According to Lamya Wali, a 23-year-old college student, the obsession with luxury goods is an indication of upper class. “Since women in the Kingdom cannot be creative or showy with their clothing, the only way to emphasize their style is by wearing designer shoes, bags and sunglasses,” she said. “Most of these upper-class ladies are competitive and want to show off their elegance by wearing international brands. To them, the more expensive, the better.”
However, there is another story underneath the abaya, says 30-year-old businesswoman Najla Al-Sayyed. “It’s a relief for many Saudi women to know that they don’t have to spend a lot of time thinking what they should wear or if anyone saw them wearing this outfit before. They can put on whatever they want, cover themselves in their abaya, throw in a designer handbag and shoes and they would look fabulous,” she said.
“A fashionable Saudi woman would wear brand clothing from head to toe, or at least what she can show to the public,” added Intesar Mohammed, a stay-at-home mother. “You would find her wearing a designer pair of shoes, bracelet, ring and an expensive watch. I believe even her makeup would be from a known and expensive brand, and if you asked me why, I would say quality and being unique is what she is looking for.”
Younger middle-class Saudi women choose to wear the latest trends seen in the latest fashion shows. “You would find us young women wearing skinny jeans and stylish shirts combined with designer stilettos. The latest designer handbag is a must-have accessory with the abaya. Up-to-date designer sunglasses and jewelry are other ways for us to express our style,” said Samar Mahmoud, a 17-year-old school student.
Designer handbags are a symbol of women’s taste. “Handbags and clutches come in great styles, attractive designs, gorgeous colors and innovative shapes, which complement a woman’s dress as well as her personality. All together, they help make a very powerful statement,” said Razan Abdulhakeem, a 36-year-old businesswoman. “When a woman carries beautiful and stylish bags, it certainly lures others, reveals status and creates a lasting impression. This is what Saudi women are looking for: To wow people and make a good impression wherever they go.”
Rachel Anderson, an American schoolteacher in Jeddah, says that Saudi women put more emphasis on fashion and accessories than Western women. “My friends back home would have three or four bags with limited colors from black, white and maybe beige, and they would change it according to dress color and season,” she said. “You would find Saudi women having all sorts of shapes and colors that would match their mood, style, shoes and accessories.”
Designer handbags and shoes are the most important accessories for Saudi women because they show their social level and their taste in fashion, says Saudi fashion designer Basma Moawad. “Women in the Kingdom can know your style and taste from just looking at your handbag. They would even judge you according to your accessories and abaya. This pushes many Saudi women to look into buying new handbags every now and then and make sure to get the ones on demand.”
“Wearing an updated expensive fashion item perfects your look and shows everybody what you are all about,” added Moawad.
Some unfortunate Saudi women, who cannot afford the real thing, go for replica handbags. “It’s all about appearance here in Saudi Arabia. Some people cannot keep up with the uptown Saudi women, which is what drives them to secretly buy fake accessories,” said Walaa Hamdi, a 22-year-old university student.
Many girls who go to Hamdi’s university wear replica handbags. When she asked them why, they told her they want to look more elegant and stylish like the other rich Saudi girls. “We live in a society that places a lot of stress on appearance and those poor girls just want to keep up and do the same. This leads them to buy replicas and get a fake personality that matches their handbags,” said Hamdi.
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