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Dubai: For Maria Oustwani, Dubai's biggest race day is more about fashion than horses.
Oustwani, a 37-year-old jeweller, spent a week looking for an outfit to wear today at the largest social event in the UAE She ended up paying $1,000 (Dh3,670) for a pink dress.
"You have to have the look," said Oustwani, who searched Harvey Nichols and Saks Fifth Avenue before buying from a small boutique in the city called Sauce. "I'm super excited with my dress, now I can walk the walk and talk the talk," she said.
Oustwani, a Syrian who's lived in the city for a decade, will join a crowd of about 60,000 revellers at the 13th Dubai World Cup today.
"All the people you want to meet are at this event," said James Kinnear, chief executive officer of Canada's Pengrowth Energy Trust, in an interview after arriving in Dubai from Calgary. "I was at the race last year and loved it, and timed my business trip to the region to coincide with it this time." Pengrowth invests in Canadian oil and natural gas resources.
Carol Wilmot, 39, a South African living in the UAE for the last four years, threw a buy-your-dress party for the occasion, and invited 100 women to her house to view outfits presented by Dubai-born Indian designer Jasbir Jamani.
Away from the horses, the 2008 World Cup BurJuman Style Stakes gives women the chance to flaunt their style in four competitions with a total purse value of $20,000. The winning dress gets $7,000 and the best hat wins $4,000.
"Women prepare for months in advance," said Dina Saleh, a partner in Sauce, which owns four stores across the UAE and has sold out of dresses.
"Our sales are up as much as a 30 per cent. You can't get a hat or a dress in Dubai today."
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