[#SaudiArabia + #Dresscode + a #Song✨] Now I’m back in Dubai, I’ve put my #abayas down for a rest, and I am feeling #grateful for them. Here are some things I noticed about dress code in Saudi this week, compared with my last visit in 2019:
1️⃣💡 Not wearing an abaya really is ok
Some women in professional settings now do not wear abayas. This alone is a big shift. Yet for the most part, I observed nearly all women still are. If not a traditional abaya, they’re wearing long dresses/long tops/long sleeves. The rule for Abayas is gone but most told me they still prefer to wear one.
2️⃣💡An open coat for outdoors is still nice
When outdoors I only saw women wearing an abaya, even if they were worn as open coats. (Bear in mind I only went to a public area with restaurants once for a couple of hours, so my observations of dress code in public are limited). Ola ElKhatib was pretty spot on when she said people may stare if you wear trousers. Even I was curious to see who was wearing what if they opted away from the abaya, and may have become a starer! Guilty.🤭👀
3️⃣ "When in Rome...”
I felt better in an abaya there (I tried with and without - see first and last pics). I asked several women there too, and my personal views thus far is that even though it’s optional, if you wear an abaya outdoors, or in general, it is quietly appreciated and well received. The quote: "When in Rome, do as the Romans do” doesn’t always apply, but in this case, I think it is a good one to go by - for me anyway. I really enjoyed wearing my abayas this week.
✅💡 Abayas = productivity boost
Finally, I found it a relief to stick to having an abaya on most of the time in Saudi. It took out a lot of guesswork and kept me dressed appropriately for every context. I have read a lot in recent years about how having a #uniform can make you more #productive, and I think this is one reason why I found having a Saudi specific dress code so useful. Sometimes having too many options creates hesitation, which slows you down.
🇸🇦✨🎶 Let's end this series of #Saudi related posts sharing one more song I love by another Saudi musician: #TalalMeddah. He was a very famous artist who was a prolific Oud player. (I later learned he sadly passed away in a very dramatic and unusual manner, during a performance). I once heard this song being played in the reception of the Ritz Hotel in Riyadh, and I stopped still to listen to the entire live instrumental rendition. There is something about this melody, the words, everything. Even though I do not speak Arabic - I feel it’s a special, soothing track and I love it.
💬 Do you also listen to music even though you don’t know the language?
Enjoy this song for now - until next time, #SaudiArabia.🇸🇦💛✨
'Ta'alak kalbi' - Talal Maddah:
🎶🔗https://lnkd.in/d87iA8kX
📸A range of snaps from this week. Overall, KSA felt a lot more like Dubai this visit.
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