Shopping the Ammani Girl Way

January 8, 2011 at 5:48 pm · Filed under Amman, Roba

This week I made use of the sales season and went shopping.

Every time I go shopping, I think of the same exact thing. My buying choices have changed a lot after moving to Amman.

Even at the peak of my teenage years, I was not much of a shopper. Don’t misunderstand me, I always have and always will enjoy the very capitalistic act of buying. But when it came to shopping for clothing, I was happy to leave the choice to my mother, who understands the style business so much better than I do.

The lifestyle in Saudi Arabia is that of what is hot and what is not. Fashion plays a big role in society, and people are comfortable looking like they walked straight out of the catwalk. The shops stock a very diverse array of styles and tastes, ranging from the absurdly fashionable to the very basic. Everything will find a buyer.

I always found myself wondering who the hell will wear that dress or those shoes when browsing the stores in Riyadh, something I never think of here in Amman, although the stores I shop at are the same.

It was not that I was timid with my choices. My closet then was quite funky, if I may so myself. My shirts often were a rainbow of colors and patterns, and my skirts and pants were experiments in texture-mixture. Lace, leather, faux fur, glitter, studs, feathers and other kinds of material that I would not be caught dead in today lived in perfect harmony. I can very easily spot a woman who lives in the Gulf today from the way she’s dressed.

My closet first started going through changes as my local friends made comments over my white-on-white outfits (how khaleeji), or floral tops. My taste gradually became more and more subtle, until my closet turned into a feat of solid colors, cotton, and jeans. These days, the farthest I’m willing to go is stripes.

It’s amazing how this city forces you to indulge the drab. What I bought this week had my mother look at me and shake her head; “Roobee, they’re all the same color.”

Ammani girl, indeed.






  • http://www.jeedos.com nido

    Me and my friends here were talking about the same issue a few days ago, we said that even kids in Amman don’t wear colorful outfits especially in winter. it’s all dark, unlike here, it’s all about pretty colorful patterns!
    I love colors and different textures and I find myself more comfortable here wearing whatever I want

  • http://www.thisisjoe.net Yousif Jawhar

    Never thought you were like that. From the way you write and stuff thought you’d be more like Bjork. :P
    .-= The latest from Yousif Jawhar´s blog ..Know thyself =-.

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  • http://www.palordinia.com Ehab

    I have a big smile on my face now that I finished reading :).. One of the comments I heard so often after moving to Dubai was how monochromatic my clothes were!

    I remember a friend of mine pointed out that I only wear two colors; blue and grey. The thing is, now that I’m more comfortable wearing colors I still leave half my clothes back in Dubai when I come back to Jordan, because I know I’d be hearing nasty comments about them :)

    I basically leave my white rubber shoes, and everything of color. Because in Jordan it’s either gay, or tacky! :)… One time a friend of mine said that I shouldn’t wear Chuck Taylor Shoes because it doesn’t suit my age!! :)) and I was 29 back then :)))

    I’ll see ur bet and raise u :) .. I can tell if the guy is from amman just by looking at what he’s wearing :)

    Black pointy leathery shoes
    Straight-cut almost fit blue jeans
    Striped or checkered shirt.. Main color is white or blue. Or, a greyish t-shirt! :)
    Finally, “Versace” haircut, and saksookeh.

  • haitham

    Interesting! Who`d though :D

  • khalidjarrar

    oh oh! I actually never noticed that! Anyways I will be original and say that I can tell if one is from jordan all together, even before looking at their outfit, its quite easy actually, sallim 3ala a bunch of arabs, the group that doesn’t yrod issalam, tries to act like u r not there, have that awesome distinguished kashra, are the ones u need to avoid!

  • http://burdenedmary.blogspot.com Kha

    This is incredibly interesting! I have never been to Amman, but I can say that when I am here in Riyadh, I have NO problem buying ritzy fashions and insane-looking shoes. When I go back to the US, however, I find myself rarely wearing those funky, strange items that I couldn’t wait to splurge on in Riyadh.
    .-= The latest from Kha´s blog ..In the Name of Security- the Most Stifling- the Most Devastating =-.

  • http://ananaddoush.wordpress.com Naddoush

    My mom always wrinkles her nose and looks at me in amazement whenever she sees me in new clothes. “Nadia – really – more black?”

    “Are you going to a funeral?”
    “It looks so boring…”

    Yeah yeah mom – I know – but we can’t all be circus artists like you :-) I AM trying to incorporate more colors in my wardrobe – but still – black just always works :-)

  • Craig

    I would have never thought Saudis were so into fashion! I’ve been wearing my standard issue southern california “tee shirt and jeans” uniform for more than 20 years and I’ll probably never stop because its been what all the white folks wear here forever. Even the high school kids with their retarded styles switch over once they hit college. Makes life easier, at least :)

    Anyway! I think those outfits look nice! Who cares if they aren’t colorful? You don’t want to look like a circus clown, do you?

  • http://andfaraway.net Roba

    Guys, I said cotton, jeans, and solid colors :P I love my colors. As long as they’re solid.