Once, Twice, Three Times…and My Feet Hurt.

How many black ties can one person have? This weekend we found ourselves in the very odd position of attending three black tie events over the course of the weekend. This caused a bit of panic in our house, as we can be prepared for a formal event, but three variations’ on the outfits was a bit of a stretch. Matt decided that he didn’t feel like renting a tux, or making his black suit and dark tie passable, so he did what any sensible man in an emerging market would do. He traveled into the garment district had a custom tux made – in 6 days. From the first measurement to the final stitch, he managed to pick up a brand new tuxedo one hour before our first dinner. Never mind that it didn’t actually have cuffs on the shirt at pick up time, these guys attached them in 2 minutes and he was out the door.

A quick rundown on our commitments:
Thursday night we attended the American Business Council of Dubai and the Northern Emirates Annual Gala Dinner, mostly because we are actual members of the business council, but also because my boss the Executive Chairman of Tatweer, in a complete stroke of irony was being honored with the American Business Council Award, which honors one Emirati business leader per year who has done the most to advance US businesses in the Emirates.Friday night we, along with a group of 20 friends (including Lisa's friend from home, Shannan)went to the Oil Barons Ball. It is deemed “the social event of the year” in some circles in Dubai and it brings together oil executives from across the gulf for a huge party. It’s held on the lawn of the Emirates Golf Course, and they give away cowboy hats at party favors. I’ll say no more. (Stay tuned for a special feature from the Oil Barons Ball).
Saturday, Matt and I went to a dinner put together by Ms. Lucy Chow, a Dubai socialite extraordinaire, who invited us to a dinner at the Capital Club to network with others in the region, with a healthy dose of ‘North Americans’ in attendance as Lucy and her husband are Canadian. And on Sunday morning I woke up and my feet screamed “never again, never again”!