What to Wear in Abu Dhabi — The PP Wardrobe
What to Wear in Abu Dhabi — The PP Wardrobe
On Saadiyat Island, the Corniche, Emirates Palace, and Al Maryah Island — the Belgian linen wardrobe for the UAE capital.
Abu Dhabi has a different character from Dubai. Where Dubai operates at a pace that rewards ambition and spectacle, Abu Dhabi has a more considered, more deliberate character — shaped in part by its cultural institutions, in part by its more concentrated luxury hospitality landscape, and in part by a social register that places quality above display.
The climate is the same Gulf reality: temperatures above 40 degrees in summer, sustained humidity, a cooler season from October through March that is among the most pleasant in the region. For the year-round resident and the visitor, Belgian linen manages both the summer heat and the perfect autumn evening with the same garment — the fabric breathes in the former and carries correctly in the latter.
“Abu Dhabi places quality above display. Belgian linen in a correct cut and considered colourway is the answer that does not need to announce itself.”
— Pieter Petros, founderFor the Corniche and the cultural institutions: the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and the wider Cultural District on Saadiyat Island — these are contexts that ask for a garment that is composed and appropriate to a setting of international cultural significance. A PP linen shirt in white or oyster with linen trousers and leather shoes reads correctly for an afternoon at the Louvre and for the dinner at a restaurant on the island.
For the Emirates Palace and Yas Island: the luxury hotel context in Abu Dhabi — the Emirates Palace, the Rosewood, the properties along the Corniche — sets a standard that is formal by Gulf hotel conventions. A PP linen shirt in navy or a deeper colourway with linen trousers and leather loafers carries the hotel terrace, the lobby bar, and the restaurant correctly.
For the private and business context: Abu Dhabi's business environment — the financial district, the ADGM on Al Maryah Island, the government and semi-government institutions — rewards quality fabric and considered dress. The PP linen shirt with linen trousers reads as serious and composed in contexts where a synthetic alternative reads as informal.
Note: PP has a boutique presence in Abu Dhabi through its partnership hotels. The collection is available at pieterpetros.com.
What to Wear in Dubai · What to Wear in Qatar and the Gulf · Men's Linen Collection
