With beach clubs and outdoor restaurants opening up for the season, you might think winter is on its way. Yet one step outside and you’re sweating buckets. And this isn’t stopping people from indulging in winter fashion. Although there are valid reasons to sport a hoodie in Dubai, winter, and winter fashion is a lot more nuanced than that.
For starters, the cold weather that actually defines winter only starts mid-December, even though the boots and jackets come out in October. That’s because for those used to the climate, anything below 40 °C is a good excuse to pull out the winterwear. Winters in Dubai aren’t like the average winter you’d come to expect. With heat and humidity dominating the weather for most of the year, winters in Dubai still mean sun, just with a cool breeze and some rain.
This month, the maximum temperature in the UAE is expected to be between 38-42°C, with the lowest temperature expected to be between 20-26°C, which can be quite chilly. But, to really feel it, you would have to be outdoors at late nights or in the early mornings. These temperatures are typical during January and February, which are undoubtedly the coldest months of the year. The maximum temperature during these two months is somewhere between 24-26°C, and the lowest is usually expected to be between 16-18°C.
As cute as a faux-fur coat is, you might recreate a Dubai summer underneath. However, they do have their purpose! For late nights, and especially for the desert, warm and insulating coats are the perfect pick. But generally, for daily life within the city, classic winter fashion that we would see on social media wouldn’t make the cut.
Instead, winter fashion here has adapted to create the best of both worlds. Light layers that are flexible, thin cardigans and pullovers, and footwear that ranges from boots that warm up the feet to open-toed sandals in the peak afternoon, cooling down the feet. Capes, scarves, and abayas that are warm and comfortable are also popular favourites, adapting Arabian staples to match cooler weather and keeping things modest. By doing so, we still get to play around with the concept of winter fashion without ignoring the realities of the ever-confusing weather here.
