L.A. battles brutal cold!

When it comes to changes in the weather, Southern Californians are notoriously wimpy. A light drizzle all but stops traffic, and gusty winds can keep us housebound on a Saturday night. So it comes as no surprise that when the temperature dips below 60, we dress as though we’re about to scale the north face of Mt. Everest.

Frailty aside, our bundling up is really an excuse to accessorize our little hearts out -- with chic cold-weather pieces we so rarely get to break out. So what if we get a little overheated? This may be our only chance all year to don shearling gloves.

On a recent frigid (59-degree) day, we strolled down two of SoCal’s most popular shopping rows -- Old Town Pasadena and Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica -- and found shoppers wrapped in dramatic scarves, sporting beret-style beanies, knee-high boots and cropped, down parkas with fur-lined hoods.

The sharpest managed to bundle up without going overboard: The look was trim, with enough volume from the scarves and berets to push into more bohemian than preppy territory.