What to Wear in Chicago

General Style Tips

Smart business-orientated clothes will carry you through in Chicago for business, sightseeing and for eating out.
Having said that jeans are always popular and will serve as a versatile base to your wardrobe.
The “Windy City” has a great deal to offer the sightseeing visitor. There really is loads to see and do and most of it is best done on foot, so make sure you take comfy footwear for daytime (for total comfort you can't beat Hotter shoes, and they look great too).
Ladies, save your high heels for the evenings.
Everything's a really great buy in Chicago – shopping's brilliant, so don't take up valuable packing space with cosmetics, medicines, books or the like. Buy them there.
Guys should be smartly dressed for business – but make sure your suit's lightweight in the summer months.
Also see What to Wear in USA

The summer months (June, July and August) are hot, and lightweight clothes in natural fibers will work best. A lightweight sundress or shorts would fit the bill perfectly, but be warned the air conditioning can be fierce so take a lightweight jacket or pashmina to throw on.
Don't forget that conditions are arctic if you're visiting in winter – November, December, Janaury, February and March – so you need to be prepared for them. You are well advised to have a very thick, warm coat, plus gloves, a warm hat, scarf and ear muffs are also a very good idea.
Have some versatile shoes with a soft rubber tread to provide you with enough traction not to slip on the ice. It's important that you get soft rubber soles because even medium soles get really hard in the freezing cold. Make sure too that they have large spaces between the tracks, or the snow will get stuck in them and make them very slippery.
We love the Weather+ app – it gives an accurate 6 day forecast for day and night, which when you're planning from home is really helpful. You can keep all the places you've been to too – a nice way to remember your trip 🙂 Download for iPad/iPhone or Android