What to Wear in Mumbai in January

Plan January around its third week. Makar Sankranti falls on Thursday 14 January, the day Mumbai Gallery Weekend opens four days of exhibitions, and the Tata Mumbai Marathon closes the week on Sunday 17 January. The organiser's history page puts it plainly: "Every third Sunday of January, thousands of runners from India and across the globe gather on the streets of Mumbai". IMD's normal for Colaba makes January the coolest month, 30.2°C by day and 19.4°C at night, and Santacruz, the airport station, falls to 16.9°C. Pack cotton in white, mustard and fuchsia for the galleries, and an indigo khadi jacket for a 5am start.

The capsule

1. 
   01

   Indigo khadi jacket, band collar

   Your layer for Sunday 17 January. The marathon's start waves go "from 5 a.m. onwards", more than two hours before a 7:15am sunrise, in the month IMD's normal makes Mumbai's coolest: nights fall to 19.4°C at Colaba and 16.9°C at Santacruz. Khadi suits it. The Khadi and Village Industries Commission, headquartered at Vile Parle, calls the cloth "Warm in Winter, Cool in Summer".

2. 
   02

   White cotton button-down

   Mumbai Gallery Weekend keeps its galleries open from noon to 8pm, Thursday to Sunday, and this shirt covers the whole stretch. Roll the sleeves for a 30.2°C walk between rooms and bring them down after a 6:21pm sunset. White sits under the indigo jacket at dawn on marathon Sunday and over the fuchsia skirt by afternoon.

3. 
   03

   Mustard cotton top, elbow sleeves

   Your colour for Thursday 14 January, when Makar Sankranti and the first day of Gallery Weekend fall together. Maharashtra Tourism describes the festival in the state: "women host haldi-kumkum ceremonies, children enjoy colorful kite festivals, and families come together for delicious feasts." Elbow sleeves cover the shoulder, and cotton suits a 30.2°C afternoon at 70% humidity.

4. 
   04

   Fuchsia cotton midi skirt

   For the openings. Mumbai Gallery Weekend calls itself "A four day art weekend with exhibitions by the leading art galleries in Mumbai", and four afternoons in and out of galleries suit a skirt that moves. A gathered cotton midi to mid-calf stays cool at 30.2°C, covers the knee, and takes the white shirt or the mustard top.

5. 
   05

   Cream wide-leg jeans

   For marathon morning at the roadside. Denim shrugs off a kerb or a railing, cream keeps it light under the indigo jacket in the dark, and the wide leg lets air through once the afternoon climbs to 30.2°C. With 0.6mm of rain in an average January at Colaba, a pale hem stays clean on the way to a gallery at noon.

6. 
   06

   Cream lace-up sneakers

   Marathon Sunday is a morning on your feet. Start waves leave from 5am, the start line closes at 5:30am, and the organiser tells runners to plan "keeping in mind long queues to enter the event venue gates". Laced sneakers with a cushioned sole carry you through the wait and on to the last day of Gallery Weekend, which opens at noon.

7. 
   07

   Dark brown leather backless slippers

   The dressier shoe for gallery evenings. A closed toe and an open back slip on after a morning in sneakers, and dark brown leather goes with fuchsia, mustard and cream alike. Galleries stay open until 8pm, well after a 6:21pm mid-month sunset, and with 0.1 rainy days at Colaba in January, leather soles are safe all week.

8. 
   08

   Ochre suede camera crossbody

   Hands free for a week of three events. A zip top keeps your phone and cash shut in a marathon crowd, and the strap stays across your body from a 5am start to an 8pm gallery close. Ochre suede picks up the mustard top and sits easily with indigo, and in a month with 0.6mm of rain, suede is safe.

A suggested look — indigo khadi jacket, white cotton button-down shirt, cream wide-leg jeans, cream lace-up sneakers.

What to avoid

• Colaba's 19.4°C low for a 5am start from the suburbs
• A race place you have not already secured
• Galleries before noon
• Rain gear for 0.1 rainy days
• Treating 14 January as a confirmed Mumbai holiday