Explore Modern Egyptian Fashion with 11 Women in Alexandria

"What should I wear in Egypt?" This is one of the most common tourist questions when planning a trip to the Land of the Pyramids.

When you think of Egyptian fashion, one of two things probably comes to mind: the ancient stylings of Cleopatra or long black abayas topped off with a hijab.

Both of these assumptions are wrong!

Floor-length, straight dresses and woven papyrus sandals are distant memories of a well-preserved past. While the hijab is worn by approximately 60% of the women in Egypt, the other 40% wear Western styles in their daily lives. There is no national dress code. You do not need to cover your hair.

FYI: The term "Western" refers to American and European countries, not cowgirls.

Modern Egyptians love to dabble in fashion. Don't be surprised when you take a trip to one of the many malls in Egypt and find stores such as H&M, Zara, Old Navy, and GAP. From sporty to elegant and casual to glam, Masri women can rock anything!

Just take a look at these 11 models from Alexandria as we dive deeper into the depths of understanding this nation's fashion sense.

Basma Mahmoud

Age: 19

Career: Usher

Field of Study: High School Student

"I would describe my style as casual glam. I prefer to be comfortable, and I like to follow trends. Red lipstick is my favorite, and I love glitter!"

Role Model: Salama Abu-Deif (Actress)

Can't leave the house without: Perfume

Favorite Color: Black

Favorite Store/Brand: Breshka

Which American celebrity has the best style? Angelina Jolie

Which era had the best fashion? 1960s

"I love the winter season because it's quiet and puts me in a lovely mood. I love the rain."

Leather or Lace? Leather

Are leggings pants? No

How many shoes do you own? 9 - 10 pairs

"It takes me about 2 hours to get ready, and I prefer to go shopping with my friends."

Was "The Dress" black/blue or white/gold? White & Gold

IG: @baskotyshy

Bosii Reda

Age: 18

Career: Model

Field of Study: High School Student

"My style is casual, yet colorful. I don't follow trends. However, I do prefer to be stylish over being comfortable. My favorite lip color is Kashmir."

Role Model: No one

Can't leave the house without: My phone

Favorite Color: Black

Favorite Store/Brand: Pull & Bear and Zara

Which American celebrity has the best style? Kylie Jenner

Which era had the best fashion? 1990s

"Summer is my favorite time of year because I love to wear light clothes."

Lace or Leather? Leather

Are leggings pants? No

How many shoes do you own? 20+

Was "The Dress" black/blue or white/gold? White & Gold

IG: @bosii_reda

Dalia Omran

Age: 23

Career: Wants to be a flight attendant

Field of Study: Archaeology

"My style is sporty, but I love to wear dresses too. I don't pay attention to trends, and I love red lipstick."

Role Model: My mom

Can't leave the house without: Visa card and cash

Favorite Color: Black

Favorite Store/Brand: H&M

Which American celebrity has the best style? Miley Cyrus

Which era had the best fashion? 1970s

"I prefer winter because I love the clothes and styles."

Lace or Leather? Lace

Are leggings pants? Yes

How many shoes do you own? 30+

"It takes me about an hour to get ready, and I love to shop with my friends."

What's your opinion on glitter? It's cool!

Was "The Dress" black/blue or white/gold? Black & Blue

IG: @daliaomran303

Engy Ahmed

Age: 17

Career: Wants to be a doctor

Field of Study: High School Student

"I would describe my style as girly and comfortable. I love wearing simple things like T-shirts and Kashmir lipstick."

Role Model: Yasmine Sabri (Actress)

Can't leave the house without: Small bag of makeup

Favorite Color: Black

Favorite Store/Brand: Rojada

Which American celebrity has the best style? Angelina Jolie

Which era had the best fashion? 1920s

"Summer is my favorite because I love the colorful clothes in this season and the chic styles."

Lace or Leather? Lace

Are leggings pants? Yes, but only for sports

How many shoes do you own? 11 pairs

"It only takes me 15 minutes to get ready for the day."

What's your opinion on glitter? Only for events like weddings or parties.

Was "The Dress" black/blue or white/gold? White & Gold

IG: @ennjyyahmmed

Fatma Ehab

Age: 16

Career: Wants to be a psychologist

Field of Study: High School Student

"My style is casual, comfortable, and trendy. I prefer to go without makeup, but I do love glitter makeup and brown lipstick sometimes."

Role Model: Huda El-Mufti (Actress)

Can't leave the house without: Nothing

Favorite Color: Pink

Favorite Store/Brand: Adidas

Which American celebrity has the best style? Maddie Ziegler

Which era had the best fashion? 1950s

"I love winter because I like to wear layers of different colors and styles of clothing."

Lace or Leather? Lace

Are leggings pants? No

How many shoes do you own? 10+

"I spend an hour getting ready to go shopping with my friends."

Was "The Dress" black/blue or white/gold? Black & Blue

IG: @fatmaehab_

Mony Assy

Age: 29

Career: Public Relations in the Ministry of Culture & Makeup Artist

Field of Study: Computer Science

"My style is dark and sexy! I like to be comfortable, but still elegant. Red and nude lipsticks are my favorites."

