Istanbul - What to wear and how to wear it!
The Elliott’s in Istanbul!
I recently went on an adventure to Istanbul with my parents and wanted to give a few tips on what to wear! If you’d like to find out where to go and what to look out for, keep an eye out for next weeks blog…
If you’re a lover of sights, sounds and scents, you will LOVE Istanbul!
Istanbul, once known as Constantinople, has changed religion many times between Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Being a predominantly Muslim country now, Istanbul is a place where modesty is advised and preferred. As a Christian woman I already strive to dress modestly but in a country where some women wear head to toe coverings, I felt even more compelled to cover up. Not only is this out of respect but also for safety/peace of mind. I was travelling with my parents and always felt safe but I’m not so sure how I would’ve felt if I had dressed in at all revealing clothing in the Bazaar’s on my own. For this reason I wanted to enlighten you on what I wore and what I might do differently next time. From my experience, you will get looked at either way but you get to control what people see. One of my favourite quotes, and one that I tend to live by is: “You can never be overdressed or overeducated” - Oscar Wilde. I always apply to life and when visiting another country I take it even more seriously. Learn about your surroundings and respect them accordingly.
I did some light research before I went, reading a variety of magazine articles and pinning outfits, and the main points I found for women were as follows:
Skirts and trousers/shorts no shorter than your knee
Sleeves at least 3/4 length
No low necklines
No clingy clothing
No shoulders showing
And of course, hair coverings for women in all Mosques
There didn’t seem to be any “rules” for visitors except for head coverings and I didn’t read anything re shoes but I have a few points to add.
I wear colour because I love it. That will never change as it’s literally my passion and I’ve made my career out of it. This did however seem to draw attention to me regardless of the garments themselves. Most of the local women tended to wear neutrals and/or black meaning regardless of what colour I wore I was going to stand out.
I wore flats ever day, not out of style but simply out of practicality. There was a lot of walking involved as my family and I love to explore and with Istanbul being by the water the old city was built up towards the hills so there’s a fair bit of up hill walking on cobbled streets. This was however not a problem in the evenings as we stayed close to our hotel for dinner so my mum and I were able to wear our heels and dress up a little. We like to dress up but not everyone seemed to so if you’d rather stay more casual you definitely can.
I wore one slightly tighter dress on the last day but layered it with a long shirt and a scarf and felt perfectly covered and safe. It had a high neckline and was past my knee and with the long shirt the shape wasn’t as visible. So don’t worry, if you’re a lover of showing a bit more of your figure at home and don’t want to have to buy a completely new wardrobe, layering will be your friend.
During my trip I saw a handful of tourists walking around who either didn’t do their research or simply didn’t care as they were in short shorts, low tops, tight revealing dresses…. Each to their own but I’ve never seen so many dirty looks in my life. They were looked at like meat by the men and dirt by the women. I understand that being comfortable in your own skin is a blessing but it seemed a bit tasteless and disrespectful in my opinion to ignore a countries customs simply because they aren’t your own.
I read an article before I went from a woman who had lived in Istanbul for a time and she mentioned sleeve lengths and I’m so glad she did because I hadn’t read anything about it anywhere else. Too much skin can be seen as extremely provocative there, meaning having your arms fully on show is almost as bad as having your legs out. I like a short sleeve in a warm climate as much as the next person but I’m so glad I knew to wear sleeves to my elbows. This simply meant I didn’t stand out too much and didn’t feel as uncomfortable as I feel I might have had I gone for short sleeves or sleeveless tops.
All this being said, I wasn’t exempt from being looked at. I am a young, blonde haired, blue eyed, white woman and I definitely got stared at, sometimes a little too much. Being with my parents I never felt unsafe but I would be hesitant to go on my own. My parents noticed a lot of looks from men, particularly middle aged men. This is not a generalisation however as we also met many lovely people. It is a beautiful place and I adored it. I do however want to make you aware so you can have a safe, enjoyable experience.
Covering your hair when entering a mosque is not only to respect the religious beliefs of those worshipping but also to protect women against preying and lustful eyes. Hair is seen as sacred in many religions. Some see it as a gift from God and so it should be cherished and looked after. This is one of the reasons for it to be covered during prayer in some religions.
I truly fell in love with scarves during this trip. Not only to cover my hair but also as an elegant accessory to elevate an outfit. Of course that meant I had to get a new piece for my collection. I visited a wonderful shop at the Grand Bazaar that specialises in cashmere and found 2 spectacular scarves for me, one of which is embroidered with silk, as well as my mum finding one for her own beautiful collection.
For men the only things we noticed were that there didn’t seem to be any locals wearing shorts and most men wore longer sleeves so my dad stuck to wearing trousers and layered shirts over his T-shirts.
Another “accessory“ I highly recommend bringing is sunscreen. The weather was lovely for the majority of our trip but it didn’t seem too hot or sunny, but of course we all got the sun on the first day! Thankfully my very prepared mum had brought some just in case so we stayed protected after that.
