The Irish Embassy in Saudi Arabia will supply traditional garb to women travelling with President Mary McAleese on her visit to the Middle Eastern country this weekend.
Under Saudi tradition, women wear the abaya, a garment in light black cloth that covers them to wrist and to ankle in public.
But the President, because she is a head of state, is not subject to such restrictions and will wear outfits by Irish designers such as Miriam Mone, Deborah Veale and Aideen Bodkin.
Though women in the President's party could wear western-style clothing and still comply with Saudi rules, the embassy in Riyadh will supply the abaya.
Muslims consider that men and women dressing and behaving modestly symbolises the importance and value placed on women as mothers and guardians of the family, according to the World Travel Guide.
The President arrives in Riyadh on Saturday on an official visit, during which she will deliver the keynote address at the seventh annual Jeddah Economic Forum on Sunday morning.
On Tuesday she and her party, which includes Enterprise Ireland executives, travel to the Jordanian capital, Amman, where she will be greeted by King Abdullah and Queen Rania.
Clothing restrictions on the Irish women in the party, including journalists, will be lifted at the end of the Saudi part of the trip, since Jordan takes a more relaxed view on the subject.
Later, Mrs McAleese will lunch with Jordanian prime minister Dr Al Bakhit before meeting the king and queen for a state banquet in her honour. The city's mayor will present her with the key to Amman.
On Thursday she visits the Aqaba special economic zone area and the Unesco World Heritage site at Petra, the Nabataean city built into rock between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea.
