What to Wear in Palm Springs: Mid-Century Resort Chic, Why You Need a Jacket for the Tramway & Desert Gear

If there is one city in America where you can leave black and grey clothes at home and pack bright colours, retro 1960s geometric prints, linen button-downs and flowing kaftans, it is Palm Springs. Known as 'Desert Resort Casual', the dress code transitions effortlessly from poolside cabanas to candlelit courtyard dinners, provided you pack for two surprising desert temperature drops.

Four Essential Packing Rules for Palm Springs

1. Pack a Warm Jacket, Long Trousers & Closed-Toe Shoes for the 2,596m Tramway & Winter Nights. First-time visitors flying to sunny Palm Springs between December and March often pack only shorts and swimsuits, and get caught out twice:
   • Atop the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway (8,516 Feet): the summit is 17°C to 22°C colder than Downtown. When it is 23°C in town in January, the top of the Tram is 0°C to 4°C with snow on the ground. Keep a warm fleece or puffer jacket, long trousers and closed-toe trainers in your boot for your Tramway morning.
   • The 16°C Desert Day-to-Night Drop: dry desert air holds little heat once the sun drops behind Mount San Jacinto in mid-afternoon during winter, so a 25°C afternoon falls to 8°C to 11°C after dark; pack a jumper, denim jacket or blazer for evening patio dinners.
2. Grippy Closed-Toe Trail Trainers + Sunhat for Indian Canyons & Joshua Tree: rangers at Tahquitz Canyon turn visitors away at the trailhead gate if they wear flip-flops, slides or heels, as granite boulders are slippery. Pack trail-running or athletic trainers with solid grip.

3. Desert Dry-Air Kit (Lip Balm, Lotion & Electrolytes): relative humidity in the Coachella Valley sits between 8% and 18%. Pack lip balm, body moisturiser and an insulated water bottle.
4. 2 Swimsuits + Colourful 'Resort Chic' Evening Wear: for dinner at Bar Cecil, Workshop, Tac/Quila, Mr. Lyons or Melvyn's, men wear patterned short-sleeve button-downs or linen shirts with chinos or tailored shorts and loafers; women wear colourful sundresses, jumpsuits or kaftans with sandals. Check seasonal weather.