DRESS CODE

a record for regenerating an old post.......4 years and 6 months!

or do i need a blazer or suit?

for a job interview, is long sleeves, slacks, and closed heels ok?

Hi,

Qatar is not as liberated as other places or country in this world. Though we have the right to wear what we wanted to it is still safe not to wear offensive clothing.

Most tourists who came here in Qatar study the culture even if you go to different places you would wanna make sure you know their tradition and culture. To make sure you don't disrespect them in their own land.

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I do agree with butterfly’s assessment of the situation. Clothing in an office, is an issue of image and trust building + your level of responsibility, your level of authority.

No offense but, come to think of it, with all due respect, there might be something else you might want to consider, and I feel empowered to testing your sense of humor; it has been long overdue, and probably people in Asia and Africa are now ready, to rise to the occasion and greet a streaker to the Asian Games… LOL…. In the past, there used to be one at every game, yes! Olympic or other, I don’t remember if there was one in Athens last year… LOL… but there’s one catch, one has to have very long hair… all the way down to your waist… to take advantage of the wind effect… and to make it harder for papparazzis to zoom on every detail…

Butterfly I have been learning a little arabic over the past few days and a few of the words are strikingly similar to spanish. From the moorish influence i presume. Does this make any of the language easier for you? Probably not as it is quite remote but interesting nonetheless

I am guessing there is an influence but words like ustez (for Sir think it is you in espanol) El (for the) etc seem to close for coincidence.

not sure about office, but it depends very much of the company policy, I think trouser suit is best.

Think if you bare your breast here you go to jail. Although I haven't tried, so I can't be sure.

This is not Spain or Greece

To All,

Please, tell me what women wear in the office here in Athens Greece I dress casual and on Friday jeans and in the summer believe it or not I wear halter tops, capri pants with sandals it is hot here in the summer so its all out it is o.k. and on the beach wow believe the women wear nothing a majority of the time they are topless and there bikin bottoms are so skimpy why bother wearing them.

Loulou

Correction:

I meant "Bisht" instead of dishdasha :D

Bisht is worn for special occasions mostly.

Cheers,

Easy

Take 2: Simply to clarify, the color issue,

It only has to do with the “life cycle costing�, i.e. the “useful residual lifespan� of your clothing :) :)

In plain English, the issue is not only for indoors, but also for outdoors, the darker the colour, the faster it will fade in a sunny climate, hence sooner will you feel the pain to replace it. But that’s only me… agree or disagree….?

Thank you so much for your swift responses, it is comforting to know that there is life out there in cyber space and you can be heard and read all the way from (GMT +4) to (GMT -5) where I’m located in Canada.

Thank you also for your warm welcoming notes, particularly from Lady, Easy and Dweller.

Suit or no suit; well, I have been in London on several occasions and noticed that businessmen wear dark ( black! ) 3-piece suits even in the middle of July, when the outdoor temperature is 30+ C. Not only I think, that it is a very British thing, but also it is a known fact that, Nordic races do not suffer from the heat and perspire as much as Orientals. In my hey day, policemen and priests wore black in the winter and switched to white in the summer, except for the Pope of course, who always wears white. Here in Canada, “black� is appropriate for ballroom dancing… (slow-slow quick-quick) or for a Maître-D in a five-fork French restaurant (voulez-vous du poivre monsieur...): any luck in finding those in ad-Dawhah, Lady? :)

I knew some of my questions would be controversial, I still hope that I will get some Qatari view points also. I raised the traditional clothing issue because, 35 years ago, when I left the Middle East, this wouldn’t have been an issue and we all know that today, sensitivities have grown greatly in Middle Eastern countries. I agree that if you have blue eyes and blond hair, you will probably look like Lawrence of Arabia. But for a darky like me, with predominantly brown eye/hair features...?

Easy, I do indeed gracefully accept your help. You would probably like to know that 35 five years ago English was my fourth language and Arabic was my second language. Fortunately or unfortunately English has moved up to the second position and Arabic has moved down to the fourth, for obvious reasons. But within a period of six months of full immersion, I believe I would be able to recover fully my vocabulary in the written language (nahhawi), then work on the local dialect.

Just to clarify, the white dress (thawb) is not specific to Qatar or the gulf. It's worn throughout the Arab world though the styles vary slightly. A Qatari styled thawb - for example - would have a collar. The head-gear (Ghidra and Egal) however, are specific mostly to the gulf. Personally, I wear thawb occasionally and I prefer to wear simpler head-gear or none at all.

I'm sure that it's not an insult at all, however, you should be aware that people assume you speak Arabic if you're dressed that way. I will be glad to assist you if you wish to try – and prove to you it’s OK:D

Easy

Easy, I would strongly advise against wearing national dress, cetainly by Western individuals as many of my Qatari friends advised that it could be considered an insult.

You have a legitimate concern over clothing my friend. I have been here for few years and I come from mixed backgrounds of eastern and western. I worked so far in two major organizations which have distinct dress codes. Generally, business casual (shirt and tie) would be on the safe side.

It is the same as anywhere in the west; it depends on the culture of the organization you working for . Generally, it is relaxed so a shirt with/without a tie would do just fine. Colors don't make much difference and most places have "casual Thursday".

As you will find out, locals (Qatari and non-Qatari) here are big on image so if you wear a tie and a suite you will definitely add more points. Just drop the suit in the summar as it could reach up to 50 degrees – not worth dying for :D

Myself: I never wore a suit in Qatar and I wear a tie many weekdays.

To be on the save side, wear a shirt and a tie until you find out about your organizations culture.

As for wearing traditional clothes, it is no offence whatsoever if wear them. In fact, I would encourage it as Qatari and other Arabs will find it novel and a friendly gesture. Dishdasha is worn for especial occasions such as weddings and Friday prayers and in the winter ... you could skip it. However, wearing the head-gear (ghidra and egal) requires some learning - unless you go for a simple head cover such as Omani.

There are many nationalities in Qatar and many wear their national dress – such Qatari, Pakistanis and Indians. Foreigners get this false image that Qatari people are unapproachable which is not entirely true. They are quit friendly if you smile and say HI. Many people do not learn Arabic which is a shame - so I would advice you to try to learn if you have the chance.

Welcome to Qatar and I hope you enjoy your time here.

Easy

i totally agree with dweller .. he answered the three questions in the most perfect way ..i just wanted to add a welcome message to u ..hope u like it here in Qatar ... it seems u've done alot of readings ..lol good luck to u ..

I always wore a dark suit (sometimes in Summer minus the jacket).

Colour makes no real difference at work as the offices are air conditioned.

Wearing the Disdash and accompanying regalia outside is a definite no no!