What to Wear in St. Barths: Beach Clubs, Dinner and New Year's Eve

What to wear in St. Barths comes down to warm days, warm nights and a steady breeze. Météo-France's averages for December put highs near 84°F and lows near 75°F, and December and January are the island's windiest months. Pack swimsuits you can lunch in under a kaftan, linen for Gustavia by day, silk or crochet for dinner, flat sandals that stay on over sand and hills, a hat that ties or folds, and one party look for New Year's Eve on the harbor.

Below: the winter weather and what it means for your suitcase, what to wear for beach clubs, town, dinner, boats and New Year's Eve, and a seven-night St. Barts packing list that fits a small plane's luggage allowance, with resort wear from Pucci, Alaïa, Zimmermann, Loro Piana and more.

What to wear in St. Barths: the winter weather

Météo-France keeps a weather station on the island, and its 1991–2020 climate record for St. Barthélemy describes a remarkably even season. From December through March, average highs sit in the low to mid-80s Fahrenheit and average lows in the mid-70s, so the evening outfit needs little more warmth than the lunch one. December and January are the windiest months of the year, and October and November the wettest. Three things follow for packing.

• You will not need a coat. Nights stay warm all winter. One light layer (a cashmere-silk cardigan or a linen shirt) covers air-conditioning and evenings on the water.
• Plan for wind. In the same record, an average January brings about 13 days with gusts above 35 mph, strong enough to lift a wide brim or a full skirt. Choose hats that tie or fold, and dresses with some weight or a close fit; the lightest chiffon ends up around your neck.
• Pack for showers, not a rainy season. Rain falls often in winter but in small amounts, so a packable layer is enough. A November trip, early in the season and in one of the two wettest months, calls for one extra quick-drying outfit.

Beach days and beach clubs: swimsuits and cover-ups

If your beach day includes lunch at a beach club, pack swimwear that can go to the table. A one-piece with structure (a strapless, a halter, a bustier or a knotted shoulder) doubles as a bodysuit under wide-leg linen trousers or a sarong, which means you can walk from the lounger to lunch without changing. Keep bikinis for the lounger and the boat.

Then pack two cover-ups with different jobs. A kaftan is the one you sit down to lunch in: silk twill or linen-silk, with enough length that it reads as a dress. A sarong or paréo is the one you tie on for the walk from the sand and take off again at the water. Pucci's silk kaftans, printed with the house's graphic patterns, are the lunch-to-sunset option; Alaïa's white linen-silk kaftan is the quiet one.

• Lunch in a swimsuit: a golden yellow knotted one-piece, ivory wide-leg linen trousers, flat gold sandals and a raffia basket bag.
• Black and ivory: a two-tone bustier one-piece with ivory drawstring linen trousers and braided gold thong sandals; at the table it reads as a top.
• White on white: a white one-piece under a white linen-silk kaftan, with tortoiseshell sunglasses.
• Print and black: a black halter one-piece with a printed silk twill kaftan and a black raffia tote.

For more, see our edit of the 25 best swimsuits of the year, or browse all designer swimwear.

Kaftans and sarongs, from Pucci's silk twill to Missoni's zigzag lamé, are also in our full edit of designer kaftans.

What to wear in Gustavia by day

Gustavia, the capital, wraps around its harbor, with boutiques and restaurants along narrow streets, and a day there means walking in the heat. Dress in linen, cotton and silk, which breathe, and cut them loose: a wide-leg trouser moves air where a slim one traps it. It is also good manners to cover up when you leave the beach for town, even if nobody will ask you to.

• The shirt and trouser: a white linen shirt, ivory wide-leg linen trousers, flat strappy sandals and a straw bucket hat.
• The day dress: a floral linen maxi with espadrilles and a raffia basket.
• Khaki and white: a belted linen-silk midi, flat thong sandals and wraparound gold sunglasses.
• Periwinkle and white: flared linen crêpe trousers with an oversized white linen shirt, tucked at the front.

If the plan is Colombier, dress for the approach. The island's tourism board notes that Colombier beach is reached either by a hiking trail or by sea, so either wear sneakers or sturdy strapped sandals for the trail, with your swimsuit under a shirt dress, or read the boat-day advice below.

Dinner in St. Barths: silk, crochet and caftans

Evenings stay warm (the average low in December is about 75°F) and often breezy, so the best dinner fabrics are light but not flimsy. A silk slip dress moves with the wind rather than against it. Crochet and open knits breathe and hold their shape. A caftan in georgette or lace is the most comfortable way to dress up here. Keep a light layer in your bag for air-conditioned rooms and the ride home.

