On Friday we were fortunate enough to slip into the DMC amphitheatre to see Fergie live in concert. We’ve heard some mixed reviews of the night, some people upset that her set lasted only an hour. But scheduling complaints aside, all seem to unanimously agree that for the brief stint that she was on stage she was floss factor forty with a healthy dose of fab. That and she apparently lived up to her purported “fergilicious” name as our photographer took about 100 photos of her, and few of anyone/thing else. Still however, she was one upped in the competition for the dubizzle style award by the guy who curiously had the Rotana Hotel logo shaved into the side of his head. That kid’s got upper management written all over him.

If you ever find yourself stranded at Wafi after dinner looking for a club, you have two options, New Asia Bar or Plan B. If you like being judged by a gawky gatekeeper with a funny accent and more self importance than hair gel before being utterly mugged by the bar staff, we suggest you choose the former. If not, do as we have done and go to Plan B. Hadn’t been there in awhile, so we decided that the ever popular hat night by Prestige Clubbing would be worth a trip. We fit right in with the usual crowd of weirdoes and wag, though we were disappointed to see no one had adorned their crown with a burning tribute to the dubizzle man...next time. The style award goes to the gentleman who beat us to the obvious punchline of sticking the “I’ll be your hat club wh%&#!” dialogue box down his pants. Try getting into New Asia wearing that!

The world economic downturn and the certain demise of the world as we know it has given us a unique opportunity to party like we should have done in 1999. So glad we finally got around to it 9 years later. Tonight’s style award goes to the two dudes dressed up in the catholic school girl outfits...oh wait, I mean kilts.

Photos by anbu: anbuanandsm@yahoo.com

It was a veritable who’s who of the Dubai fashion scene...we think. Actually we didn’t know anyone there so that’s what we’re assuming. But in all honesty, it was a fantastic event that far outweighed our expectations for the launch of a fashion outlet. Jamie Cullum played a great set of big band classics (with a few originals thrown in) despite having a massive black eye which he claims was given to him compliments of a coffee table. Champagne and oer dourves were free flowing, and the only thing better than the big lawn at the Ritz were the big comfy chairs. We would give out a style award, but we’re obviously in way over our head here.

If going to a club wasn’t enough of an excuse to dress like a... Going to a club on Halloween is. And clearly, a holiday that has evolved from a religious day of caution, to a day where children dress up as scary demons for candy, to one giant pimps and ho’s fraternity theme party could be celebrated nowhere else but Chi. We just wish there was more than only one Halloween a year. Style awards to nearly everyone, and kudos to those brave enough to wear full face paint into a sweaty club.

Photos bay anbu: anbuanandsm@yahoo.com

With all of the Mega Clubs that have flooded Dubai’s night life scene, one tends to forget about Zinc and assume that its popularity might have waned. Not the case. Rarely have we visited this club and it was not going off. The fact is that with numerous Emirates crew housing structures within walking distance, they don’t have to do that much promoting to fill their venue with the fairer of the species and those that follow. They just stick to the basic formula of a large dance floor, a larger bar, and bullfrogs – that delightful drink that stains your tongue green and hopefully somebody else’s as well. Old faithful worked again on Thursday, attracting not only the attractive, but the fashionably inclined. Tonight’s dubizzle style award goes to the fella who looks like a priest from a tele-evangelical church in Miami’s South Beach. That facial hair screams Schick Quattro.

Photos By Anbu: anbuanandsm@yahoo.com

Only days before his performance at the Emirates Palace, Jagjit Singh held a private VIP dinner at Keva bar & lounge for his most distinguished fans...erm...and us. Aside from singing a fantastic intimate set, Mr. Singh managed to non-chalantly squeeze himself into nearly every photo we took. Tonight’s style award goes to Keva, yes that is a leapord skin sofa that Mr. Singh is lounging on.

Photos by Anbu: anbuanandsm@yahoo.com

On Friday we decided to pay our first post-Ramadan visit to the hottest club in Bur Dubai that puts all other Dubai clubs to shame when it comes to their smoke machine to square meter ratio. The atmosphere is basically how you would imagine a hotspot in a more international St. Petersburg - insomuch as lazer light shows and leopard print bustiers are not uncommon. And if you like dancing, there is nary a more inviting and spacious venue to do so in Dubai. However, the real reason we like this place is because of the ease with which we are able to find nominees for the nightly dubizzle style award. This one goes to the fella in the tastefully unbuttoned magenta shimmery shirt tucked into the skin tight white pants. That takes confidence mate.

Photos by anbu: anbuanandsm@gmail.com

I often wonder why some bars are able to build brands that last a decade while others are merely a flash in the pan. Most restauranteurs will argue that this is simply the nature of the business, but there are many examples of bars and restaurants that have defied this rule of thumb. Certainly part of it is the gimmicky aspect of the industry in which certain venues choose to tie their brands to a trend that will be intensely popular for awhile but will inevitably fizzle out. But I suspect that the normal rules of business, customer relations and brand building tend to apply here more than the managers of fly by night bars care to admit.

For the bar/club industry, the first interaction with the brand any customer has is with the doormen. Unfortunately, however, many bar managers see their doormen as serving only one function: security. In Dubai, this seems to be the case more so than any other place I’ve been – which is especially peculiar considering that Dubai is likely the least violent place I have ever visited (let alone lived). At times it almost seems as if certain doormen, bored from the lack of occasion to exhibit their skills in violence, seek to provoke a reaction from the customers that would warrant the use of force.

Soldiers during peacetime often have a similar yearning to test their training, but it is their leaders that must instill restraint. So when a doormen conducts himself in a certain way, good or bad, it is a direct result of the culture that the bar manager has created and the limits that he or she has set. In almost all of the bars with lasting brands that I’ve visited around the world, I’ve seen this done correctly. Doormen who welcome you when you enter, who are diplomatic when you cannot, and who will talk someone out the door before dragging them out or worse. I’ve also seen the opposite. But never before has the connection between management and door policy been so clear as it was this weekend when a belligerent bar manager appeared to fancy himself more of a gang leader egging on his troop of thugs than a business man at his place of work.

Just a few weeks back we called Alpha the new home for music in Dubai. We now wonder how long before it becomes the old one.

The new Left Bank recently opened in the Souk Al Bahar in Old Town and Dubizzle was there to measure the response. Having heard tales of standing room only and an atmosphere of slightly civilized savoir faire, we think we were able to capture the essence of the place. You won’t be able to wear your flip flops if you are walking over from your nearby Old Town apartment if you want to get in, but if you are looking for a cheeky tipple or a date place, this looks like it would suffice.