THE BEST DEFENSE : Dressing for the Stadium’s Sun and Shade

Tickets in hand, snacks packed--all you need now is your date, right? Not quite. What you wear to a game at the L.A. Coliseum depends on where you sit. The north side (sections 18 through 27) is warm and sunny, the south side (2 through 11) cool and shady. Think of clothes to peel off or pile on--such as the snowflake-pattern sweater, $120, matching-print polo shirt, $38, and fuchsia stirrup pants, $42. All are by Adrienne Vittadini, at Nordstrom.

As a dressier solution to shady-side seats, Clifford Olson shows a suede tunic, hand-painted by Julia Arrias, $490, at Mr. Frank. It’s worn with purple ski pants, by Freego, $50, and a purple sweater--tied muffler style--by Sofia and Anne, $125. Pants and sweater are available at Melons.

Gloria Vanderbilt’s ruby-red, fake-fur coat, $109, is an ‘80s version of grandpa’s raccoon wrap--for day or night, football games or fancy balls. Here, it’s worn stadium-style, with an oversize black-and-white sweater, $60, and black stirrup pants, $36, by Esprit. All available at the Broadway.

Binoculars in hand, one spectator sports a cotton, tone-on-tone print shirt by Moustache, $40, with suspendered, khaki-green pants by Generra, $38, all available at Nordstrom. A perfect outfit for the sunny side of the stadium on typical warm fall days.

Above, a black cotton-knit jacket by Necessary Objects, $38, tops a bulky knit pullover in black, white and blue by Hastings and Smith, $38, and a citrus-yellow, man-tailored shirt with a satin finish by Ellie’s Matches, $48, all available at Bullock’s. Left, for longer layers, the lavender and black cotton coat, $120, and oversize pullover top in matching colors, $60, are worn with black stirrup pants, $44, all by Ton Sur Ton, available at Bullock’s. STYLED BY ERIN DONLEY HAIR AND MAKEUP BY NADIA TARICCO FOR CLOUTIER