What to wear in 80 °F weather
80 °F (26.7 °C) is hot for most people. The figure is dressed for a dry 80 °F day; shuffle for more ideas, or set the weather to match your forecast.
Drag to turn · tap a piece to change it · Space shuffles · L locks
Today’s look
Sage T-shirt, white jeans and white sandals
Casual, right for 80 °F.
Why this works
- The sage T-shirt is the one colour; everything else is calm, so it stands out without competing.Less sure · ConventionSchloss & Palmer (2011)
- The white jeans against the sage T-shirt give a clear light-and-dark contrast, which people tend to like.ResearchSchloss & Palmer (2011)
- Light pieces for 80 °F, about as much as people typically wear at that temperature.StandardHavenith et al. (2012)
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 80 °F
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 80 °F (26.7 °C) that is 0.35 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 + sandals 0.02 + underwear 0.04 = 0.38. ISO 9920 turns the sum into the outfit’s insulation: 0.161 + 0.835 × 0.38 = 0.48 clo, 0.13 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 80 °F
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 65 °F (18 °C) | 0.81 | 0.52 | T-shirt, jeans and a denim jacket (0.75) |
| 70 °F (21 °C) | 0.67 | 0.50 | Shirt, jeans and loafers (0.64) |
| 75 °F (24 °C) | 0.52 | 0.48 | T-shirt, chinos and sneakers (0.42) |
| 80 °F (27 °C) | 0.35 | 0.46 | T-shirt, shorts and sneakers (0.36) |
| 85 °F (29 °C) | 0.30 | 0.46 | Tank top, shorts and sandals (0.33) |
| 90 °F (32 °C) | 0.30 | 0.46 | Tank top, shorts and sandals (0.33) |
| 95 °F (35 °C) | 0.30 | 0.46 | Tank top, shorts and sandals (0.33) |
Less clothing, and looser
Around 80 °F the outdoor clothing model nears its lower limit: it suggests about 0.35 clo, a T-shirt with shorts or a light skirt. The engine’s look here is 0.48 clo, a little on the warm side, so swap to shorts if you will be outside all day.
Indoors the picture flips. The office model expects about 0.46 clo at this temperature, more than outdoors, because air conditioning keeps rooms cool. Carry a thin layer.
Colour matters less than you think
White is not automatically cooler. A well-known study found that black robes did not leave people hotter than white ones in the desert, because loose cloth lets air flow and carry heat away. Fit and fabric, loose linen or cotton, matter more than colour.
Sun matters a lot at 80 °F. When the UV index is 3 or more, the World Health Organization recommends sun protection, and the tool suggests a hat or sunglasses when the forecast says so.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I wear jeans in 80 degree weather?
You can, but most people are cooler in shorts, linen trousers or a skirt. If you wear jeans, choose a light, loose pair.
Is black hotter to wear at 80 °F?
It absorbs more sunlight, but in loose clothing the difference is smaller than people expect. Looseness and breathable fabric matter more.
What should I wear to work at 80 °F?
Breathable shirts or blouses and light trousers or skirts, with a thin layer for air-conditioned rooms.
What shoes are best at 80 degrees?
Sandals, canvas sneakers or loafers without heavy socks. Leave boots for cooler weather.