What to wear to Riyadh Season: outfit ideas for women

What the dress rules ask for

Saudi Arabia’s public decency rules ask everyone to dress modestly in public. In practice that means clothes that cover the shoulders and knees, and nothing see-through or very tight. Visiting women have not been required to wear an abaya since 2019, although many Saudi women still choose one, and a head covering is expected inside mosques. Some venues and ticketed events publish their own guidance, so it is worth checking the event page before you go.

A long kurta over trousers, a maxi dress with sleeves or an open abaya over either will meet those expectations at almost every Riyadh Season event. If you are planning what goes underneath an abaya, our guide to what to wear under an abaya in the Saudi heat covers the layers.

Outfit ideas for each kind of night

• Concerts and big shows: an open kimono abaya over a long kurta and straight trousers. The wide sleeves let you move freely in a crowd, and you can slip it off if the venue is warm.
• Family days and long walks: a kurta set with flat shoes. Matching trousers look put together without effort, and a three-quarter or full sleeve keeps you covered when the sun is still out.
• Dinners and gatherings: an embroidered suit with a soft shawl. Keep the embroidery at the neckline and cuffs so it shows above a table.
• Late, cold evenings: a winter fabric such as karandi or marina, with full sleeves and a shawl you can wrap around your shoulders.

Fabrics for warm afternoons and cold nights

Riyadh’s air is dry, so the difference between afternoon and midnight is bigger than in coastal cities. Plan in layers rather than one heavy outfit. A cotton or cambric kurta is comfortable at an afternoon event, and a crepe or nida abaya over it adds warmth after dark without bulk. Chiffon abayas look beautiful for formal nights but add little warmth, so pair one with a warmer kurta underneath.

For abayas we work in nida, crepe and chiffon, and the custom abaya service explains each one. Our guide to fabrics for Riyadh’s dry heat and Jeddah’s humidity goes further into how each fabric behaves through the day.

Planning the timing

Because the season runs into December, there is time to have an outfit made for its later weeks even if opening night is close. Each piece is made to your measurements in Pakistan once your written quote is approved and paid in full, and making takes 5 to 7 working days. Shipping to Saudi Arabia is added on top and varies, so give yourself a margin before the night you have in mind.

Quotes for Saudi Arabia are in US dollars, euros or pounds, whichever you choose, and the total already includes delivery to your address and any import charges. To start, send a photo of the look you want or choose one of our designs on the quote form for Saudi Arabia.