What's the business dress code for Western women in Saudi Arabia?
January 6, 2010 8:51 AM Subscribe
What Not to Wear--but for American women traveling to Saudi Arabia?
My graduate school is sponsoring a trip to Saudi Arabia in a week and I'm trying to figure out what to wear--or not, as the case may be. I've been to a few Muslim countries, but I feel like KSA is a whole new ballgame. I get the basic tenets of modesty (nothing but face, hands, feet) and that I'll probably be handed an abaya at the airport. Does anyone have any tips or firsthand experience with (business) dress code for women in Saudi Arabia? I'm trying to figure out if I should buy a pantsuit since I just have skirt suits. I have some nice slacks and long-sleeved blouses--will that be sufficient?
My graduate school is sponsoring a trip to Saudi Arabia in a week and I'm trying to figure out what to wear--or not, as the case may be. I've been to a few Muslim countries, but I feel like KSA is a whole new ballgame. I get the basic tenets of modesty (nothing but face, hands, feet) and that I'll probably be handed an abaya at the airport. Does anyone have any tips or firsthand experience with (business) dress code for women in Saudi Arabia? I'm trying to figure out if I should buy a pantsuit since I just have skirt suits. I have some nice slacks and long-sleeved blouses--will that be sufficient?
An abaya I'm not sure about but you are definitely going to have to find a hijab or two depending on how long you are going to be there. Best advice: Start practicing tying your hijab now as fidgeting with it throughout meetings so that your hair doesn't slip out will be potentially distracting.
posted by Sophie1 at 10:38 AM on January 6, 2010
posted by Sophie1 at 10:38 AM on January 6, 2010
Oh, a stretchy underscarf for your hijab is really helpful.
posted by Sophie1 at 10:40 AM on January 6, 2010
posted by Sophie1 at 10:40 AM on January 6, 2010
My experience traveling in Islamic countries (but not SA) is that skirts are preferred over pants/trousers because they more easily hide the shape of a woman. Your graduate school must have some guidelines if they're sending you there, right? I would assume that any slacks you have are too tight and skirts too short. This is just my guess though. I suppose if you're woefully underdressed you could pick up something there.
posted by Bunglegirl at 1:36 PM on January 6, 2010
posted by Bunglegirl at 1:36 PM on January 6, 2010
I have a friend working in Saudi Arabia and in most of his photos I saw all the females (all non-Muslims) wearing niqabs in public places. So seems like if you are the woman niqab is mandatory.
posted by WizKid at 2:02 PM on January 7, 2010
posted by WizKid at 2:02 PM on January 7, 2010
You will need long skirts and so on and you might end up being advised to wear an abaya. You will not have to wear a hijab, and if you wear a niqab you might not be well received.
A lot is also riding on where you're going. The east of Saudi is much more religious and volatile than Riyadh.
In general you should not be wandering around on your own and someone, whoever is showing your group around, will tell you what's what.
Be a little wary. There is very little goodwill towards us and there is a lot of trouble with Yemen these days.
posted by fingerbang at 2:03 PM on January 7, 2010
A lot is also riding on where you're going. The east of Saudi is much more religious and volatile than Riyadh.
In general you should not be wandering around on your own and someone, whoever is showing your group around, will tell you what's what.
Be a little wary. There is very little goodwill towards us and there is a lot of trouble with Yemen these days.
posted by fingerbang at 2:03 PM on January 7, 2010
Response by poster: Update, for anyone interested:
We all purchased abayas and cheater hijab in DC (at Halalco out in Falls Church). We went to the mall near our hotel and I was surprised at how much variety of headwear there was (hijab, niqab, nothing), but every woman was wearing an abaya. (The rebellious teenage girls were wearing theirs open, how scandalous.) Because we're wearing abaya, it hasn't really mattered what we have on underneath, although pants or a long skirt is necessary because the abayas we all have are pretty short so ankles would show.
WizKid--I was surprised at how many women were not in niqab. I've also seen foreigners not wearing head covering at all, so niqab might be going a bit far.
fingerbang--So far, we have been very well received. Granted we have officials showing us around and picking our itinerary, but we have felt nothing but generous hospitality.
posted by emkelley at 3:24 AM on January 16, 2010 [1 favorite]
We all purchased abayas and cheater hijab in DC (at Halalco out in Falls Church). We went to the mall near our hotel and I was surprised at how much variety of headwear there was (hijab, niqab, nothing), but every woman was wearing an abaya. (The rebellious teenage girls were wearing theirs open, how scandalous.) Because we're wearing abaya, it hasn't really mattered what we have on underneath, although pants or a long skirt is necessary because the abayas we all have are pretty short so ankles would show.
WizKid--I was surprised at how many women were not in niqab. I've also seen foreigners not wearing head covering at all, so niqab might be going a bit far.
fingerbang--So far, we have been very well received. Granted we have officials showing us around and picking our itinerary, but we have felt nothing but generous hospitality.
posted by emkelley at 3:24 AM on January 16, 2010 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
http://events.eonetwork.org/saudiarabia/Pages/TravelGuide.aspx
Looks like your skirt should cover the entirety of your legs. Loose-fitting pants also OK. Abaya to be worn over.
From a blog of a group that visited (http://saudiarabia2009.blogspot.com/)
"For foreigners, its totally acceptable for the men to wear business casual with no head covering. But for women, everyone regardless of whether you're a local or not, is expected to wear an abaya and have her head covered at all times in public. So its been quite an adjustment. Here are some thoughts/reactions to the abayas from the past few days..."
Anyway, looking forward to the responses.
posted by artemisia at 9:12 AM on January 6, 2010