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Dubai calls for glamour. This is a city where you can really embrace main-character energy. It’s a place for dressing up – dramatic silhouettes, bold prints and statement jewellery. Leave your jeans at home and step into a world of high heels, luxe fabrics and intricate detailing.
Whatever you have planned during your stay, make sure to pack a few modest options. For visits to mosques, cover arms and legs, and carry a headscarf. For cultural or heritage areas such as Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood, keep your shoulders and knees covered, or wear loose-fitting garments. Often, shopping mall dress codes err on the side of conservative too, so keep a lightweight scarf or a shirt in your bag to drape round your shoulders (this will also keep you warm in the face of AC blasts). Swimwear is acceptable on the beach or pool-side, but you’ll need to slip on a dress for lunch or drinks even if it’s nearby.
Dubai is hot all year round, but becomes scorching in the summer months (June – September) and temperatures often reach 40+ degrees. In the winter (November – March), it’s still warm, from 17 – 30 degrees. Breathable, airy fabrics are essential – think linen, cotton and silk. Loose silhouettes are also recommended; a pair of wide-leg trousers, floor-sweeping kaftans and silk shorts will all see you through. If you’re travelling during the winter months, pack a light layer for cooler evenings. When it comes to the evening, dial it up a notch – keep the loose shapes but add embellishment and metallics, whether statement gold earrings or bejewelled heels.
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Lead image: Alemais
Ella Alexander is Citizen Femme’s fashion features editor. She started her career at the Evening Standard, and has since held senior editorial roles at Vogue, The Independent and Harper’s Bazaar, where she remains a contributing editor. She also writes for The Telegraph, Sunday Times Style, Service95 and CNN. She is an author, having co-written Dame Zandra Rhodes’ memoir, Iconic: My Life In Fashion In 50 Objects, published by Transworld in July 2024. Her favourite travel destination is Catania, Sicily’s second city.
