While Dubai may have become synonymous with over-the-top glamour – a caricature reinforced by TV shows such as Dubai Bling and Real Housewives – in reality, it’s a city of eclectic style sensibilities that far outshine the sequins and skyscraper heels for which it’s become known.
Priding itself on diversity, and with an entrepreneurial spirit at the heart, Dubai attracts a host of different cultures and personalities, resulting in a dynamic variety of style tribes influenced by just about everywhere. Third-culture kid Oumayma Elboumeshouli, a creative director and content creator, perfectly embodies the reactive dressing that sees city suiting and beach chic all in a day’s wardrobe changes for Dubai residents. Growing up in Amsterdam and of Moroccan descent, Oumayma first moved to Dubai six years ago and has since cultivated a strong style identity, thanks in part, she says, to the confidence Dubai has given her to be experimental with her fashion choices.
“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 city where one moment you can be at a meeting in the shiny D3 Design District and the next having cocktails on the beach at sunset, Dubai requires an arsenal of adaptive outfits to see you transition to any and every environment. With modest dressing in public places at the forefront, Oumayma often wears her signature look of an oversized suit for daytime meetings, switching up her shoes and accessories for evening events.
“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 friends, you’ll often see her in a chic cocktail dress and kitten heels, or flats, if at a beach club.
Some of her favourite looks have been sourced locally from homegrown brands. “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 often between Morocco and Dubai over the years, Oumayma says the Middle East has influenced her in myriad ways, 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 elements of her Moroccan heritage where she can through accessories. While in Morocco she will dress traditionally, but add some designer shoes or a handbag. “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.”
