Your guide to summer shopping in Dubai
Fashion, beauty and lifestyle picks worth adding to your summer shopping list
Summer shopping in Dubai has a way of editing your life down to the essentials: the sandals that go on and don’t come off; the bag that survives a beach club afternoon and still looks good at dinner; the skincare that doesn’t give up the moment you step outside. This is the edit for all of it – the things worth buying, wearing and reaching for all season long.
Click through the gallery
Aviator Classic, Ray-Ban
Black Rice Moisture Airyfit Daily Sunscreen SPF50+/PA++++, Haruharu Wonder
Gloss Absolu Le Parfum Hair Perfume & Glaze Drops Hair Oil Duo, Kérastase
The Spiaggia Small Square Bag, Jacquemus
Soleil D’Amour Silk Sarong Skirt, ALEMAIS
Mattescreen Mattifying Mineral Sunscreen SPF, Supergoop!, Neutral Tint
Eliza Daisy Crochet Top, Alix of Bohemia
Nolan Sandal Flats in Leather, A Emery
Sun-Motif Fringed Beach Towel, SUN of a BEACH
The Ibiza Sun Belly Chain, Luv AJ
Vinosun Protect After-Sun Repairing Lotion, Caudalie
Resin Bangles Set of 3, Revolve
Super-Star Sneakers, Golden Goose
Vaela Dress, Rat & Boa
Orchidee-print triangle bikini top & Orchidee-print bikini bottom, Pucci
Almond Favourite Essentials, L’Occitane
Unisex sunglasses
The Ray-Ban Aviator has been around since 1937 and still outsells everything that tries to replace it. There’s a reason. The slim metal frame, the glass lenses, the shape that suits most faces – it’s a formula that works, and at this point it’s earned the word classic without quotation marks. Sometimes the obvious choice is the right one.
Aviator Classic, Ray-Ban, Dhs760, ae.sunglasshut.com
Sunscreen
The one skincare step that’s non-negotiable in a Dubai summer. Haruharu Wonder’s Black Rice Moisture Airyfit Daily Sunscreen offers SPF50+/PA++++ protection with a lightweight, velvet finish that sits comfortably under makeup and leaves no white cast. Easy to wear every day, even when it’s too hot for anything that feels heavy.
Black Rice Moisture Airyfit Daily Sunscreen SPF50+/PA++++, Haruharu Wonder, Dhs85, 50ml, ulta.ae
Hair care duo
For the days when the humidity wins before you’ve even left the building. Kérastase’s Glaze Drops oil smooths frizz and adds shine without weighing hair down, while the hair perfume gives a quick refresh between plans – the kind of thing you keep in your bag and use more than you expect to. Gloss Absolu Le Parfum Hair Perfume & Glaze Drops
Hair Oil Duo, Kérastase, Dhs345, kerastase.ae
Summer bag
Small, square, raffia, Jacquemus. If you’ve spent any time at a Dubai beach club this summer, you’ve already spotted one. The Spiaggia fits the essentials – phone, card, lip balm, sunscreen – closes with a knot, and has gold hardware that photographs well in natural light. Sometimes a bag just does everything right.
The Spiaggia Small Square Bag, Jacquemus, Dhs1,990, jacquemus.ae
Also read
Find your zen: 20 peaceful things to do this summer in Dubai
Wrap Skirt
The silk sarong skirt you can actually wear – not just drape over your shoulders and forget about. ALEMAIS cut this one with a proper adjustable tie and a fluid drape that works over a swimsuit at the beach or with a simple top for a casual lunch. Lightweight, packable and genuinely versatile. The rare holiday piece that earns its suitcase space.
Soleil D’Amour Silk Sarong Skirt, ALEMAIS, Dhs2,125, bloomingdales.ae
Sunscreen
In a city where SPF stops being optional around April and doesn’t become optional again until October, a sunscreen you actually want to wear matters. Supergoop!’s Mattescreen is mineral, oil-free, and sits under makeup without turning your face into an art project. Matte finish, subtle tint, broad-spectrum protection. The one you’ll stop forgetting to apply.
