Veils aside, Arab women eye latest runway fashions

The women in the audience may be enveloped in black but their eyes are on mini-dresses, hot-pants and glittering gowns shown by Valentino, Kenzo and other fashion houses on the catwalk in Dubai this week.

These women may not conjure up images of high fashion, but with petrodollars plentiful and tastes lavish, it is a growing market for luxury European designers.

Beneath their black robes or abayas, Gulf Arab women often dress in the latest designer fashions. At family gatherings or girls’ nights in, the luxury labels are on show.

Catwalk shows are good exposure for designers seeking rich customers, chiefly in Dubai — the Gulf’s trade and tourism hub. Eighty percent of Dubai’s population is comprised of foreigners and many are western or hail from growth markets like Russia, whose well-heeled are ardent haute couture clients. Everyone may not be convinced. But maybe the younger generation of Arab girls that emigrate swallow the idea of dressing in revealing clothes. reuters

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