How to Dress Like a Local in Los Angeles

Visitors to Los Angeles are easy to spot due to certain fashion faux pas. Purchasing the necessary fashion must-haves at home helps visitors blend in and experience the culture like a local. Leaving certain items at home and replacing them with other items is necessary as well.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

For Ladies

1. Carry a purse at all times. Women in Los Angeles carry and wear simple accessories. The purse's size doesn't matter, but it should have a simple style and clean lines. Leave the mom-type purse at home.
2. Wear high heels with your jeans. Los Angeles women dress up casual. Wear close-toed shoes from Labor Day to Easter and open-toed the rest of the year. If you walk a lot, you can wear flats or sherpa-lined boots. Tennis shoes with jeans are unacceptable.
3. Bring a light, form-fitting jacket. Wear it at night and whenever the temperature drops below 65 degrees. Make sure the jacket is a solid color, and pay attention to the seasonal fashion rules for colors.

For Men

4. Carry a wallet or a man-purse instead of a fanny pack or briefcase. Men are allowed to have satchels in Los Angeles. Backpacks are acceptable but reserved for men in their teens and twenties.
5. Buy a button-up shirt, not flannel, and a dark pair of jeans. Wear a white undershirt underneath. Men in Los Angeles consider this casual.
6. Take along a sport jacket for dinners, meetings and cooler temperatures. Wear this with your button-up shirt and jeans.

For Both

7. Wear sunglasses year round. Los Angeles natives and transplants alike wear shades all year, even when it's cloudy outside. If it's raining, bring the shades along with you in case the sun comes out. Pretend you have very sensitive eyes.
8. Cover your legs. Even on warm days, most Los Angeles locals wear jeans, pants or skirts (for women). Wearing shorts is a sure sign of a tourist; skip them unless you're engaged in a recreational activity like hiking or going to the gym.
9. Dress in solid colors. Hawaiian and floral prints scream that you're a tourist. Solid colors never go out of fashion and exude confidence.

Tips & Warnings

• Flip-flops are acceptable only when it's at least 70 degrees out. Locals consider 60 degrees cold. Even if 60 degrees is hot to you, wearing flip-flops at this temperature proves you don't live in Los Angeles.
• Get a pedicure before you wear any open-toed shoes. Pedicures are standard for men and women.
• Avoid white and pastel colors in the winter months. Wear darker colors in the winter and lighter colors in the summer. People who don't follow these rules stick out.