Role Model: My mom & dad

Can't leave the house without: Lipstick

Favorite Color: Black

Favorite Store/Brand: Zara & Paris

Which American celebrity has the best style? Taylor Hill

Which era had the best fashion? 1960s

"The winter season has the best styles. I love the dark colors."

Lace or Leather? Lace

Are leggings pants? Yes, sure!

How many shoes do you own? 30+

"It takes me about an hour to get ready, and I prefer to go shopping alone."

What's your opinion on glitter? I don't like glitter.

Was "The Dress" black/blue or white/gold? White & Gold

IG: @mony.assy

Nada Ahmed

Age: 18

Career: Wants to be a flight attendant

Field of Study: High School Student

"I would describe my style as casual, but still stylish. I prefer T-shirts over fashion trends, and I love to wear pink lipstick."

Role Model: No one

Can't leave the house without: Headphones

Favorite Color: Yellow

Favorite Store/Brand: H&M

Which American celebrity has the best style? Miley Cyrus

Which era had the best fashion? 1970s

"Winter has the best styles. I feel more comfortable in winter clothes."

Lace or Leather? Leather

Are leggings pants? Yes

How many shoes do you own? 10+

"I can be ready to go shopping with my friends in just 15 minutes."

What's your opinion on glitter? I don't like it.

Was "The Dress" black/blue or white/gold? Blue & Black

IG: @nada_tarek

Raiuwan Mounir

Age: 22

Career: Tennis Instructor

Field of Study: Physical Education

"My personal style is sporty and colorful. I follow trends, but I also love to be comfortable. My go-to lipstick is Kashmir."

Role Model: Marija Sharapova

Can't leave the house without: Eyeliner & Lipstick

Favorite Color: Blue

Favorite Store/Brand: Nike & Louis Vuitton

Which American celebrity has the best style? Rihanna

Which era had the best fashion? 1990s

"Autumn has the best styles. I love the weather during this time. It's not too cold or hot."

Lace or Leather? Lace

Are leggings pants? Yes

How many shoes do you own? 10+

"It takes me about an hour and a half to be ready to go."

What's your opinion on glitter? I don't like it.

Was "The Dress" black/blue or white/gold? Black & Blue

IG: @raiuwanmounir

Rana Ibrahim

Age: 17

Career: Wants to be a pediatrician

Field of Study: High School Student

"My style is sporty and comfortable. I love to wear trendy athletic tracksuits and purple lipstick."

Role Model: Radwa El-Sherbeny (TV Host)

Can't leave the house without: Lipstick

Favorite Color: Purple

Favorite Store/Brand: Zara

Which American celebrity has the best style? Kristen Stewart

Which era had the best fashion? 1990s

"I love winter styles. It's the best season because it has a lot of different choices."

Lace or Leather? Leather

Are leggings pants? No

How many shoes do you own? 10+

"I can be ready to go shopping with my friends in 15 to 30 minutes."

What's your opinion on glitter? It's cool, but not all the time.

Was "The Dress" black/blue or white/gold? Black & Blue

IG: @rana_ebrahim15

Rowan Moustafa

Age: 19

Career: Actress

Field of Study: English

"I would describe my style as casual, but still stylish. I love wearing heels and red lipstick!"

Role Model: Yasmin Abdelaziz (Actress)

Can't leave the house without: Lipstick

Favorite Color: Black

Favorite Store/Brand: Breshka

Which American celebrity has the best style? Shakira

Which era had the best fashion? 1960s

"Winter is the best season for fashion. I just love it more than summer."

Lace or Leather? Lace

Are leggings pants? No

How many shoes do you own? 10+

"I just take 10 - 15 minutes to be ready, and I prefer to go shopping alone."

Was "The Dress" black/blue or white/gold? Black & Blue

IG: @rowan_mostafa12

Sarah Salem

Age: 18

Career: Wants to be a flight attendant

Field of Study: High School Student

"My style is classy, girly, and stylish. I love following good trends and wearing red lipstick and jeans."

Role Model: No one

Can't leave the house without: Eyeliner & Lipstick

Favorite Color: Purple

Favorite Store/Brand: Metersbonwe

Which American celebrity has the best style? Lily Collins

Which era had the best fashion? 1950s

"Winter is my favorite season because I love the rain, the cold weather, the chilly air, and the gloomy sky. But most importantly, winter clothes are so beautiful."

Lace or Leather? Lace

Are leggings pants? Yes. I'm skinny, so for me it's pants.

How many shoes do you own? 10+

"I can be ready to go shopping in about 10 minutes, and I like to go alone."

What's you opinion on glitter? I like it when it's not too much.

Was "The Dress" black/blue or white/gold? Neither. It's Blue & Gold!

IG: @sarah_salem101

What should you wear when you visit Egypt? You can wear whatever you want. Just be sure to take a sturdy pair of tennis shoes for all that walking!