22 Rainy Day Outfit Ideas

22 rainy day outfit ideas | what to wear in the rain | how to dress for the rain | the best rain boots | Hunter boots | Sperry Saltwater boots | Blondo waterproof boots | L.L.Bean boots | Cotton Cashmere Cat Hair

I couldn’t let April go by without sharing some rainy day outfit inspiration! Here in Boise, we went almost the entire month of April without any significant rain. It finally rained this past weekend, and we even got a thunderstorm! The surrounding foothills weren’t looking very green, so hopefully that rain was enough to get the grass to grow. I’m already dreading summer/fire season.

I’ve been tracking my wardrobe with Stylebook since 2014, and in that time I’ve worn countless rainy day outfits. The vast majority of them didn’t make the blog. I actually used to be able to tell when exactly I used my umbrella—I put it in my calendar! My grad school colleague asked me once when it last rained and I could easily tell him, haha. Now I use a different umbrella and it’s not in my Stylebook closet.

I grew up constantly cycling through those cheap rain boots from Target. They never lasted for longer than a year. I received a pair of bright yellow Hunter packable tall boots for I think Christmas many years ago and haven’t looked back. They even made the trek to San Francisco when I attended an academic conference, and they cracked while at the conference!!! I was so upset. I still have to fix them so I’ve barely worn them since (and the reason why I didn’t include them in this roundup is because all of the outfits I wore with them were from back when my photos were terrible, hahaha).

Since then, I’ve added more rainy day-appropriate footwear to my wardrobe! I’m currently working on the rainy day-appropriate outerwear; my latest rain jacket addition is Jacket 09 by One Third.

Below, I rounded up 22 past rainy day outfits grouped by the boots I wore, and if you click on each photo you’ll be taken to the original post. I also included shopping widgets after each boot group if you’re in the market to add a pair of rain boots to your wardrobe! (You can hit the heart under the boot of interest to receive a sale alert directly in your inbox.)

Which rainy day outfit is your favorite? What do you typically wear on a rainy day?


Rainy Day Outfit Ideas


L.L. BEAN ORIGINAL DUCK BOOTS

L.L.Bean boots are a classic boot for all kinds of weather! I particularly love to pull them out on rainy days; they’re not quite warm enough for snowy days (and I have snow boots for those). The boots are grippy on the bottom, which is great for me since I tend to slip. I got the navy colorway and obviously love to pair them with navy as well as other earthy colors! I’ve been known to pair them with a few bright colors, too. And of course, they go wonderfully with denim.

HUNTER NAVY ORIGINAL GLOSS CHELSEA BOOTS

I purchased a second pair of Hunter boots, this time in a glossy chelsea boot style. I wanted a pair of boots that were versatile and shorter than the traditional Hunter boot, but I didn’t want to get their “short” style because it seemed like it would have hit me at an awkward point on my legs. I love the glossy finish, and the navy goes with everything, particularly denim. But these boots aren’t the easiest to get on or the comfiest to wear; I have to cover my legs or else they rub my skin. So, they aren’t as versatile as I was hoping they’d be because I can’t wear them in the warmer months with exposed skin. (And my pant legs don’t stay tucked when I try to get around not wearing tall socks!)

BLONDO SYDNEY WATERPROOF BOOTIE

The two most recent pairs of boots in my closet are the Blondo Sydney waterproof bootie and Sperry Saltwater rain boots. The Blondo bootie isn’t inherently a rain boot, but I included it here because it’s waterproof! And suede! I would caution wearing it on slick surfaces since the sole isn’t as grippy as a typical pair of rain boots. That said, I’ve worn them while it was precipitating and you’d never know. They still look the exact same! I sized up a half size and would recommend a full size up if you plan to wear them with thick socks.

SPERRY SALTWATER RAIN BOOTS

I added the Sperry Saltwater rain boots to my wardrobe because they were on sale and I felt like I needed a simple black pair of rain boots. Black goes with everything, and I like the short shaft on my short legs. I now wear these boots the most often out of all of my rain boots because they’re the easiest to slip on and the color goes with everything. These boots feature interior side zippers! Mine have held up well in the year I’ve had them, though of course it was a year that I didn’t get out much!