While Dubai could have change into synonymous with over-the-top glamour – a caricature strengthened by TV exhibits similar to Dubai Bling and Real Housewives – in actuality, it’s a metropolis of eclectic fashion sensibilities that far outshine the sequins and skyscraper heels for which it’s change into recognized.
Priding itself on variety, and with an entrepreneurial spirit on the coronary heart, Dubai attracts a bunch of various cultures and personalities, ensuing in a dynamic number of fashion tribes influenced by nearly all over the place. Third-culture child Oumayma Elboumeshouli, a artistic director and content material creator, completely embodies the reactive dressing that sees metropolis suiting and seashore stylish all in a day’s wardrobe adjustments for Dubai residents. Growing up in Amsterdam and of Moroccan descent, Oumayma first moved to Dubai six years in the past and has since cultivated a powerful fashion id, thanks in half, she says, to the boldness Dubai has given her to be experimental together with her trend selections.
“Dubai has actually influenced my style a lot, in a very positive way – I feel like I can be more myself. In Amsterdam, or Europe in general, it’s all about being comfortable, but in Dubai you can go as crazy as you want because you’re not the only one. I really love dressing up here, the city makes me feel more confident, more comfortable in a way. Now I feel more comfortable experimenting with my look when I travel, too.”
A multifaceted metropolis the place one second you may be at a gathering in the shiny D3 Design District and the following having cocktails on the seashore at sundown, Dubai requires an arsenal of adaptive outfits to see you transition to any and each setting. With modest dressing in public locations on the forefront, Oumayma typically wears her signature look of an outsized swimsuit for daytime conferences, switching up her sneakers and equipment for night occasions.
“I think suits are so underrated, I wear them all the time for meetings with a nice pair of heels, or made more casual with a pair of sneakers and a cropped top underneath. Or I would go for a flared skirt under a blazer. For events, you can never go wrong with a nice tuxedo. I wear it with my hair down and slicked back.” And if she’s heading out for a night on the town with pals, you’ll typically see her in an elegant cocktail gown and kitten heels, or flats, if at a seashore membership.
Some of her favorite seems have been sourced domestically from homegrown manufacturers. “I really love Bouguessa. It matches my style perfectly. It is very modest but also very modern, and a perfect mix between east and west. They have beautiful cover ups, abayas, kaftans, as well as suits and dresses. I love the fact that everything is made in the UAE. Another favourite is Saudi label Abadia, they have gorgeous abayas and kaftans and Qatari brand 1309 Studio is beautiful, very modest.”
Travelling typically between Morocco and Dubai through the years, Oumayma says the Middle East has influenced her in myriad methods, not solely in a modest aesthetic. “The Middle Eastern woman is very strong which also defines my style perfectly, as well as being independent. Although people outside may see Middle Eastern women very differently, in my household, we’ve always been told to be strong, feel strong and confident.”
She likes to weave in parts of her Moroccan heritage the place she will by means of equipment. While in Morocco she is going to gown historically, however add some designer sneakers or a purse. “My Amazigh culture has always inspired me and has always been part of who I am. I think I’ve developed a whole style around it. I like to style a few cultural elements into daily outfits, such as a beautiful Moroccan choker, for example.”