Some dinners turn into dancing. One request our AI stylist has received asked for exactly that: "A party in St Barths with an 80s theme — dinner-party-into-dancing outfit." Plan for it even without a theme: a midi or maxi you can move in, a sandal you can stand in for hours, and nothing that needs constant adjusting.

• Ivory silk: an ivory silk satin slip dress, gold flat sandals, a black raffia tote and a single gold cuff.
• Crochet: an ivory embellished crochet midi with a leather wedge sandal.
• Color: an emerald georgette caftan with metallic flat sandals and gold earrings.
• Black: a black silk slip dress with a woven patent flat sandal and gold hoops.

The Row's silk satin slips, Rabanne's embellished crochet and Oscar de la Renta's caftans cover the range, from quiet to celebratory.

What to wear for New Year's Eve in St. Barths

In recent years, New Year's Eve in St. Barths has centered on Gustavia's harbor. Past programs give the shape of the night. The one the local paper, the Journal de Saint-Barth, published for New Year's Eve 2022 put music on the quays from 8 p.m. and fireworks at midnight at several sites, including the point at Gustavia and the Eden Rock hotel in Saint-Jean. The yachts come too: Boat International, citing its BOATPro data, counted around 180 yachts in and around the island by December 31, 2025. This year's program had not been announced when we wrote this, so check local listings nearer the date. The dressing logic does not change from year to year: you will stand on a quay, you will probably dance, and you may be invited onto a boat.

• Choose light sparkle. Chainmail, sequins on mesh, metallic crochet and lamé shine without the weight and heat of a heavily beaded gown.
• Mini or midi for the quay. Save floor length for a seated dinner that ends with a car.
• Metallic flats or a low wedge. You will be on your feet for hours, and heels are unwelcome on a yacht's teak deck.
• A bag that closes, and hands free for boarding. A small raffia or metallic clutch with a strap you can wear across the body.

• Silver: a sequined chainmail mini with gold braided flat sandals.
• Metallic knit: a halter sequin crochet mini, a leather wedge and gold hoops.
• Black lamé: a halter lamé midi with metallic flat sandals and a small raffia bag worn across the body.
• Champagne: an open-back metallic maxi for a seated dinner, with flat sandals for the walk to the quay afterward.

Missoni's metallic knits and Rabanne's chainmail were made for this night. For party dressing beyond the island, see our New Year's Eve outfits guide, and for more ideas, our New Year's Eve Style story.

Boat days: dress for wind, sun and bare feet

A day on the water, whether a boat to Colombier or lunch on a friend's yacht, needs its own small kit. Wear your swimsuit under a long-sleeved linen shirt or a light kaftan: it covers your shoulders in the sun and cuts the wind once the boat is moving. Tie on a hat with a cord or leave the wide brim ashore, bring sunglasses you do not mind getting salty, and pack a dry layer for the ride home, when wet skin and a sea breeze make even a warm evening feel cool. Keep it all in a soft bag, which stows more easily than a structured one, and plan on going barefoot once you are aboard.

Shoes for sand, hills and boat decks

Shoes decide whether a St. Barths day goes smoothly. The island is hilly, the beaches are soft sand, and a lot of the social life happens on boats.

• For town and hills: flat sandals with an ankle or back strap. A slide that is fine on a flat promenade slips off on a steep street.
• For the beach: a toe-ring or thong sandal you can carry in one hand.
• For walking: espadrilles or a closed flat, and sneakers if you are hiking to Colombier.
• For dinner: a wedge or a metallic flat. Stilettos sink into sand and catch on decking.
• For boats: bare feet, or soft soles in a light color. Boat International's etiquette guide explains why: stiletto heels can dent teak decks, black soles leave scuff marks, and many yachts ask guests to go barefoot, with a basket for shoes at the gangway. Our guide to what to wear on a yacht goes further.

Gianvito Rossi's braided thongs and Valentino Garavani's Rockstud flats fasten at the ankle, so they stay on through a long walk up a hill. Manolo Blahnik's Susa, a toe-loop slide with crossed straps, is the pair for the flat promenade and a beach-club lunch, and Aquazzura's leather wedge on a raffia heel is the dinner shoe. Browse more flat sandals.

