What should you wear in Iran?

Since the 1979 revolution women’s dress code, have changed, and all woman including foreigners have to wear hijab. Means wear loose-fitting clothes which cover their hair, arms and legs.
Scarf, what in most of the countries in the world is used as a decorative item of clothing, here is used by women to cover their hair. You also have to wear long dresses which cover all your body, including arms here or wear a special item of clothing called “Manteau”.

Girls start to wear hijab when they turn to the age of puberty and women’s outfit changes city by city. For example in populated cities such as Tehran, Isfahan or Shiraz you can see women in all kinds of outfits. Some are wearing “Chador” (an Islamic outfit which you wear on all of clothes and it’s mostly in the color of black) and others are in jeans or tight pants or wearing colorful long skirts and etc. but in religious cities like Mashhad, Kashan or Qom most women are wearing chador or loose black pants and long loose manteaus and the clothes are less colorful in this cities.
But foreigners won’t be judged because of the way they have dressed as long as they are obeying the rules, so you don’t have to worry about your clothes, just pack your loose blouses, long dresses and skirts and don’t forget to pack scarves with you too.

Clothing items:

Manteaus

Manteau, is actually a French word, and it is defined as a long trench coat or cloak. But of course in Islamic countries the appearance is modified to an Islamic version.
You shouldn’t worry much about buying it before you arrive to the country, just pack some loose blouses and long dresses or skirts with you and you can buy it from shops in the city. You can find manteaus from 10 to 40 bucks in Iran.

Head Coverings

There are different kinds of head coverings in Iran, you can wear “Shawls” or “Kerchiefs” and even in autumn and winter you are able to wear hats if you have short hair or you are able to hide them in your hat. The biggest challenge you may have is keeping your scarf on, specially if you are using silk scarves cause they tend to slip off so the only way to make them work is to tie them in babushka-style. If you aren’t interested in this style, you can choose textured cotton which is easier to keep it on your head or use bobby pins to fix your scarf easily.

You also have to make sure your scarf is wide enough to cover all of your hair. You don’t have to make your self uncomfortable and tighten your scarf too much and you can wear it loose and if you have long hair there is no worry about a little hair that maybe showing from the back of your scarf.

Chadors

Foreign women don’t have to wear chador, except when they want to visit holly shrines. And you don’t have to worry about that, because they will give you chador before you enter in or you can borrow in the site.

What should you wear in every season in Iran:

Spring

In Spring Temperatures rise to somewhat comfortable range. But the weather is till kind of cold so pack some sweatshirts with you and if you are willing to wear skirts I guess you have to wear long thick socks under it. But if you are planning to visit the country in June, you can wear lighter clothes specially in the southern cities of Iran.

Summer

As Iran is located in a dry plateau, Summers are pretty hot here. So try to pack light clothes and long dresses and skirts.
Summer is the most colorful season in Iran and you can see women, specially tourists in floral colorful dresses. The hijab is about covering your body not wearing simple black clothes, there is no limitation on the design.
A frequently asked question is if it’s possible to wear sandals in Iran? And the answer is Yes! It is very common to wear sandals or open front shoes here.

Autumn and Winter

The weather is completely compatible with Hijab! It begins to rain from late September and from late November there is the possibility of light snow, specially in mountain areas. So pack some warm clothes with you and don’t forget as long as you cover your hair and neck it isn’t any problem to wear hats instead of scarves.

Hijab for children and babies

Nope! no baby girl don’t have to wear hijab, unless they are 9. And if they’re body isn’t mature like a woman you can skip it. If you are traveling with your young girl whose about 9/10 and she doesn’t have a mature body yet, you can just pack her some loose shirts and long sleeve dresses and skip wearing scarves or manteau, there won’t be any problem.