Modesty … the signs are there

DUBAI // A notice at the entrance to Mall of the Emirates reads: "We advise avoiding clothing showing your shoulders and knees."

About 120 adults entered the mall by the main entrance in half an hour yesterday. About 85 of them were women.

Most dressed conservatively, but about 35 women were wearing clothes that exposed either their knees or shoulders. Only three exposed both.

There was no beachwear or obviously revealing clothing. Men were the most conservatively dressed, with none breaching any element of the dress code in that 30 minutes.

Sophie Tapson, 34, from the UK, said she had taken care to cover up.

"I normally do anyway, not just because it's Ramadan," she said.

Another resident from the UK said most expatriates knew the rules and rarely broke them. "It's mostly tourists who do that," she said.

* Martin Croucher