Decoding luxe in Dubai: Tricks to shop wisely

It is small wonder that took me two entire days to take a proper tour of Fashion Avenue in The Dubai Mall, the second-largest mall by total land area, attracting 54 million visitors each year. After going through the latest collections and after a lot of discussions, with the boutique managers, I thought of penning down some tricks to shop here.

Exotic leather: There is a refreshing collection on display; the latest in fashion by all the luxury brands dealing in leather accessories and jackets. A lot of experimentation is being done with exotic leather from crocodile, alligator, python to ostrich’s skins. The first is a cap made with a combination of crocodile leather and silk by designer Stefano Ricci in his flagship store. Bottega Veneta has experimented with a fusion of its signature “intrecciato” style and alligator and ostrich in men’s wallets. I also came across a very interesting piece at the Hermes store: a tie made of crocodile leather, and silk. I kept wondering how to tie the knot. So I asked the boutique manager, who quickly demonstrated it on my neck. Albeit a tad difficult, but it was only meant for special occasions. This tie actually goes very well with a Dunhill crocodile leather jacket. The two together will set you back by around Rs 30 lakhs.

No kidding: In the Fashion Avenue, there was an entire floor that was dedicated to luxury fashion wear for kids. From Baby Dior, Little Marc Jacobs, Young Versace, Burberry Children, Moncler Infant, Mishka Aloki, Fendi to Givenchy and Gucci. I was aware of the rising number of parents demanding to dress their babies and children in the designer labels but was surprised by the sheer volume of it. And believe me, it starts from birth and includes designer cradles, prams, and even pacifiers. Fashion labels have not kept any stones unturned. And more and more options are made available. The grapevine is that some luxury watch brands are also eyeing this pie and preparing to come up with exclusive luxury watches for kids. According to some of the boutique managers, there has been a drastic shift in the design by these brands, where the brands earlier relied heavily on miniature versions of their design for adults. While there was a high demand for the same initially, the spark did not last long.

The brands then had to innovate and come up with designs that are exclusive for kids which could also exude a sense of luxury. So new motifs and cuts were introduced very subtly keeping alive the classic touch of the luxury brand to keep the identity intact, for example, including the classic Burberry checks in the detailing.

Pros of shopping in Dubai

• All the luxury brands have their latest collections on display.
   
• Some luxury brands which are only known in select horological spheres such as Ressence are available and is witnessing a good sale. Their latest collection is a mechanical self-winding watch without a crown.
   
• Just a walk through these luxury boutiques and a look at these collections under one roof is an amazing experience.

Cons of shopping in Dubai

• Because of the high demand, the waiting period on some specific models such as Rolex GMT Master II or “Pepsi” as it is popularly known is as high as 4 years. It is much less in India. 
   
• An advantage of shopping in Europe for exotic leather products is that you will get a good collection that will be locally made, and thus not be branded by a luxury label. This results in a huge price differential.
   
• There is no price advantage. So the prices are more or less the same as in India if you convert United Arab Emirates dirham to rupee.

Also, please don’t forget that you may run out of money but will never run out of options for luxury shopping. So let your quest for luxe continue. 

The writer is a luxury commentator and the author of Dark Luxe