Whenever I travel somewhere that’s a little more conservative, girls leave messages or send emails asking what I’ve packed and how I dressed in a certain country. Morocco was no different so I promised I’d share how to dress in Morocco along with some of my favorite styles now for travel. What to wear in Morocco shouldn’t stress you out – it’s the fun part (or maybe I just love packing and planning).
I have written in the past a couple posts that are similar and you can use as more resources:
Those are both conservative countries in their own different ways. Make sure to check them out. I wrote last month about what I packed for this multi-cultural trip abroad which included Europe, Middle East, and Africa all in a month.
Morocco Travel Guide
- What to Buy in Morocco
- How to Dress in Morocco (for general tips on how I dress boho chic, check here)
- 20 Photos to Inspire You to Visit Morocco
- What Food to Try in Morocco
- Morocco Itinerary: A Guide for 2 Weeks
- Where to Stay
How to Dress in Morocco – Ideas of What to Wear in Morocco
Morocco is a Muslim country and although they speak French in some areas, Spanish in others, and are used to tourists, it’s still a conservative place. Compared to Turkey for example this was much more conservative. I would say it’s a little more relaxed than Jordan.
I suggest taking the following styles of clothing:
Long silk maxi dress to wear under button up tops
Leather jacket – it does get cold at night
Long sleeve breezy button up shirts
Long sleeve jackets – I prefer thin silk because breezy
Ali baba trousers – I love the ones from FARA
Jumpsuits/ Pantsuits – I have a green culotte one I wear a lot
Jeans – totally fine in Morocco
Leggings / short dress combination – feel free to take spaghetti strap dresses and just layer a button up over it
Thin sweater for layering
Orange silk coat by TIA, similar here
Black maxi dress by TIA, similar here
Silk jacket by TIA, similar style (different color) here
Trench coat by TIA, similar style (different color) here
Silk dress by TIA, similar style here
Silk jacket by TIA, similar style (different color) here
It’s all about layering. Don’t be afraid to take your favorite pieces and just wear something over them to make them appropriate.
I always find that a trip is much better when I dress in an outfit I enjoy rather than just making due with what I have on hand. Because of that, I shop thinking about travel. I buy pieces that I know will be good for travel. Here are a few pieces that I own and love below.
Favorite travel pieces I own for layering
TIA silk dresses and jackets – almost all of what is pictured above is from my friend Tia’s Goa brand. You can shop her clothes on Etsy and I have links to each item underneath the photos above. These are all her new designs. I love her cotton stuff as well, it’s thin Indian khaddi and perfect for traveling- plus most of that is on sale!
Ali Baba silk trousers – I take these everywhere
Baggy raw silk tops – perfect to wear with jeans and cover my bum
UO Wrap Tops love this top and have it in two colors
UO Culotte Pants – a dream for travelers
UO Maxi Dresses – I am wearing a black maxi all the time when I travel. I love wearing a silk one under laid-back cotton tops.
UO Jumpsuits – it’s very baggy but I like that
Top Shop Jamie jeans – I have these in ripped black, indigo, and green. They are the best fitting high-rise jeans I’ve ever found.
Those are some of my favorite travel pieces of clothing but I know my style might not be like yours. I wear these even in countries that aren’t conservative but they are great for when I want to be a little under the radar and not worry at all about being offensive to anyone.
A few more tips on what to wear in Morocco
- You can take off shawls at most restaurants
- You can wear bikinis at hotel pools, they can be skimpy but even the French are not sunbathing nude!
- At night, we did see all types of girls (Moroccan and foreign) in short dresses to go party. It’s up to you but I didn’t feel comfortable doing so.
- The medinas are fairly clean but there is some water and donkey poo, so don’t wear dresses or jeans that drag the floor. This is a good reason for mid-calf maxi dresses and culottes! Even a nice cropped pantsuit!
Pin how to dress in Morocco for later (hover over and click the Pinterest icon)
Great tips! As someone who has relocated to a Muslim country, and who is currently writing a travel guide for travellers there, I totally agree with these – it it’s totally possible to look the part and be sensitive to the local culture at the same time. I’m a little jealous of your modelling skills, too, by the way :p
Glad you agree! And pshhh the modeling skills are a joke! Gotta put in a little effort to get nice IG photos though lol !
Great tips! Thnx! In a few weeks I am traveling to Morocco to buy stuff for trading. Do you have some good tips where the best makers (not traders) are. I want to buy fairtrade and when possible organic. Thinking of clothes, jewerely, bags etc. In short, all kind off stuff women like :-))
Hey, no sorry I don’t and didn’t see any good places for this – so best to do a lot of research!
Hey awesome post!! I was just wondering what you noticed about exposed shoulders… okay or no?
I kept mine covered unless no one was around or I was in a 5-star type place. I saw only a handful of foreigners uncovered. You’re not really supposed to.
Great article, You did a great job showing outfits that cover up but still look fashionable !
Love your article, but all of the links I clicked (to find clothing pieces) are out of date and no longer work. Can you update the links? And post photos of what each piece looks like? That would be super helpful. Thanks!
Hey Tara, this post is from last year so unfortunately most of the outfits I wore are sold out already. Updating links is on the to-do list… for 10000 posts haha so trying my best! you can go to that etsy page though, Studio Tia, and see her new collection and some of those older pieces are still there.
Hey I’m travelling to Morocco soon. Was just wondering what kind of covering up is needed. Are ankles allowed? knees? I know shoulders aren’t, what about ripped clothing no? I have no idea.
Ankles are fine, knees you should cover, and ripped is okay if it’s like a style that you have over something, not if skin is showing through
This is great advice. Thank you. I have a couple of maxi dresses that have a slit one one size almost to the knee – would these be appropriate you think?
Yeah it’s not a big deal just when you sit down, make sure it doesn’t raise up higher
Such an amazing article with very helpful tips ! thanks for sharing your experience in Morocco