Bikini Glamour

I have to admit that one of my guilty pleasures is reading celebrity gossip magazines. I know they are cheesy and half of the articles are not even true, but whatever I still love them. In Dubai we still have some of my old favs, such as Us Weekly, Life & Style, and In Touch, however they aren’t easy to find. Normally these can only be found at the large bookstores that import international magazines, and frankly aren’t available at the checkout counter in the grocery store. However, we still have plenty of other options that I think are actually better – Ahlan and Gazia. These rags are better in my opinion because in addition to the usual nonsense they also cover more Dubai-specific social happenings and fashion articles. You can imagine my excitement when I grabbed Ahlan at the grocery store the other day and it came with the annual edition of “Ahlan’s Hot 100 Bars & Clubs.” The “Hot 100” is focused specifically on bars and clubs in Dubai and our lovely sister city, Abu Dhabi. So I was reading through all the “hot spots,” and started laughing to myself as I read the dress code at the bottom of each bar’s description. Normally, (and by normally I mean in NYC) I would not have found this funny or would have even found myself reading through each dress code description, but they are truly quite entertaining and yes these people are serious. So now when you visit me in Dubai you will be fully prepared for each night when we go out to the bars or clubbing!
I hope you find these dress codes as hilarious as I did, and no I do not know what the difference is between “outdoor glamour” and “beach chic.” I have been to many of these places and never noticed people dressed any differently from place to place. I am also pretty sure that New York City invented the need for dress codes due to the ridiculous tourists with Hawaiian shirts and/or socks with sandals look, yet I never recall encountering descriptions as interesting as these…

 Bar /Club Name - Dress Code

1897 – Stylish and trendy
Amatisa – Fun and fashionable
Apres - Relaxed après-ski style (one of my favorites)
Aquara – Relaxed
Bar 44 – Smart casual
Barzar – Cool casual
Barasti – Beach chic
Belgian Beer Café – Relaxed at the weekend
Bidi Bondi – Relaxed and sporty
Blends – Glamorous
Buddha Bar – Chic and trendy
C-Bar – Sleek and stylish
Calabar – Urban trendy
Caramel – From boardroom to bar
Cedar Lounge – Outdoor glamour
Cloud Nine – Sophisticated and understated
Cubes – Chic and trendy
Horizon Lounge – Poolside chic
Ikandy – Trendy casual
Koubba Bar – Stylish yet comfy
Locker Room – Casual cool
Nelsons – Easy chic
Okku – Designer chic (Good thing I wore a Ralph Lauren dress that night and not anything from Forever21 – can you imagine the embarrassment if the hostess checked my label? Ha!)
One to One – Dress to Impress
Pearls & Caviar – Smart and elegant
Rush – Club chic
Sho Cho – Terribly trendy (another fav)
Skyview – Suave and sophisticated
Y Bar – Very stylish
400 – Lanvin and Louboutins
Alpha – Indie cool
Boudoir – Chic and cheerful
Plastik – Bikini glamour
Divaz – Boat chic
Submarine – Funky and trendy
Triology – Club cool
Cavalli Club – Cavalli glamour… naturally!