Dubai: The women in the audience may be enveloped in black but their eyes are on mini-dresses, hotpants and glittering gowns shown by Valentino, Kenzo and other fashion houses on the catwalk in Dubai this week.
The conservative Muslim region may not conjure up images of high fashion, but with petrodollars plentiful and tastes lavish, it is a growing market for luxury European designers.
"The turnover of the company is growing in double-digit figures ... but here we are growing more than 30 per cent year on year, which is big for us," said Emilio Cabonera Giani, deputy chief operating officer of Italy's Valentino.
"The turnover still accounts for 3.8 per cent of the total which is not a very big amount but it is ... growing. We consider the Middle East market very important," he said before Valentino's Spring/Summer 2007 collection show in Dubai.
Beneath their black robes or abayas, Gulf Arab women often dress in the latest designer fashions. At family gatherings or girls' nights in, the luxury labels are on show.
"We buy these clothes for evenings and sometimes you wear your abaya open at the front so the outfit is visible," said Afra al-Muhairi, an Emirati attending a show in her abaya.
Local businesswoman Fatema al-Fahem was also delighted.
"I always come to these shows. I'm wearing Valentino right now," she said opening her abaya to reveal a white blouse.
Japanese fashion house Kenzo also displayed its Spring/Summer 2007 collection this week and the latest creations from France's Christian Lacroix will hit the runway on Thursday.
Catwalk shows are good exposure for designers seeking rich customers, chiefly in Dubai - the Gulf's trade and tourism hub.
Eighty 80 per cent of Dubai's population is comprised of foreigners and many are western or hail from growth markets like Russia, whose well-heeled are ardent haute couture clients.
"Fashion in Dubai is very important to us and also for its development in the Middle East," said Simona Clemenza, Kenzo's Middle East manager.
"We already have ... boutiques in Dubai,” Simona added.
Valentino is opening new shops in the region this year and spending more on advertising to boost the nascent market.
But not everyone was convinced.
"As Easterners, we don't agree with cuts that are too short, expose our chests and our backs. We are excited to see the latest fashion creations though actually wearing them is a different story," said Hoda, a Lebanese fashion designer.
"But maybe the younger generation of Arab girls that emigrate swallow the idea of dressing in revealing clothes."
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