Olivia Russo
LV Life Editor
While most of the country is ready to bring out their chunky knit sweaters and long coats, the people of Southern California do not make the same clothes transition when it comes to the winter months.
Recently the Climate Prediction Center, a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, shared that Southern California will have slightly above-average temperatures. This means it may be harder for fashion lovers to fully embrace the furs and knits of winter, but the true divas know their way around.
Even though Southern California has a good climate year round, which is wonderful, fashionistas could still struggle using everything they have in their closet. The need for coats and thick tops, or even long johns, is lost on those in Southern California. Many want to bring out their chunky wool sweater but do not want to end up sweating by the afternoon.
Instead, people have been able to use those staple winter pieces like boots, but pair them with articles of clothing that make the outfit comfortable to wear for the winter months.
“I try to dress more warm on the top and then cooler on the bottom, because I run hot on the bottom,” Kira Annis, senior biology major, said. “So I wear coats and then scarves and long sleeves, but I’ll still be wearing a mini skirt. I feel like for me, because I can’t dress cute when I go back home, I feel a little more free here.”
Annis is originally from Maryland, so she was able to compare an East Coast winter that features a lot of snow and freezing temperatures to a West Coast winter where the snow mainly stays on the mountaintops.
“I can utilize my closet more because most of the time,” Annis said. “Like when I first came here I put away all my summer clothes and had my winter clothes out and then I was doomed and dying from the heat.”
Like Annis, most people living in the area will use their closet year round, which is an advantage that most others in the country do not have. For others, the California heat is all they know, and they have grown accustomed to dressing for the weather.
“I could wear a crewneck and baggy pants and go about my day because that’s my style,” Ahsha Jones, senior psychology major, said. “I feel like I get free range to not only explore my own style, but also go outside of the box…and I think that’s so inherent to California. We have an interesting climate that not only allows us to wear winter clothes but I think our winter is an imitation of everybody else’s.”
Jones also credits her love of baggy clothes to her family upbringing. She grew up with two older brothers, so most of her clothes were handed down from them, and she did not get to grow her personal style until she started college.
“I’m used to covering my body, so wintertime is my time to shine; literally my favorite season,” Jones said. “I’ll start layering…You get to touch elements that I feel like you don’t really get to during the summer or spring.”
Jones and Annis, both shared that their styles come from a result of their home life but also how they want to be perceived by others, and breaking the boundaries that their family backgrounds placed on them. Other students have similar beliefs, understanding that their clothes and accessories can be inherently political by just who is wearing it, regardless of the season.
“The way I’m dressing right now, some people who are outsiders will probably assume the stereotype of gangster or cholo…,” Jesus Velazquez, junior English major, said. “So I do that for importance, especially in the cold weather. You’ll still see me covered up but still dressing like that to make a statement of how people who look like me can be here at a private university.”
Velazquez uses the importance of clothing to challenge the norm and expectations of how Latino men dress.
“I try my best to not encourage the stereotype but rewrite it,” Velazquez said.
With the wintertime, the temperature may not reach a typical winter that everyone knows, so locals need to find their way around that. When it does reach that California cold – in everything but the actual temperature – many of them turn to layering. They will pair their mini skirt with a hoodie or put a vest over their shirt to insulate themselves in a small way. With these temperatures also reaching a high in the afternoon, having a layer makes it easier to adjust.
Other locals are committed to the clothes they are wearing over what the weather forecast prepares them for.
“In general, for winter, I don’t try to accommodate,” Janira Hernandez, senior creative major said. “When I do, I like to layer my tights, wear long boots and some really warm socks…I make everything work for the weather, if I don’t have long sleeves, I’ll layer a tank top with a sheer long sleeve because that’s all I have.”
Olivia Russo can be reached at olivia.russo@laverne.edu.
Olivia Russo is a senior journalism major with a concentration in print/online journalism and a minor in criminology. She is the Editor-in-Chief for the Campus Times for Spring 2026. She has previously served as the News Editor, LV Life Editor, a photographer and a staff writer for the Campus Times, as well as a staff writer and photographer for La Verne Magazine.
Mia Byington is a senior photography major with a minor in marketing. She is a staff photographer for the Campus Times and La Verne Magazine.
