I have never been anywhere as mysterious and exotic as Marrakesh. I had a vague idea of what to expect but I didn’t know it would be a million times overwhelming (in a good way!!!) in real life. Once you’ve seen the photos I’ve taken, you’d also be at a loss of words on how to describe what I saw. It’s like going through a time warp to be transported back to old times, except there are satellite dishes on top of every concrete structure everywhere. Talk about experiencing REAL “culture shock” for the first time. The city was a feast for the senses — marvelous colours, textures, scents… There’s always something to discover everywhere.

Click click click to continue!
CONTINUE READING

Here are two videos I took during the 2.5 hour drive from Marrakesh to Casablanca. While some editors, especially the British contingent, flew from Marrakesh to Casablanca, me and my gurl Kandie opted for the long but calm drive to the airport.

On Sunday, thousands of Moroccans congregated at the famous Jemaa el-Fna square and protested against the recent bombing attack in Marrakesh.

It’s very sad that there are a few people out there (with far too much time in their hands) who spend their entire lives spreading hatred and terror. Morocco is a relatively peaceful country who relies heavily in tourism. I’ve been told that the bombing incident happened because some wanted to cause fear, panic and revolt in Morocco like its neighbours Egypt and Libya. I don’t know if that’s true or not but hey, I’m all for world peace.

In other news, don’t you love their colourful hats? Very Galliano-esque, aren’t they?

Do you like my new boob job, sponsored by Marni? Just kidding.

I am OBSESSED with these amazing hats I bought from the market a few days ago. Best purchase EVER!

I had the pleasure of attending the Caftan 2011 fashion show in Marrakech over the weekend. It’s their 15th year anniversary. Over the span of two hours, I saw numerous, heavily-embroidered caftans, in every imaginable colour and fabric, as interpreted by various young Moroccan designers (interestingly enough, most of them are female). The amount of beadwork and man-hours spent to create these garments is astonishing.

I loved watching the belly dancers at the Caftan 2011 fashion show the other day in Marrakesh. I couldn’t pinpoint what exactly I found enchanting — the performance itself or the dancers’ voluptuous, curvy bodies. There was something hypnotic about the way their bellies, their hips and their bums shook to the beats of the sound. I think it’s wonderful that there are still places in the world where “curvy” is considered as beautiful. I cannot imagine belly dancers without having actual bellies and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

The terracotta walls in Marrakesh make awesome, exotic backdrops. It’s such a shame I brought few things with me, not to mention I have very little clean clothes left. Can you imagine how awesome it would be if I wore maaaajor clothes from the runways?

What an amazing day so far here in Marrakech. It’s such a shame that time is very limited (ditto with my clothing options) because everywhere I go there’s always a photo opportunity. I *must* come back here on a personal holiday and not a business trip/during an event because there’s so many unexplored places…

I took my new banana print Prada shirt out for a spin yesterday. I love how it’s kitschy and cheeky… however, I’m curious how it looks like to the un-fashion-trained eye. Is this shirt the designer equivalent of the ubiquitous Hawaiian floral-print short-sleeve shirts that middle-aged American men like to wear when they go on holidays?

Anyhoo, I had a funny conversation with my boyfriend yesterday. I was whining how I have nothing* to wear and I’ve worn pretty much everything that I have. I love how he understands what mileage means when it comes to fashion without me explaining the whole “cost-per-use” concept.

Hat from Marrakesh stall, shirt by Prada, jacket by Filippa K, pants from Rag & Bone, shoes from Prada

*When I say “nothing”, it means “nothing new, nothing fresh, nothing unworn, nothing photographed”.

J’adore the gargantuan chandeliers at the Palais des Congres here in Marrakech.