What to Wear in Miami in February

Pack for a festival month in the most dependable weeks of the dry season, with one weather caveat. NOAA NCEI's normals for Miami International Airport give February 25.7°C by day and 63.2°F at night, with 2.15 inches of rain over 6.5 days; only March has fewer days with rain. On any given February day NOAA's daily normals put the chance of measurable rain at about 21%. The afternoons warm as the month goes on, from a normal high of 76.9°F on the 1st to 79.4°F on the 28th, while 8.8 nights in an average February still drop below 60°F. The caveat is El Niño. NOAA's Climate Prediction Center gave better than 90% odds of a very strong event this winter, and the Weather Service office in Miami says El Niño usually brings cool, wet weather to South Florida. The calendar is crowded. The Miami International Boat Show runs from 10 to 14 February at the Convention Center and four in-water venues, and the 63rd Coconut Grove Arts Festival takes over Regatta Park on Biscayne Bay for Presidents' Day weekend, 13 to 15 February, with Valentine's Day on the Sunday. The South Beach Wine & Food Festival marks its 25th edition from 25 to 28 February. Dress for long days on your feet outdoors and for a dress code at night.

The capsule

1. 
   01

   Blush-pink linen tie-front shirt

   Your daytime colour. Ocean Drive's Art Deco hotel fronts are painted in pastels, and a blush-pink linen shirt belongs on that street. Long sleeves roll down against the midday sun on a walk, and the knotted front sits at the waist of the white skirt without tucking. Worn open over the bikini, it is the beach cover-up too.

2. 
   02

   White knife-pleated midi skirt

   White is the ground every pastel here needs. A knife-pleated cotton midi moves in the breeze off Biscayne Bay at the arts festival, covers the knee for Vizcaya, which asks every visitor to stay fully clothed, and passes Carbone's no-shorts rule the same evening. Pressed pleats come out of a suitcase flatter than a gathered skirt.

3. 
   03

   Mint linen blazer

   For the 8.8 nights in an average February that fall below 60°F, and the dining rooms with the air conditioning up on the rest. A relaxed linen-cotton blazer goes over the navy dress at dinner and over the pink shirt for an evening walk, and mint is the second Art Deco colour after pink. In an El Niño winter, which NWS Miami says usually runs cool here, it is the piece you reach for most.

4. 
   04

   Navy twist-knot sleeveless midi

   Valentine's dinner, Sunday 14 February. Carbone's dress code rules out shorts, open-toed shoes and tank tops, and Joe's Stone Crab turns away beachwear after 4pm; a navy midi with a twist knot at the waist clears both. Cotton-modal jersey packs without creasing and falls to mid-calf. It is the one dark piece in this capsule, so the mint and cream around it look chosen.

5. 
   05

   Hot-pink bandeau bikini

   For the dry afternoons: February brings rain on about 7 days, and the normal high climbs to 79.4°F by the 28th. A knotted bandeau and side-tie bottoms adjust without hardware, and hot pink is the flamingo end of this palette. Keep it for the sand; Vizcaya does not admit bathing suits, and Joe's lists beachwear among the things to skip after 4pm.

6. 
   06

   Cream double-strap sandals, back strap

   Three days of booths at the Coconut Grove Arts Festival, 13 to 15 February, and a Boat Show spread from the Convention Center to Sea Isle Marina, One Herald Plaza, Museum Park Marina and Island Gardens. Two wide bands and a back strap hold your foot on a long walk, and a cork footbed on a jute-wrapped platform keeps you off the hot pavement. The back strap also keeps them off Joe's after-4pm list, which names sliders and flip-flops. Cream sits under white and every pastel.

7. 
   07

   Cream patent pointed pumps

   Closed toes for dinner. Carbone bans open-toed shoes at every table, and a pointed cream patent pump answers that under the navy midi while lengthening the line of the leg. Cream keeps the evening light where black would look like office wear. Take a car to the door: a heel this high is for the room, not for a long walk.

8. 
   08

   Flamingo-pink top-handle mini bag

   Mid-February puts the arts festival, Valentine's dinner and Presidents' Day into one weekend, and the South Beach Wine & Food Festival's 25th edition runs from 25 to 28 February, so one small bag works through all of it. A top handle suits the table, a detachable strap frees your hands at a festival booth, and there is room for a phone, a card and a lipstick. Flamingo pink ties the shirt and the bikini to the navy dress at night.

A suggested look — navy twist-knot midi dress, mint linen blazer, cream patent pointed pumps.

What to avoid

• Open-toed shoes, shorts or tank tops at Carbone — banned by its dress code
• Flip-flops or sliders at Joe's after 4pm — named on its dress code
• Swimwear, mesh or sheer clothing at Vizcaya — not admitted
• High heels on Vizcaya's coral floors and gravel — the museum warns against them
• A cooler or glass bottle on Miami Beach — banned on city beaches all year