When preparing to go to Tunisia, I wanted to make sure I had clothes that would be appropriate for a Muslim country. However, when I asked a friend what kind of clothes I should pack for Tunisia I was told, “don’t be too traditional.”

Now I see why.

When we think of Arab women, we tend to think of them wearing darkly colored jimbas and head coverings. While older women do wear mostly one piece dresses that swallow all their curves—this image does not capture the fashion sentiments of the whole Arab world.

Tunisia has one foot in the west and one foot in the east, Richard says. Richard has lived in Tunisia for the past ten years and has noticed these unique varieties within Tunisia’s Muslim culture. The streets to have a clap trap of fashion statements. “A lot of Tunisians have family members in Europe they think of themselves as having close ties with Europe,” he said.

While modesty is important to Tunisians, they don’t give up trendiness for modesty. Walking up and down the main drag, there are a variety of levels of modesty but one thing is clear—everyone is high fashion. In terms of covering, there are a few basic guidelines that almost all women abide by.

Generally arms are covered to the elbows or wrists, even in the heat of summer. Skirts or pants should at least reach mid-calf, completely covering the knee. For a more conservative look, all shirts must come down just below the bottom so that when women bend over, their rear is still covered. Also all shirts or undershirts should come all the way up to the neck.

Often women wear tight long sleeve shirts underneath a flowing top with thin straps. Women then usually layer their tops over tight skinny jeans and accessorize with perfectly matching earrings, bracelets, purses or belts.

Tunisians also like the look of a two toned outfit. Often women will take one central piece of clothing, such as a shirt with a two toned design and then build the rest of their outfit according to that.

Once at a Tunisian wedding, I saw a girl wearing a red tank top with white polka dots. With it, she wore white skinny jeans, red heals and a red clutch. Surprisingly, the girl’s tank top was shear, showing off the curves of her midriff.

At weddings, women take more liberty to show off their bodies by wearing even more Western styles. This is another example of Tunisians mixed sense of identity.  “In reality they are trying to have two identities at once,” Richard says, “western modern European and conservative religious Arab.”

In this respect, Tunisia can seem less shocking culturally to Westerners. Westerners “tend to think that people in Tunisia . . . are really different from them,” Karen says, a European woman who also lived in Tunisia for ten years.   “People are very shocked at how modern and similar cities across the world are.”

On the other hand, as modern as Tunisia is compared to other Islamic countries, there are still traditional values that are a regular part of their culture. For example, wearing shorts would never be appropriate in Tunisia.  Also, women are not supposed to go out alone and especially at night. Foreigners should also keep in mind that they should air on the side of oversensitivity to modesty and appearances.

But this isn’t hard to do. Shopping in Tunisia is probably one of the best ways to engage in the culture. The bazaar’s are full of a variety of colors, materials and patterns making a visual feast. Tunisian shopping clerks will enthusiastically help you pick out clothes but make sure you are ready to bargain.

“Image is everything in this country” Richard says. Engaging in fashion will not only make for a fun experience but it also reveals one of Tunisia’s central values—modernism and religious vigor.

For more examples of Tunisian fashion check out this website: http://welovehijab.com/