Traditional designs and Dazzling colors, the Emirati women's style

The choices available to women in the olden days used to be strictly limited, nowadays people do not know the luxury of having a variety of fabrics to pick from.

The fashion industry is constantly growing, as women would never say no to adding to their collection, as a result, the demand for high quality fabrics increases everyday, non more so then the traditional clothing, which are viewed as social status, competitive display of honor, wealth and identity.

Most Emirati women prefer bright and dazzling patterns, bright colors that stand out in the earth and desert that surrounds us, and more often then not they are combined with gold and silver linings and threads to give a more elegant look.

Original designs have barely changed through the centuries, unlike the methods of producing the fabrics, with today's technology and industry, producing the fabrics has become cheaper and quicker by a great deal, giving much more buying power to the people, those who were disheartened by the price in the past, now are able to go on shopping sprees buying what ever they please, an opportunity only the very fortunate used to have in the past.

The practice of giving "Zuhba" is an ancient tradition that involves the groom and his family gifting the bride, the bridegroom and their families, fabrics of all sorts and the aim of the bride would then tailor those fabrics into dresses, bed sheets, curtains and what ever she pleases.

Women of all cultures in the UAE have traditionally shown good taste, but each of the Gulf countries is slightly different in its choice of designs..

Old Emirati women are still asking about the very old fabrics such as Bugliyam or with strips, sultani or shiny like the satins, known as Briton and Bu Tailah or materials with dots, such as Bu Ghusais or the patterned Salhini which is like an Indian sari with big flowers.

On the other hand, young women ask about the Swiss chiffon, Italian silk, French metallic materials or Italian cotton.

Women from a bedouin heritage tend to choose wool and cotton for their garments but women of the town wear silks, brocades, satins, and chiffons.

Women's Traditional Dress in the UAE

"Abaya" which is a matter of pride for Emirati women to wear is the traditional light fitted, long and full-sleeved robe worn by Emirati women. Underneath the Abaya, women can wear clothes according to their choice.

Traditional Abayas are plain and black. However, modern-styled Abayas are given a contemporary touch through embroideries and artwork on dark fabric. There are various colors that are now added to the list such as grey, brown, beige etc. to give a modern twist to the traditional attires.

"Shaila" or a head scarf is the integral part of the traditional dress of UAE for wome, which is a long scarf worn across the shoulders to the head. It is also mostly black, although many designs and embroideries can be found on them.

Burqa is a kind of facemask. They are designed to cover a woman’s entire face except for the eyes,

the Burqa is worn by the older generation of Emirati women and youths are not inclined towards this trend of clothing.

Apart from this, Emirati women are very fond of jewelry such as earrings, bracelets, rings and so on, it is an integral part of their national dress as well.

Perfumes are also an essential part of the traditional dress of UAE for both men and women, Oud (agarwood) and Rose are the most famous and expensive scents that are used by

Emiratis, they also burn Bakhoor (wood chips soaked in fragrant oils) to provide fragrance to their garments.