San Francisco this week.. what to pack? Are sandals appropriate??

PixieGirl

Member
Nov 13, 2007
681
1
I searched the forum but did not find any advice of what to wear. I know its around 65 degrees or so for the highs this week but I am unsure how to wear "summery" items without freezing. The only warm clothes I have are black dresses and black leather jackets, black trench coat, etc... I own 1 pair of white converse and lots of sandals and heels. All of my cute spring boots are packed away in another state.

If you could give me an example outfit for dinner and for day time shopping itd be great. Are black tights under dresses too dark for summer?
 
Great post! I'm going to SF in about a month and have never been to Cali before. So I would love to read the suggestions, too :smile: I'm so used to Virginia humidity I don't know what to do in other climates!
 
I think that in the Travel subsection, there have been posts that cover the same topic. I went in May and packed layers, which were perfect. I think it would be a good idea to bring shoes other than sandals just in case.
 
Hello!!! Welcome to our City!

A few things to know...

-SF is a walking City... if you are comfortable wearing sandals.. this week will be in the rare 80's.
- SF has micro climates... it will be foggy or chilly in the morning and evenings but heat up during the day on nice days, bring layers...lots and lots of layers.
-Never go out at night without some sort of jacket, sweater, etc... regardless of what you 'think' the weather will be... it will eventually be COLD!

Have fun!!!!
 
Hello!!! Welcome to our City!

A few things to know...

-SF is a walking City... if you are comfortable wearing sandals.. this week will be in the rare 80's.
- SF has micro climates... it will be foggy or chilly in the morning and evenings but heat up during the day on nice days, bring layers...lots and lots of layers.
-Never go out at night without some sort of jacket, sweater, etc... regardless of what you 'think' the weather will be... it will eventually be COLD!

Have fun!!!!

It will be in the 80s?? The weather online says a high of 67 degrees this week/weekend.

Ah I have about 4 different jackets packed! I am just having trouble deciding on nice clothes to go to dinner with.
 
woo! you're coming to piggy paradise! \(^(oo)^)/

literally *just* walked in the door from the airport, but saw this thread and had to say hello~ i'll come back with a more fulsome post later tonight (^(oo)~)
 
It will definitely not get up to the 80s in the city this weekend, that's for darn sure! Perhaps in the surrounding suburbs, but not in the city proper. It will get into the upper 60s later this week, but no higher than that. It was a beautiful day today (sunny, low-mid 60s), but I still had to go about my business in my usual SF-summer attire of jeans a long-sleeved shirt, and a light jacket.

Pixiegirl -- for evenings out, you could probably get by with bare legs but be prepared to be a little chilly. You will for sure need a spring or fall-weight coat for evenings, though. I'm actually going out for dinner and a show this weekend, and I plan to wear a knee-length dress (no stockings), heels, and my Burberry trench. HTH!

And as others have said, come prepared with layers! Mornings and evenings are usually punctuated by a chilly fog rolling in. And when you add wind to that, BRRRRR!!!
 
Layers are a must. And I recommend a lightweight pair of jeans instead of shorts, but that depends on how warm/cold you tend to get. Morning gets cold and foggy and nights can get real windy and chilly at times. Afternoons are decent though, but can get windy as well. If your hair is long or gets in your face, keep a hair tie or hair pick with you so your glossed lips don't trap your hair.

As for dinner clothes, it depends on where you go to eat.

I only go to jacket required places for special occasions so usually dinners for me are casual to mildly dressy. Usually bare legs with a hint of bronzing lotion does well for me 90% of the time. But if your legs tend to get cold you might want to opt for a longer dress for even dressy pants. And if you're not going to wear a coat then please at least bring a shawl or wrap of some sort to keep you warm.

If you're looking for something to wow over a crowd Herve Leger in Westfield SF Shopping Center is having a 60% off sale...... not saying that you should leave with empty suitcases and just buy your wardrobe as you go, but I find it easier to bring basics with me and buy clothes when I get to a destination since I usually have terrible luck packing appropriately.
 
It gets warmer towards the downtown (center of the city) but once you're anywhere near the coastline to the west or even near the Bay, it gets foggy, misty, gloomy and cold. There's a stark contrast with just a difference of a half mile, so pack in layers. Also consider that when it gets warm, it gets WARM because a lot of the older buildings don't have air conditioning so you can find yourself roasting in some boutique or indie coffee shop.

There's an old quote that goes ""The coldest winter I ever saw was the summer I spent in San Francisco." People attribute it to Mark Twain, but it's not authenticated. What is right about it is that it's FREEZING in San Francisco during the summer. It's the hot air inland mixing with the cold air from the Pacific Ocean, which leads to never ending fog and low temperatures. When you get away from the ocean, it gets warmer but then you find yourself at the Bay which can lead to wonky weather anyways. If you're going to the East, North or South Bay, temperatures are more consistent (typically California summer weather, relatively dry, warm and sunny). It's the city that will drive you crazy.

So, yes pack in layers. I would suggest a sleeveless top, cardigan and lightweight jacket for shopping. Think that if you shed layers, you have to carry it around. Jeans or leggings would be good, short shorts or miniskirts at this time of year would be a bad idea. Day dress or long skirts around knee length might be okay if you're a trooper and don't mind drafty knees, but then again it might be a good idea if it really does warm up this weekend.

As for shoes, close toe flats or boots would probably serve you better. I went to SF in late June and wore gladiator sandals and my toes nearly froze off at times. It's hilarious because I lived in SF for 4 years, so I should have known better!

I think black for nighttime is fine for summer. Wear a shawl, jacket or thicker cardigan, it gets cold EVERYWHERE at night. Pumps would probably be better to keep your feet sane compared to strappy sandals.

No matter where you go, unless you do valet you'll be hard pressed to find parking right next to where you plan on going (shopping, dining, whatever). So be prepared to walk a couple blocks from your car to the destination, so no "these are my car -> sit down dinner shoes!". Comfort is key in San Francisco. Not even considering the hills, sometimes there are no sidewalks, there are a few construction sites downtown and the road quality is kind of shoddy.

Have fun!
 
OP, sorry for not getting back to you in time, but I figured I'd post a few pics anyway in case others have the same question - and, if you're in need of other clothes, just head over to Union Square - piggy's stomping grounds - for lots of shopping options, especially around the corner of Stockton & Geary, where Neiman Marcus is located! They're open until 8pm Thursday. 2 blocks away are Nordstrom's Bloomingdale's which is open until 9pm (^(oo)^)v

recent day outfit (this was worn with one of my trusty leather jackets ;))
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here's a couple with the jackets still on:
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here's a day-to-night outfit that i wore for afternoon shopping, followed by a cocktails fundraiser & dinner with a girlfriend - again, there was a leather jacket that went with this
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