I thought I’ll do a one pager on this, as I’m learning it on the go and it’s been all over the news lately.
A little background, as I’m sure you won’t be reading UAE news online before you jump on the plane.
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/society/dress-right-drive-snowballs-1.1022556
Girls and boys alike – if you’re coming to Dubai for a holiday or you’re moving here, make sure you know the rules when it comes to clothing. It’s quite simple really – no shoulders and knees should be exposed when you’re in a mall. Yes it’s 45 degrees outside, but all malls are air-conditioned. And mind you, it can get quite cold so I tend to bring a light scarf or cardigan anyways.
So, save those really hot pair of shorts and tank top for the beach, or when you’re lazing around the pool. Or that denim mini skirt you’ve been working out all winter to wear. Don’t even think about doing the black bra under white button-up t-shirt thing. And I sure do hope you’re planning to wear your bra when you’re going out in Dubai. Haha. No kidding.
Okay when I first went to the big malls like Dubai Mall, I saw a lot of expats in short shorts, tank tops and what not. So I thought, hmm – what’s wrong then? But really, it’s just about being respectful. You are in the U.A.E.
Have a quick read here : http://www.dubaifaqs.com/dress-code-in-dubai.php
What I feel is, a lot of tourists don’t know about this because no one tells them. The pilot is not going to do a ‘clothes rules briefing’ before you land. There are no leaflets being handled out when you get to the DXB. It’s more of a word of mouth thing. So, do me a favour, if you’re coming here soon or your friend is planning a trip, send them the link to this page, and have a good read of the link above. We spent sometime reading all the other stuff in dubaifaqs.com before we came here but I won’t go into details, there’s just so much you have to learn.
Don’t worry you’re fine in your bikini if you’re going to the beach, just make sure you change before you go to the mall to buy a bottle of milk 🙂