long, thick black scarf and a black turtleneck because “it was freezing out.” Should it turn even colder, she also had a pair of gloves in her bag.
Others broke the color monotony with shocks of hot pink or red turtlenecks or scarves. Joyce, a local Beverly Hills shopper, accessorized her beige trench coat with a hot-pink pashmina and a straw hat to protect her hair as well as her skin. “I have a hat on so my hair won’t frizz from this weather,” she said.
In Westwood, stressed-out UCLA students hurried about, dressed mostly in denim. Undergrad student Greta Zambaceviciute accentuated her head-to-toe denim look with a hot-pink turtleneck. Law student Victoria Haje topped her jeans with a chunky turtleneck and a brown suede jacket.
Over on Sunset Plaza, a more relaxed crowd--sweaty and pink from its workout at Crunch fitness center--languished outdoors, drinking coffee and catching a breeze.
Jessica Kamm covered her gymwear with a belted, three-quarter-length red sweater coat (the choice fall cover-up). She completed her outfit, which she described as the “Mary Tyler Moore look,” with a plaid Burberry bag and aviator sunglasses.
Massa Kobayashi, who was having coffee while waiting to catch a matinee, donned a knitted ski hat, colorful thick scarf (which he said measures between 4 to 8 feet), thigh-length coat and light-blue corduroys.
His clothing wasn’t just about warding off the cold. “I’m wearing a hat because I just woke up and wanted to hide my hair.” When prodded about cold-weather fashion, he put it simply, “I don’t think about it.”
