# appropriate dress for expats



## nonie (Aug 4, 2008)

Hi there
Hoping to get an answer from you all living in the Cairo area. Our family is anticipating a move to Cairo and I've been reading that we (the females of the family) should be careful to dress conservatively...long pants, shirt sleeves to the elbow, no tight fitting t shirts etc. Is that the case for the expats living there? We're from middle America and are quite used to wearing our shorts and tank tops. 

If you were to go grocery shopping in Cairo would you dress American or in the modest dress of the Egyptians? Hey, and I'm the first to say being conservative is the way to go but I think our opinions of conservative might vary some of those of the Egyptians.

Thanks for your help!


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## Deeana (Jul 13, 2008)

Hi,
Over the past few years it has become much more common to see women wearing the veil, in other words in traditional moslem attire. Most young Egyptian girls wear long skirts and blouses or tunics over trousers, with long sleeves, high necks and a headscarf. They take pride in making themselves look very fashionable in these type of garments. Older ladies still wear long black dresses and black headscarves when they go out shopping, and some younger ones do too. You will see some women in the complete head-to-toe covering too, but not very many, and they are often Saudis.

However, this doesn't mean you have to dress like that! When I go out in Cairo (and I spend a lot of time there, in every environment from big hotels through to lower working class areas) I wear long cotton trousers or ankle length skirt, and a lightweight, long-sleeved cotton blouse, sometimes over a tank top. Short sleeves are okay too, but I prefer to keep the sun off my skin. It's cooler that way. Many tourists wear their usual shorts and t-shirts, but they WILL get stared at, they might be approached or spoken to impolitely, and they will certainly brand themselves tourists and therefore a target for all Egyptians with something to sell. Which is just about everyone.

I like to blend in as much as possible when I am in Egypt. I don't like being stared at. So my advice would be to keep the shorts for home and be much more modest when out. It's enough to be relatively fair skinned - that makes it obvious you aren't a local - without appearing to be brazen!!!!!!!!!!

Where are you hoping to move to? We have a place in New Cairo, not far from Maadi. There's great shopping at the Carrefour Supermarket!




nonie said:


> Hi there
> Hoping to get an answer from you all living in the Cairo area. Our family is anticipating a move to Cairo and I've been reading that we (the females of the family) should be careful to dress conservatively...long pants, shirt sleeves to the elbow, no tight fitting t shirts etc. Is that the case for the expats living there? We're from middle America and are quite used to wearing our shorts and tank tops.
> 
> If you were to go grocery shopping in Cairo would you dress American or in the modest dress of the Egyptians? Hey, and I'm the first to say being conservative is the way to go but I think our opinions of conservative might vary some of those of the Egyptians.
> ...


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