Solola and the Dress Code

Before moving to Kurdistan, I asked around; on the Internet, to people in other countries in the Middle East, to my Kurdish employers... 'What is appropriate dress for women in Kurdistan?' I didn't really get any clear answer. At my new place of employment, anything goes, I was told... 'It is European standard', they said. Other people said essentially, the same... but no short skirts, no low cut tops. After arriving, a female colleague wrote back and said this wasn't true: eveything MUST be baggy and cover pretty much ALL skin below the neck (think potato sack). It was too late for me to repack as I had already sent eveything else to Canada or dropped it in the recycle box.

After arriving in Hawler, I dropped everything and ran to the bazaar to buy a few suitable shirts: baggy, hippyish chemises with fake embroidery or beads adorning the necklines. I sigh with resignation everytime I open my closet. So once in Paris, I begged my friend to spend just an hour shopping with me. We headed to Solola where I promptly maxed out my Mastercard. The staff were friendly and helpful and understoood my explanation of the dress code precisely... a dress code I have revised through observation of local women! Not all clothes need be baggy. If you are wearing trousers, better to wear a baggy or butt-covering top or jacket, but if in a skirt, tighter and shorter is not a problem so long as there are sleeves and no decolletage.

I felt embarrassed about my spree afterwards, but SA assured me that it used to be the same for her. In the early 90s, there wasn't much to shop for in Abu Dhabi (she lives in Dubai now) and when she reached Paris, she experienced awe and great need on viewing all the lovely things to be had in the shops here. Now there is no lack in the UAE anywhere, so I guess soon Kurdistan will be inundated with material goods as well.