You may or may not have heard that Iran has strict rules for clothing and dressing. Specially for women.

Hijab (abiding Islamic dress code) is mandatory in Iran, but in practice there is quiet some flexibility in what this entails.

According to Iran law women must wear clothes that relatively hides their body shape and are required to cover their hair, legs and arms. And tourists are no exception to this rule and need to abide them as soon as they’re in Iran soil.

But still … Iranians attitude toward dressing is more casual than what you might expect. They won’t give tourists a hard time and the worst that could happen is that you might end up getting a friendly advice on how to dress appropriately.

for women / dress code in Iran for women

Bring a shawl that can be used as headscarf. It can be said that the most important part is the headscarf that needs to be worn all the time. You also need to cover the neck which is why hat or bandana alone won’t work. It doesn’t need to cover all the hair as you will see many examples in locals and based on the color, pattern and the way it’s worn, it can be quite fashionable.

For top and legs as said before clothes that cover the body shape are the best. So, a long-sleeved tunic that comes close to your knees would be perfect to bring along for top. You can then buy some Manteau (one of the common female dresses of Iran that can be worn on top of other clothes, Similar to tunics) from local shops after arriving to Iran. Jeans, trousers and leggings are fine but it’s best if they cover down or close to your ankles.
For footwear open-toed sandals are fine, but better to avoid toenail varnish. And flip flops are generally worn in bathroom so it’s a little unusual to wear them outside.

For men / dress code in Iran for men

Men are not allowed to wear shorts in public, but t-shirts are fine. Nonetheless you should avoid wearing sleeveless shirt. Easiest way to learn what dress is appropriate would be by seeing how Iranian themselves dress up and adjust your clothing based on your taste.

Colors

One of the wrong beliefs about Iran is the prohibition of light colors. darker colors are more commonly used specially for work uninforms. but you will see combination of many light colors in local dresses as well.

Local dressing

like every other nation, Iranians are also trying to find the clothes that would make them look good. They have many trends and fashions. which seeing and experiencing them can also be one of the reasons for this trip.

Some Iranian women wear Chador. The Chador is an Iranian invention and consists of full body length fabric tossed over the women’s head that only leaves the face open. At certain shrines and mosques, you must wear them. But at those places they’re provided to you at the entrances. You might find it a little hard to wear them at first. Then again, there is no need to worry because the clumsy fight of tourists against gravity and fabric will be overlooked easily.