Dubai Sartorial Observations

1. I typically think of open-toed boots as being stupid because they're obviously cold-weather footwear with a ridiculous concession to fashion in an unhelpful peep-toe form. In Dubai, I'm somehow getting the feeling that they're warm-weather footwear with a stupid fashion concession in an unhelpful tall-boot form. I'm not sure which is worse.


2. Most Emirati women wear abayas, floor-length and long-sleeved black cloaks/gowns. (They also tend to wear stilettos, a ton of makeup, designer sunglasses, and carry a purse that costs more than my college tuition. But that's not the point.) I had thought that abayas had to be plain black, but it turns out you can get away with a fair amount of embellishment. Black beading is common, of course, but I was so amused to see these in a storefront window:


Flowers! Lace! Pink trim! A little bit of hair showing under your head scarf... hey, I guess every girl has got the right to be glam. :)