JSLALALAND

BEFORE YOU LAND

One suitcase, one week of LA outfits

The #1 LA packing mistake is thinking it's summer all year. The answer is always layers plus a jacket: 12 pieces and 3 pairs of shoes in one suitcase, from a Santa Monica stroll to a nice dinner on your last night.

Translated from Jasmine’s original Chinese. The illustrated slides are on the interactive reader.

Key points

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  1. LA's three dressing rules

    Layers (tank + shirt or knit + jacket), everything mixes and matches (pick 2–3 colors), plus one outfit for a nice restaurant. LA swings a lot between morning and night, the AC is strong, and the beach and inland can be more than 10°C (18°F) apart.

  2. Packing list: 12 pieces

    5 tops (white tee, black tee, tank, linen or cotton shirt, knit), 3 bottoms (straight-leg jeans, wide-leg pants, shorts or a skirt), 2 jackets, 1 dress, 1 matching workout set.

  3. Shoes and accessories

    3 pairs is plenty: comfy walking sneakers, flip-flops or sandals, and flats or loafers for the evening. Sunglasses are a must, plus a baseball cap, a tote + a small bag, and a swimsuit too, since hotels have pools.

  4. Day 1 | Land, stroll Santa Monica

    White tee + straight-leg jeans + sneakers + a light jacket + sunglasses. Fly in your workout set for comfort, switch into this after landing and head straight out.

  5. Day 2 | Sunset at Griffith Observatory

    Tank + knit + wide-leg pants + sneakers. It gets cool up the hill at night, so keep a hoodie in your bag.

  6. Day 3 | Museum day (the Getty or The Broad)

    Linen shirt + straight-leg jeans + flats + a tote. The AC in museums is strong, so bring a light jacket, no exceptions.

  7. Day 4 | Hike + brunch

    Matching workout set + a hoodie + a baseball cap + sneakers.

  8. Day 5 | The beach in Malibu

    A dress + sandals + sunglasses + a straw hat or cap, with a swimsuit, sunscreen and a light jacket in your bag.

  9. Day 6 | Shopping (Melrose, Abbot Kinney)

    Black tee + shorts or a skirt + sneakers + a small bag. Leave room in your suitcase, because you will buy stuff.

  10. Day 7 | Last night, a nicer dinner

    A dress, or a tank + wide-leg pants + a blazer, with flats and gold earrings. Last night, wear your favorite outfit.

  11. Adjusting for the season

    Winter (Dec–Feb): add a heavier jacket (nights get down to about 10°C / 50°F) and a small umbrella; May–June is May Gray and June Gloom, chilly beach mornings; July–September the inland is hot, so pack more tanks and extra sunscreen.

  12. What not to bring

    Overly formal clothes, high heels (you'll still walk from the parking lot to the restaurant), too many shoes, a raincoat (in rainy season a small umbrella is enough). In LA, comfortable beats cute, but ideally you get both.

  13. Packing tips

    Rolling saves more space than folding and keeps things wrinkle-free; stuff socks into shoes, liquids over 100 ml go in checked bags, and bring a foldable bag for everything you'll buy on the way home.

  14. Two-city mirror

    For Taipei, your suitcase needs an umbrella and light clothes; for LA, a jacket and sunglasses. What you pack isn't clothes; it's who you want to be in that city.

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An original JSLALALAND field guide by Jasmine Chang (@jslalaland).