Mattescreen Mattifying Mineral Sunscreen SPF, Supergoop!, Neutral Tint, Dhs155, sephora.ae
Crochet top
Hand-crafted in India by skilled artisans, so no two Eliza tops are quite the same – the print, dye and weave shift slightly between pieces, which is the point. Lightweight crochet cotton, multicoloured motifs, halterneck straps with tassel ends. It’s a summer top with real provenance, which makes it feel like a find rather than a purchase.
Eliza Daisy Crochet Top, Alix of Bohemia, Dhs1,865, net-a-porter.com
Flat sandals
The kind of sandal you buy and then wear until someone asks where they’re from. A Emery’s Nolan flats are full-grain leather with a sculptural toe hold and ankle ties that feel considered rather than fussy. They work with a cover-up at the beach and they work with wide-leg trousers in the city. Two looks, one shoe, no stress.
Nolan Sandal Flats in Leather, A Emery, Dhs750, ounass.ae
Beach towel
Bright yellow, sun motif, fringed edges and a slogan that makes the whole thing feel like it has a sense of humour. SUN of a BEACH’s cotton towel is soft, absorbent and sized properly – big enough to actually lie on. Not everything needs to be serious. Sometimes a good beach towel is just a good beach towel.
Sun-Motif Fringed Beach Towel, SUN of a BEACH, Dhs179, farfetch.com
Body Jewellery
One small addition that changes a whole look. Luv AJ’s Ibiza Sun belly chain is 14kt gold-plated, waterproof, tarnish-resistant and designed to sit perfectly over a bikini or low-rise trousers. The sun pendant is subtle enough to feel wearable rather than themed. Pool-to-dinner, no adjustment required.
The Ibiza Sun Belly Chain, Luv AJ, Dhs525, ounass.ae
After-sun
Because no matter how diligent you are with SPF, a full day at the beach or the pool takes it out of your skin. A good after-sun is the step most people skip and then regret. Keep one on the bathroom shelf for the evenings when your skin needs to recover quietly – and it will. This lightweight lotion nourishes, soothes, and hydrates sun-exposed skin while helping to prolong your tan. Enriched with aloe vera, organic grape water, and coconut oil, its non-sticky milk texture leaves skin soft, moisturised, and delicately scented.
Vinosun Protect After-Sun Repairing Lotion, Caudalie, Dhs94, sephora.me
Statement bangles
Lightweight acetate in a set of three – different sizes, different colours, genuinely fun to wear. Stack all of them for the beach club or wear one alone if you’re feeling restrained. Either way, they cost less than most sunscreen and deliver considerably more personality. Resin Bangles Set of
Revolve, Dhs324, revolve.com
Men’s sneakers
Golden Goose has built an entire brand on the idea that shoes look better once they’ve lived a little – and it works. This grey suede Super-Star pair has the worn-in finish the brand is known for, with rubber soles that go from weekend errands to a casual dinner without needing a rethink. Buy them, wear them, don’t overthink it.
Super-Star Sneakers, Golden Goose, Dhs2,810, levelshoes.com
Summer dress
The right holiday dress is the one you wear the first night and then keep reaching for. Rat & Boa’s Vaela is lightweight with a natural drape that moves well – and looks intentional rather than thrown on. The kind of dress that reads effortless at a seaside dinner or on a rooftop, which, in Dubai terms, covers most of your social calendar from May onwards.
Vaela Dress, Rat & Boa, Dhs1,050, bloomingdales.ae
Bikini set
Not for the beach club wallflower. Pucci’s Orchidee-print set in fuchsia and black is a statement before you’ve said a word – chain-detail ties on the triangle top, thin side chains on the bottom, the kind of colour that looks even better against a tan. Wear it with confidence or stay in the sun until you have some.
Orchidee-print triangle bikini top & Orchidee-print bikini bottom, Pucci, top Dhs1,025, bottom Dhs1,075, farfetch.com
Body care set
Four steps, one very good almond scent, and skin that actually survives the humidity. L’Occitane’s cult almond set runs from a shower oil that melts into a cleansing milk, through to a body oil, a firming concentrate and a hand cream for your bag. A complete body ritual that earns its counter space – and then some.
Almond Favourite Essentials, L’Occitane, Dhs350, ae.loccitane.com
Images: Provided/Official websites
