What to Wear in Honolulu in December

Dress for the edges of the day. NOAA's normals for Honolulu airport give December 81.8°F by day and 20.7°C at night, with 55mm of rain over about 9 days, and the month's three set pieces fall in its coolest hours. The Honolulu Marathon starts at 5am on Sunday 13 December, two hours before sunrise. Its organisers say "temperatures at the start are generally in the mid-60s (Fahrenheit) and climb to the low 80s (Fahrenheit) by 10 AM", and they run no clothing check at the start. The National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Ceremony begins at 7:30am on Monday 7 December, the 85th anniversary, under a Park Service rule that admits clear bags only. City Lights switches on at about 6pm on the 5th, just after sunset. Pack a layer you can shed and carry, and a bag you can see through.

The capsule

1. 
   01

   Clear crossbody, tan leather trim

   Pearl Harbor National Memorial bans bags that hide their contents, and the National Park Service's list names "purses, handbags, backpacks, fanny packs, camera bags". Clear bags are allowed, "similar to those allowed at football games". A clear crossbody clears the gate on 7 December, carries water and sunscreen, and skips the paid storage desk outside the main gate.

2. 
   02

   Taupe satin cropped windbreaker

   At 5am on 13 December the marathon start on Ala Moana Boulevard sits in the mid-60s Fahrenheit, and the organisers run no clothing check there: anything left behind is donated. A cropped satin windbreaker takes the edge off the wait for a 7am sunrise, then ties round your waist once the course reaches the low 80s by ten. If you are there to cheer, the same jacket covers the dark hour on the kerb.

3. 
   03

   Navy sleeveless twist-front knee dress

   Wear it to the National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Ceremony at 7:30am on 7 December, the 85th anniversary of the attack. Navy is a quiet colour for a remembrance. A knee-length twist front stays neat through a seated ceremony, and the sleeveless cut is right for 82°F by late morning, once the linen shirt comes off.

4. 
   04

   Warm-white linen shirt, fine pale blue pinstripe

   The Park Service's advice for the memorial is short: "Be sure to bring sun protection, water, and comfortable clothing, as many exhibits are outdoors." Long linen sleeves over the navy dress are that protection, open on the walk between exhibits and rolled down when the sun climbs. On a free afternoon it goes with the ink trousers.

5. 
   05

   Reverse-print aloha shirt, faded indigo on sand

   Kahala, founded in Honolulu in 1936, says printing on the back of the cloth "produced a more subdued effect, which soon became a favorite of local businessmen". That muted face is the shirt for City Lights at Honolulu Hale on 5 December and a dinner downtown afterwards. Short sleeves suit a 21°C / 70°F night, and a camp collar sits open without looking unfinished.

6. 
   06

   Ink navy pleated wide-leg trousers

   Long trousers for the evenings. The Electric Light Parade steps off along King Street at about 6pm, and after it you walk the Civic Center grounds, open until 10pm through December. A wide pleated leg moves air in the humidity, and ink navy picks up the indigo in the aloha print.

7. 
   07

   White leather low-top sneakers

   Waiting for a runner means a morning on your feet: the marathon finishes in Kapiʻolani Park, and the organisers keep the line open until the last person crosses. White leather low-tops handle that, the Pearl Harbor grounds and the Civic Center lawns, and wipe clean after a passing shower.

8. 
   08

   Cream cotton cap

   By ten the marathon course is in the low 80s Fahrenheit, and a cap keeps the sun off your face while you watch the road. It belongs on the North Shore too, where the Lexus Pipe Masters holds its waiting period from 8 to 20 December, and in a beach crowd a cap takes less room than a brim.

A suggested look — navy twist-front knee dress, white pinstripe linen shirt, white leather sneakers, cream cap.

What to avoid

• A backpack, handbag or camera bag at Pearl Harbor — clear bags and small clutches only
• A jacket you can't carry — no clothing check at the marathon start
• Heavy layers — the normal December low is 20.7°C
• Pearl Harbor or Diamond Head on 25 December — both close
• A North Shore swim in high surf — Ocean Safety says stay out