Bags, hats and sunglasses for a windy island

A raffia tote carries the day: a towel, a cover-up, sunscreen and a book. Loewe's classic basket and Saint Laurent's Panier are the beach versions; The Row's black woven raffia tote is smart enough for dinner. For more baskets and totes, the raffia bags page has the full range, and our edit of the 25 best beach bags goes wider.

Hats need a plan for the wind. A large brim looks right on a lounger but needs a cord or a firm hand on a boat, so pack one wide straw hat for the beach and one foldable bucket hat that survives the breeze and the suitcase. For sunglasses, a wraparound or close-fitting frame blocks glare from the water at the sides as well as the front. See more designer hats.

A seven-night St. Barts packing list

Pack light if your last leg is a small plane. If you connect on Tradewind Aviation's scheduled service, each seated guest gets 50 pounds of luggage in total, carry-on and personal item included (Tradewind's luggage policy). Other carriers set their own limits, so check yours, and choose a soft bag, which is easier to fit into a small hold. To fit the seven-night list below into one soft bag, see our guide to packing efficiently on building a capsule.

1. Swimwear: four swimsuits, two of them one-pieces that double as bodysuits.
2. Cover-ups: one kaftan to lunch in and one sarong for the beach.
3. Daywear: a linen shirt, a pair of wide-leg linen trousers and two day dresses.
4. Dinner: three looks, such as a silk slip, a crochet midi and a caftan or halter maxi.
5. New Year's Eve: one sparkling mini or midi.
6. Shoes: four pairs: strappy flat sandals, espadrilles, a dinner wedge or metallic flat, and sneakers for the Colombier trail.
7. Bags: one raffia tote and one small evening bag with a strap.
8. Accessories: a wide straw hat, a foldable bucket hat and two pairs of sunglasses.
9. One light layer: a cashmere-silk cardigan or a spare linen shirt for air-conditioning and boat evenings.

Ask our AI stylist to plan a week of St. Barths outfits around what you already own, and fill the gaps from Vêtir.

How we chose

• Houses: top luxury houses with real resort wear, from Pucci and Missoni's prints to Loro Piana's linen and The Row's silk.
• Fabric: linen, cotton, silk and open knits that breathe in 84°F heat; no heavy beading for a night outdoors.
• Construction: straps that stay on, flat or wedge soles, and dresses with enough weight or fit to handle wind.
• Price: from about $250 for a cotton cover-up to roughly $6,300 for a lace kaftan; the middle half of the picks falls between about $850 and $2,500.
• Availability: we picked only pieces live on Vêtir in late September 2026, and each module is set to refill with a close alternative if one sells out before you fly.
• Fit notes: choose one-pieces with enough support to wear as a bodysuit, and size slip dresses for movement rather than cling.

Frequently asked questions

What should you wear in St. Barths in December?

Plan for highs near 84°F, lows near 75°F and a steady breeze, according to Météo-France's averages. Pack swimwear and cover-ups, linen for town, silk or crochet for dinner, flat strappy sandals, a hat that ties or folds, and one light layer for air-conditioning.

What is the dress code in St. Barths?

We could not find an island-wide dress code, but custom is clear: swimwear belongs on the beach and at beach clubs, and you cover up with a kaftan, shirt or dress when you go into town or sit down to lunch. Restaurants set their own dress codes for dinner, so check when you book.

What should I wear for New Year's Eve in St. Barths?

A light, sparkling mini or midi (chainmail, sequins on mesh, lamé or metallic knit) with metallic flat sandals or a low wedge, and a small bag with a strap. In past years the night has been spent outdoors on the harbor, on your feet for hours, and heels are unwelcome if you board a yacht.

Is it windy in St. Barths in winter?

Yes. Météo-France's records make December and January the windiest months of the year, and an average January has about 13 days with gusts above 35 mph. Choose hats with a cord or a foldable brim, and dresses with some weight.

What shoes should I pack for St. Barths?

Flat sandals with an ankle or back strap for town and hills, thong or toe-ring sandals for the beach, espadrilles for walking, a wedge or metallic flat for dinner, and sneakers if you plan to hike to Colombier. Skip stilettos.

How much luggage can I bring to St. Barths?

It depends on your carrier. Tradewind Aviation's scheduled service allows 50 pounds of total luggage per seated guest, including carry-on; other airlines set their own limits. Pack a capsule wardrobe in a soft bag.

Keep reading

• The 25 best swimsuits of the year
• How to pack efficiently for travel
• New Year's Eve outfits
• The resort wear guide
• The Vacation Shop