What to wear in Morocco

For our trip to Marrakesh, I was not entirely sure what to pack. The closest I had ever been to Morocco was their pavilion in Epcot at Disney World, and admittedly, all I could mentally reference was Jasmin, belly dancers and glamorous Arabian night themed parties. Some of the bloggers I follow had recently been to Marrakesh, so I consulted their Instagram photos and reached out for advice. What I was told to bring was layers, and flowy dresses or skirts. What I saw in their perfectly poised Instagram photos was long floral wrap dresses, crop tops with skirts, chunky heels, wedges and bright colors. I had all of those things in my closet, so I was pretty confident to start picking out pretty sleeveless sundresses, crop tops with skirts or flowy pants, and strapless jumpsuits/maxi dresses. However, when I googled "What to wear in Morocco," I read on several sites that conservative clothes and modesty is best since it is a Muslim country. One article read that showing any skin, in general, should be avoided out of respect for the culture. The only people you will see wearing shorts or tank tops (or even short sleeves) are quite obviously tourists. I was momentarily at a loss and had to start over with my outfit planning. I was not necessarily trying to blend in, but I did not want to dress offensively either. Since I was going to spend some time in France before Morocco, I was trying to pack for 12 days in two different climates all in a carry-on! It did not help my planning that the forecast kept changing. After a while, I came up with some great stylish but modest outfits that I was excited about and zipped up my carry-on with confidence. I had grand ideas of taking stylish photos in cute outfits for my Instagram and blog recap of Marrakesh, but once we got there, I realized quickly that some of these outfits were just not practical to explore the city and go on the excursions our friends had planned. After the first day, I experienced some major packing remorse and started thinking about all the things my closet that would have been better suited for this trip. ​

What I packed specifically for Morocco was two pairs of long flowy pants, one pair of linen pants, one pair of leggings, one pair of silky cropped pants, one linen button up shirt, three long sleeve and four short sleeve silky shirts to go with them all. I also brought a cropped leg jumpsuit, a Moroccan dress that I bought in Epcot, and a high waisted maxi skirt with a short sleeve crop top (unless I lifted up my arms, my tummy did not show). Most of these outfits required a heel, which I did not mind since I wear heels almost every day anyway. I found a cute nude strappy sandal with a chunky heel at Charlotte Russe for $10 that went with everything, and I would not care about getting dirty. I also brought a pair of flips flops, pumps, slides and wedges. Unfortunately a lot of that did not get worn.

​What I ended up wearing was anything that allowed me to wear my flip flops, as they were the most durable and comfortable footwear I had with me. On a couple of the days, I wore the jeans and long sleeve shirts that I brought to wear in France where it was cooler. I ended up buying two pairs of lightweight pants while there and a pair of sneakers for the day we visited Setti Fadma.

I wore jeans a lot more than I thought I would because of the heat. However, in early April it was warm during the day but cool at night.

I bought the above pants in one of the souks for $5. Although not my usual style, they were perfect to wear when exploring Essaouira. 

​Here is my advice on what to pack for Marrakesh based on what I saw others wearing and my own packing mistakes;

Shoes:
Know that your shoes will get dusty and possibly wet in the streets, so make sure you bring shoes that can be cleaned easily!
Flat sandals that wrap around your ankle (not flip-flops)
Walking sneakers such as Converse or Adidas
A chunky heel or wedge if going to a fancier dinner, there is no real reason to wear them durning the day (and this is coming from someone that LOVES wearing heels!
Ballet flats or loafers

Clothes:
Whether wearing pants, skirts, or dresses, I would advise that they do not skim the ground. They should be at or below your knee, but not below the ankle. I suggest this because the streets can be wet and dusty with the occasional donkey droppings to dodge. They are also very crowded at times with people, motorbikes, and donkeys pulling carts, so there is a chance longer skirts could get stepped on. On the day I wore my maxi skirt I was holding it up most of the time while walking to avoid getting the bottom of it wet or dirty.
In the markets, you can find lots of inexpensive harem style or lightweight patterned pants with elastic waists and ankles - ideal for comfort and the heat!
For shirts, I recommend that they should at least cover your shoulders, stomach, and cleavage.

Accessories:
Regarding purses, cross-body or waist/fanny bags would be best.
There is no reason to wear a lot of flashy jewelry. Keep it simple with studs, a watch and your wedding/engagement rings.
Bring or purchase scarves while there to cover your head if you don't want to bring attention to yourself while walking through the streets, especially if have lighter or red hair. 

Toiletries: We stayed in a Riad that did not provide any shower supplies, lotion or extra towels like a basic hotel would. So pack (or buy once there) shampoo, conditioner, soap, lotion, shaving cream, etc. I ended up purchasing extra washcloths to wash my face and feet at night.

These were the only dressy outfits I wore heels with on the evenings when we went out to dinner. However, it is not necessary to dress up to go to dinner unless you go outside of the medina where there are fancier restaurants with belly dancers and other performers. Light, breathable materials such as silk or linen are best. I would recommend wearing looser clothing in general.

Any questions? Do not hesitate to ask! Have you been to Marrakech or somewhere else in Morocco? Share your thoughts!