Point #1 : Know the time and place for each thawb. With the exception of some Moroccan thawbs, short-sleeve and checkered thawbs are PAJAMAS. Arabs cringe when unknowing non-Arabs wear such garments to Friday prayer or even weddings. Do not wear these outside of the house.

Similarly, although thawbs with tacky calligraphy and odd innovative designs seem cool to inner-city Western Muslims, they are regarded as informal and unserious in the Arab world, again, not suited for a wedding. These are not a no-go per se, but again, know the time and place.

Generally speaking, the more plain and toned-down a thawb is, the more formal and serious. The same goes for colors. The middle two thawbs are passable (if they were tailored properly). The blue one is questionable at best, and an Arab would never be caught dead in the red one.

Hoods are only found on Moroccan and other North African thawbs. They are to be otherwise avoided. Drawstrings, zippers, and other elements of Western attire poorly incorporated into thawbs render them informal. Avoid these as well.

Thawbs are always a single, solid color, with the exception of Moroccan thawbs which have vertical stripes. Multiple colors are also a sign of informality among most Arabs. Avoid these blunders.

Recognize regional variations. Some thawbs are fair game for all (first image) whereas others are geography-specific (second image is Omani). Wearing a country-specific thawb when you have no tie to that place can be seen as unserious or possibly a political statement.

Choose the correct collar. If you are going to wear a suit or bisht, your thawb should have a prominent collar so the second garment is not touching your neck. There are even thawbs with western collars designed to go under a Western jacket. These are common in Yemen.

For this same reason, Yemeni thawbs also come with cuff links. It's best to avoid these unless you intend to wear a suit jacket with the thawb at some point.

Point #2 : Know how to size a thawb. Sleeve length is an easy place to start. Your sleeves should fall right around your wrist. In the first photo, the sleeves are too long. In the second one, they're too short.

The thawb should be as long as your pants are. If it's too short, it looks like an overgrown kameez, a garment that was intended to be knee-length. If it's too long, it obscures your shoes creating this awkward effect. Your shoes should be slightly but not entirely visible.

Your thawb should fit you snugly but not too tightly. If your thawb is loose (left) or too tight (right) it looks awkward and presents your figure in an unflattering way.

Collar size Your collar should fit like a dress shirt. If it is too loose (first photo, also first photo of the last tweet) it makes your neck look tiny, if it's too tight the buttons will not close and your thawb will rest awkwardly. You should be able to close all buttons.

Point #3 : What to wear with a thawb. Headwear is important. Traditionally, Arabs were not bare headed. The easiest is a kufi. Something plain that matches or complements the thawb color. Don't mix regional varieties. An Omani hat (right) should be worn with an Omani thawb.

Kashmiri shawls, kaffiyas, turbans, and other headwraps are also a good option, but you must proceed with caution, or you will end up looking like a towel head.

The Emirates, Oman, Yemen, etc have their own styles. The differences are small, you can easily find videos explaining how to wrap each style. You can get away with mixing and matching turban styles with thawb styles.

The ghitra/agal combo is best avoided. Even Arabs who are not accustomed to it rarely pull it off. Your fabric must be of particular quality, ironed/starched to stand correctly, the rope must be exactly the right size, etc. You're going to look like the left, not the right.

Bishts are difficult to wear (there is a particular way to hold with your hands, you should not use both sleeves) and should only be worn with headgear. They are formal wedding or majlis attire. The bisht should be darker or the same color as the thawb. Proceed with caution.

Point #4 : Undergarments You should wear basic pajama trousers under your thawb. Don't wear baggy Afghan/South Asian pants. They're too baggy. The pants should sit an inch longer than the thawb, where dress pants would. They should be the same material and color as the thawb.

An undershirt is not a must, but keep in mind that many thawb fabrics are slightly see-through, so only wear plain undershirts or tank tops of the same (or lighter) color underneath. A V-neck will not show through from under the collar.

@sharghzadeh I love how half these tweets have "other than Moroccan ones" 😭

@Troobninge Morocco/the Maghrib broadly is an exception. Their thawb style is really an entirely different realm.