What to wear in 20 °C
20 °C (68 °F) is a pleasant warm day for most people. The figure is dressed for a dry 20 °C day; shuffle for more, or lock a piece you love.
Drag to turn · tap a piece to change it · Space shuffles · L locks
Today’s look
Lavender T-shirt, dark denim jeans and cream sneakers, with a light denim jacket
Casual, right for 20 °C.
Why this works
- The lavender T-shirt is the one colour; everything else is calm, so it stands out without competing.Less sure · ConventionSchloss & Palmer (2011)
- At 20 °C, the light denim jacket handles the time outside and comes off indoors, where the lavender T-shirt keeps you comfortable.StandardSchiavon & Lee (2013)
- Dark denim works like a neutral here, so it goes with almost anything.Less sure · ConventionStylist convention
Or try
Wearing this today?
Log it, and the picks rotate what you wear.
How this works: Method, 7 sources,
How this works
Method
With no wardrobe it builds a look from colour schemes; with yours it picks from what you own, leaving out pieces archived, in the wash or worn recently. A pick must suit the occasion and the weather, then it is scored on colour harmony (the Ou–Luo model and scheme rules, in OKLab), light against dark, warmth (garment insulation summed as in ISO 9920, against the UTCI clothing model), formality and rotation. The same day and wardrobe give the same pick until you shuffle.
Sources
- Ou, L.-C. & Luo, M. R., "A colour harmony model for two-colour combinations", Color Research & Application 31(3) (2006)
- Schloss, K. B. & Palmer, S. E., "Aesthetic response to color combinations", Attention, Perception & Psychophysics 73(2) (2011)
- Ottosson, B., "A perceptual color space for image processing" (OKLab) (2020)
- ISO 9920, Ergonomics of the thermal environment: estimation of thermal insulation of a clothing ensemble
- ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 55, Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy (garment insulation table)
- Havenith, G. et al., "The UTCI-clothing model", International Journal of Biometeorology 56(3) (2012)
- MET Norway, Locationforecast 2.0 (weather data, CC BY 4.0)
Changes
- Added 21 pages: what colours go with navy, black, grey, beige, olive, burgundy, brown, white, denim and pink (each table from the engine), and what to wear from 40 to 80 °F and 5 to 25 °C.
- First published.
How warm the figure’s outfit is at 20 °C
The target. The UTCI clothing model gives the insulation people typically wear outdoors at an air temperature T in °C: 1.372 − 0.01866·T − 0.0004849·T² − 0.000009333·T³. At 20 °C (68 °F) that is 0.73 clo. One clo is a unit of clothing insulation.
The outfit. The figure’s garments, with their single-garment values: t-shirt 0.08 + jeans 0.24 + denim jacket 0.30 + sneakers 0.02 + underwear 0.04 + ankle socks 0.02 = 0.70. ISO 9920 turns the sum into the outfit’s insulation: 0.161 + 0.835 × 0.70 = 0.75 clo, 0.02 above the target.
The tool counts an outfit as right for the weather when it is within about a third of a clo below or four tenths above the target. Values for coats and jackets are estimates; the rest come from the ASHRAE 55 garment table.
How much to wear around 20 °C
Clothing insulation in clo: outdoors from the UTCI clothing model, indoors from the office model (Schiavon & Lee), with a typical outfit near the outdoor figure.
| Temperature | Outdoors | Indoors | About this warm |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 °C (57 °F) | 0.99 | 0.55 | Shirt, jeans and a leather jacket (1.04) |
| 16 °C (61 °F) | 0.91 | 0.54 | Shirt, jeans and a leather jacket (1.04) |
| 18 °C (64 °F) | 0.82 | 0.52 | T-shirt, jeans and a denim jacket (0.75) |
| 20 °C (68 °F) | 0.73 | 0.51 | T-shirt, jeans and a denim jacket (0.75) |
| 22 °C (72 °F) | 0.63 | 0.49 | Shirt, jeans and loafers (0.64) |
| 24 °C (75 °F) | 0.52 | 0.48 | T-shirt, chinos and sneakers (0.42) |
| 26 °C (79 °F) | 0.40 | 0.46 | T-shirt, chinos and sneakers (0.42) |
Short sleeves and something light
The outdoor model suggests about 0.73 clo at 20 °C: a T-shirt with jeans or light trousers, and a thin layer if you will be out late. The look above is 0.75 clo.
Indoors, 20 °C outside means little heating or cooling in most buildings, so the outfit you walk in is the one you sit in. Choose a top you are happy to keep on all day.
Holiday packing at 20 °C
For a trip where the forecast says 20 °C, pack mostly short-sleeve tops, one pair of jeans or trousers, one lighter bottom, and one layer that goes with everything, such as a denim jacket or a neutral cardigan.
Lock that layer in the tool and shuffle: it builds looks around it, which is a quick way to check one jacket covers the whole trip.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 20 degrees Celsius hot?
Warm and comfortable for most people. In strong sun it can feel hot.
Can I wear shorts at 20 °C?
Yes. Many people wear shorts or a skirt at 20 °C, especially in the sun.
Do I need a jacket at 20 °C?
Not during the day. Carry a light one for the evening or a breeze.
What should I wear at 20 °C at night?
The same outfit plus a light layer: a denim jacket, cardigan or sweatshirt.