Here in Dubai I wear a reliable series of sundresses, sprinkled with workout clothes and a bathing suit for the beach.  “Fashionista” is not something anyone would use to describe me.  But when it’s Fashion Week, you do what the Dubaians do…. and head to the runway.  Dubai’s Design District or “D3” as it is known to those of us in the know like me (ha!) is dedicated to all manner of design:  architectural, graphic, artistic, and – as emphasized during Fashion Week – F-A-S-H-I-O-N.    Fashion week comes in October each year and seems to be open to the public with advance application.  You simply ask for tickets and are “approved” via email.  There are runway shows every half hour or so, and lots of other things that grab attention, like the live mannequins in the fashion store windows and the live band performing on the square.

D3 is cool even when nothing is going on there – the outside sculptures alone are a fun look.  From the four seater bicycle to cool interactive pieces, there is lots to occupy attention before you even step inside.   Sort of a “hipster village” made from scratch.

This is a city built from nothing in just 40 years, where you can ski in a shopping centre, eat dinner underwater or create your own weather system on the beach. Everything is manufactured here….So if they build it, will the hipsters come?

from: Can Dubai’s Design District ‘hipster village’ attract the right type of goatee-wearing individualist?  The Independent (U.K.) May 2015

D3 DID attract quite a crowd for fashion week.  No goatees in sight, but plenty of individualists – including my own favorite, my husband Jimmy….

D3 was designed by Norman Foster & Associates – beautiful architecture.

Fashion shows were fun – the show we attended had modest clothing, but we also saw some more daring clothing in the fashion shops.

Lots of cameras in evidence.

Jimmy sitting in one of the cool D3 outdoor chairs…