What to Wear in Dubai in February

Pack for the calendar as much as the weather. NOAA's figures for Dubai International Airport give February 25.9°C by day and 16.6°C at night across 1991–2020, with about 5mm of rain, and Visit Dubai says the sea is at its coldest. The first week is ordinary. Ramadan is expected to begin on Monday 8 February 2027 if the crescent is sighted the evening before, and the UAE government's etiquette page is plain: no eating, drinking or smoking in public during fasting hours, chewing gum included. Visit Dubai asks for modest dress in public through the month. So pack long sleeves and long hems, and a coat for the evenings after iftar.

The capsule

1. 
   01

   Dove-grey ribbed long-sleeve maxi dress

   Iftar is at sunset, about 6:07pm on 8 February and 6:20pm by the 28th, and dinner runs on into a 16.6°C night. A ribbed knit maxi with long sleeves and a full button front covers you from wrist to ankle, which answers Visit Dubai's request for modest dress in one piece, and knit holds warmth that linen lets go.

2. 
   02

   Cream longline tunic, mandarin collar

   Plan Ramadan days indoors, in malls and museums, and dress for them modestly. A thigh-length tunic with long sleeves and a mandarin collar covers your hips over the grey trousers, and its brooch-and-tassel fastening dresses it up for an iftar invitation without a change.

3. 
   03

   Light grey pleated wide-leg trousers

   Full length for the Ramadan weeks and for a mosque visit, where Jumeirah Mosque's dress code asks for covered legs. Front pleats and a wide leg sit under the long tunic without pulling across the hips, and light grey takes both the cream and the olive.

4. 
   04

   Olive light loden overcoat, knee length

   NOAA's airport average falls to 16.6°C at night, and Visit Dubai warns that desert temperatures drop sharply once evening arrives. A light single-breasted overcoat to the knee goes over the maxi dress on a terrace after iftar or in the stands at the tennis, and olive is the capsule's one dark note.

5. 
   05

   Moss-green wool-cashmere stole

   Jumeirah Mosque asks women to cover their hair and to bring their own head cover. A wide wool-cashmere stole covers your hair and shoulders at the door, and wound round your neck it warms a 17°C iftar table outside.

6. 
   06

   Dove-grey suede backless loafers

   Shoes come off at a mosque door and at the edge of a majlis carpet. Backless loafers step out and back in without your hands, flat suede soles handle a souk lane and a mall floor, and dove grey matches the trousers.

7. 
   07

   Olive suede slouchy shoulder bag

   Room for the stole when it is off your head, and for a water bottle you open only in a mall's designated dining area until sunset. Olive suede sits with the coat, and a slouchy bag rides on the shoulder through a long evening.

8. 
   08

   Round gold wire sunglasses, amber lenses

   The first week of February is the one to spend outside by day, with a beach morning, a desert drive or lunch on a terrace before Ramadan moves meals after sunset. Amber lenses cut glare off sand and water at 26°C, and wire frames fold flat into the bag.

A suggested look — dove grey ribbed long-sleeve maxi dress, olive knee-length overcoat, moss green wool stole, dove grey suede backless loafers.

What to avoid

• Eating, drinking, smoking or gum in public during fasting hours
• Sleeveless tops or short hems in the Ramadan weeks
• Fixed plans for 7 or 8 February — the start depends on the moon
• A summer-only suitcase — nights average 16.6°C