When in Morocco, I am often tempted to roam the streets a la The Sartorialist, as an unofficial chronicler of the beautiful gems of individual style to be found there, but my inner voice usually takes control of me and screams “don’t bother anyone! Don't give people a reason to glare at you!" so regrettably, I do not have a cache of photos to highlight for you the heights to which les marocaines take the art of decoration and self-adornment.
What I love most about this people-watching (a national past-time usually accompanied by strong coffee and sharp critiques entre amis in Morocco, as in much of the Mediterranean and elsewhere) is taking note of the thoughtfulness and detail put into the custom-made clothing people (mostly women) wear and the flair with which they choose color combinations, cuts flattering to their specific body shape and materials. There are definitely fashion trends (like where the embroidery is placed on the sleeve, how big the hood is, what fabrics and patterns are in style that season) that sweep through the domain of “traditional” clothing such as jellabas, jabadors, caftans and takchitas*, but if you favor a mid-calf hemline or an off-beat pattern, you can have it.
In the West, let’s say you have a passion for dressing in head to toe turquoise, or particularly favor a portrait neckline or silver or rainbow embroidery (multi-colored rainbow embroidery was in fact the trend when I was there last summer). But when you try to find that perfect ensemble or even just something remotely flattering to your skin tone and body shape, you always return home empty handed, fed up and vowing to never go shopping again (riiiiiiiight…). The top fit fine but the bottom, well, not quite…and who on earth could possibly wear such a shocking shade of persimmon (those people are out there, I swear). Who are these people designing for anyway?
In Morocco this is not a problem. Custom-made clothing is not just a luxury for the elite but an affordable expense that Moroccans (especially the ladies!) take very seriously, especially for more formal occasions like weddings, parties and holidays when people typically have new clothes made.
I often meet women who, depending on their occupation, wear well-tailored suits, blouses and heels to work and lounge around the home in a comfy gandoura (house dress) and babouches. Or they may wear a jellaba to work but when the go visit their friends or go to a party they prefer short skirts and tank tops. Then there are a huge number who mix it up however they like it, depending on their mood, the task at hand, and wherever they are in their laundry-washing schedule. Sometimes a jellaba is just thrown over the last clean clothes you have, or very often leggings and a tshirt -or even pajamas- and in this case the jellaba is called (somewhat) jokingly a “cache-misere” (“hide-misery”).
But sometimes the clothes are truly elegant creations and personal statements. Much is read into the hemline, height of a slit on the side of a jellaba, (including whether or not leggings or pants can be shown peeking through it –and if not, the gaggle of old ganders sitting smoking and drinking coffee at the café you just passed by mayy set their tongues a-wagging imagining what you might be wearing underneath…) A well-trained eye can spot when a jellaba was made based on the size and construction of a hood, whether a young woman out on an errand is merely borrowing her mother’s or aunt’s jellaba because it appears too large for her, whether a garment is cheap and machine made or else the product of a master craftsman - based on the cloth, amount and style of embroidery, the cut and quality of the stitching. This is a culture of detail and when it comes to clothes like so much else, Moroccans tend to have the vision of hawks, ready to pick out the slightest flaw or flash of inspiration. It’s easy to understand why designers like Yves Saint-Laurent have been so inspired by these garments over the years.
Now that there are so many Moroccans living abroad (mainly in Europe but also in the Gulf states), traditional women’s garments are also easy to get on a made-to-order basis, and they can be quite lovely. Aside from the wealth of talent au bled that like any good designer draws inspiration from across the globe, there are many small businesses, usually run by women, that cater to the European market’s desire for fancy occasion takchitas, caftans and sometimes everyday garments like jellabas and jabadors.
Often merging eastern and western esthetics, not only in palette but also in material (check out the Indian-inspired pic below!) these creations can sometimes be really tacky or sometimes incredibly stylish. I’m told that women and tourists in the Emirates, Qatar and other Gulf countries go nuts for the more elaborate evening-gown-like caftans, and I’ve met many an American muslima who’s stumbled over the proper pronunciation of “jellaba” (usually uttered as a hesitant “jilbab??” with an audible upturn on the last syllable) but has shown an utter appreciation for the beauty and simplicity of the thing itself.
Recently I found the Belgium-based
Laisma, a collaboration between two talented women, Laila and Asma. I am totally down with their solid-color linen and silk
jabadors with their adorable jackets and wide belts: ecru and taupe, silver, graphite and white, and deep-sea blue and white.
My favorite of their designs...
Love this jacket. Would've liked the belt better with a geometric design or more traditional embroidery...
I’m less of a fan of the material in their takchitas (I’m just not big on florals and lace) but I think the cuts are flattering and fashionable.
Notice the stitching up the tops of the sleeves to the shoulders and the short asymmetrical hemline of the overgarment. This is not traditional (usually the stitching is on the bottom of the sleeve) but I've seen it a lot on fashion-conscious women of varying ages. Somehow I just keep thinking of fish scales when I see this material (and not in the good way as with Marion Cotillard's Oscar dress) but a lot of women do like these lacy fabrics.
I think in the right cut, material and attitude, these ensembles would be equally beautiful at a swanky party in San Francisco or New York as at a huge wedding celebration in Casablanca or Marrakech.
All made sur mesure, selon vos envies et désirs and sure to please. In Moroccan fashion, at least, almost anything is possible. Even head-to-toe turquoise.
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*jellaba: a long hooded garment worn over other clothes by both sexes, an everyday article of clothing.
jabador: any combination of pant and shirt set, usually in matching fabric for men and women.
caftan: a single "dress", traditionally with long sleeves, a belt, and worn over loose pants; women only and for special occasions
takchita: similar to the caftan, but composed of two pieces. Considered by some to be the more elegant of the two formal "gowns'.
But my favorites of her designs, after her lush cypres and pomegranate tree prints (which I really, really hope she'll make into a series of greeting cards), are her charmingly beautiful ladies attired in a mix of contemporary and by-gone Persian fashion layered atop subtle watercolors.
