Blue Lady of the Desert

When I was first planning my trip to Morocco early last year, I knew that the one place I had to visit was Chefchouen. I saw photos of this extraordinary town on Flickr and fell in love with it. The name Chefchouen actually means ‘look at the peaks’, but for me (and probably other visitors as well) it will be always synonymous with the celestial blue of its walls.

The town is small and uncrowded, and you’ll only meet the occasional donkey in the streets. It’s easy to explore, and difficult to get lost, so it makes a very pleasant introduction to Morocco (although I’d already had a day in Tangier the day before I arrived in Chefchouen). The owners of the shops are not at all intimidating and many of them even leave you alone to browse! 

On one of my wanderings I found a carpet shop that also sold vintage clothing, and saw this cloak hanging on display outside. It was a case of instant love. Of course I could not simply purchase this cloak – I had to listen to the entire carpet selling spiel – but in the end I actually purchased a carpet too. The carpet seller told me he was a Berber (see him here), and that particular rug was originally an old Berber cloak. He draped it around my shoulders, and it was so heavy I can’t imagine wearing it for long periods of time. Those Berbers had stamina! I knew that bargaining was necessary, and was delighted when the man’s eyes widened in respect and he told me I bargained like a true Berber.

Detail of the embroidery on the cloakThe Tuareg are known as the ‘blue men of the desert’The blue trousers are an exact match for the walls of the town, and I found them in another shop. The seller told me they were Tuareg trousers. They are actually extremely baggy at the top, narrowing just past the knees. There is some pretty galloon embroidery – narrow strips of braid that is sewn onto the fabric. In actual fact the trousers are quite unflattering; that’ll teach me to buy clothing without trying it on! I would have bought them anyway, just for the colour, but I declined to purchase the matching top as together they would be too much. Not too much for the Tuareg, the blue men of the desert, however, whom the seller informed me wore garments dyed such blues. The embroidered blouse I am wearing is actually from Zara in Portugal; it was similar to some of the blouses worn with traditional Portuguese dress.

Blue jewels (only the bead necklace is from Morocco, from the souqs of Essaouira)

I am wearing jewellery from a mixture of sources: only the blue glass bead necklace was bought in Morocco, from the souq in Essaouira. The earrings, featuring copies of Turkish coins, and the blue 1920s style ring were both from a Melbourne jewellery boutique, and the metal necklace I discovered in a Salvos thrift store.

Although the red tooled leather slippers are traditional Moroccan wear – these were bought in Fez – the velvet cap is not at all; I just thought it looked cute. It’s not quite a traditional Moroccan costume, but it is inspired by this most beautiful city of Morocco, Chefchouen. 

A MINI CHEFCHOUEN TRAVEL GALLERY

Looking down on ChefchaouenSacks of powdered dye are everywhereStairway to heavenChildren playing