Insider's guide to Emirati style

A young Emirati woman has launched a new career - and given new allure to the abaya - simply by following her passion for fashion.

"Abayas have evolved and changed, just like fashions in the West," says Latifa al Shamsi. Her blog champions the fashion appeal of traditional garments. Jeff Topping / The National

ABU DHABI // Latifa al Shamsi wants her peers in the fashion world to see beauty in their traditional abayas and show the world the Emirati woman's sense of style.
The 23-year-old is fast making a name for herself with a self-titled blog that has attracted 46,000 hits since its launch six months ago.
"A lot of people might think that abayas hinder the way we dress, but they present us with a challenge," she said.
"Like fashion in the West, the abaya designs here have evolved and changed to suit everyone's taste and individualism."
Although Ms al Shamsi blogs daily under her real name, she keeps her face hidden out of respect for her culture. Photographs of people - even friends and family - are shown from the neck or shoulders down.
Instead, the blog has dozens of images of her favourite outfits and fashion items. Often there is a beaded abaya, sometimes a garment that she has designed herself, with a peek at the blouse or pair of trousers underneath.
Shoes, handbags and jewellery, with brands such as Hermes, Chanel and Cartier, appear prominently. One photograph shows an Emirati man carrying the fruits of a shopping trip, a Marc Jacobs store bag among a half-dozen in his hands.
A regular Friday feature is culled from lunch outings with friends and family. Knowing they might appear on the blog - alongside photos of the food - Ms al Shamsi's circle, including her mother, has begun dressing up for the get-togethers.
The blog recently caught the eye of the Dubai fashion website La Moda (lamodadubai.com), which says it reveals the "secretly stylish world of today's Emirati fashionistas". Last month Ms al Shamsi became a contributor.
Her aim to help readers get the most out of wearing traditional clothing has brought Ms al Shamsi a loyal following.
Hissa al Harib, a 24-year-old Emirati student at Middlesex University, Dubai, was sceptical at first. "I wasn't very excited because it's rare here, in the Middle East, to have a blog, and we don't really keep up with all those sorts of things," she said. "But once I started reading the articles that Latifa publishes, and looking at whatever pictures she puts up, it excited me."
Ms al Harib, who has been wearing an abaya since she was 11, has watched the traditional garment's transformation into a fashion statement.
"We have no choice, but we can show our sense of fashion through different styles and cutting," she said. "This makes the blog even more important."
Ms al Shamsi, a graduate of Zayed University's public relations and advertising programme, said the blog was her main pursuit. It was also her second attempt at internet publishing. The first, more than a year ago, failed, perhaps because she was preoccupied with what people wanted to read rather than pursuing her passion.
"All those things that had been in my mind previously, like, 'Are people going to read it? Is it going to be popular? Am I going to be criticised?' had nothing to do with this blog," she said.
"I just started it because I love fashion. And when people ask me what makes this blog different, I say it's also because it is rare to see an Emirati blogging."
Although she has a bank account to match her high-end tastes, when it comes to fashion Ms al Shamsi believes anyone can look good if they are willing to make the effort.
"I hate the assumption that if you have enough money, and if you have the looks, and the body, that you will be able to be a fashion icon," she said.
"It's not impossible. If you want to change, it's that easy."
Ms al Shamsi's blog can be found at latifalshamsi.wordpress.com
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