Before travelling to Morocco, Do you have any tips on clothing in hot Morocco?
Spent a fair amount of time trying to find out what was appropriate to wear whilst there. There is very varying information out there from don't worry at all, to cover up completely. In the end I fell in the middle, wearing clothes that I would wear anyway at home, but making sure to cover my shoulders and lower legs. I didn't want to feel uncomfortable, as I was on holiday, but wanted to respect local sensibilities and felt this was a good compromise. In the end this worked well, I didn't get any hassle over my clothes, no weird looks, and I felt fully comfortable wearing what I wore.
An additional worry was not overheating, so I chose clothes that were loose fitting. I wouldn't class myself as a huge fashion, but I do like to dress fairly nicely, and not feel dowdy, so the traditional travel khaki and zip off trousers are out. Here is what I ended up taking with me and wearing:
Tops
All my tops had the shoulders covered, not only to dress more conservatively, but to keep the sun off my shoulders as I burn easily. I do this any time I go somewhere sunny, and not just when covering up is necessary due to the culture. I bought a long sleeve linen shirt, a short sleeve cotton shirt, a 3/4 sleeve cotton shirt and a t shirt.
Whilst there were all comfortable, in the future I may skip the linen shirt. Despite being comfortable and easy to wash, it is fairly bulky and I like to pack in small bags. If I can find a more lightweight version though, I highly recommend linen. I wash several times during a trip to cut down on the number of shirts I bring, and linen looks fine after this.
Skirt t-shirt trainer combo
Bottoms
Here I bought with me my trusty light grey chinos, which are very comfortable and go with almost everything, and a long loose skirt. Usually I bring a shorter skirt, and maybe shorts, but I had heard a lot about covering the lower legs. I think that a knee length skirt would not have drawn too much attention, but the full length one meant I wasn't worried, and in a bright cobalt blue, I didn't feel I was giving up any of my usual style. On the other tourists, particularly those in their late teens/early twenties drop crotch hareem pants seemed popular.
Shoes
I have not yet settled on a perfect shoe combination for holidays, and I think it varies a lot based on where you are going and what activities you plan on doing, but I was pretty happy this time. I bought canvas trainers and a pair of hiking sandals, and both got worn plenty. Usually I end up bringing more pairs, and some never get worn. I think the most important thing is they both were comfortable for long days of walking, and could pack down in the bottom of my bag. I had heard the Medina's would be filthy and unsuitable for sandals, but I did not feel this was the case, and I do like to have sandals in the heat. The only thing not covered were a smarter pair, but here they weren't needed. I would consider embellished flip flops or similar for this, again due to space concerns.
Chinos and linen shirt
Accessories
Although I bought a hat with me, as I had good intentions to keep myself from the sun, I never wore it as usual. I may have to give up on trying to persuade myself to wear hats. I bought a large scarf with me, which is the case wherever I go. I used it to wrap around my shoulders in the evening, as a blanket on the plane, and to wrap around my head going into the desert. They are always useful if you have a good big one.
I had two bags with me, my 35L main one and a leather side bag from Scaramanga for carrying around day to day. I can't recommend this bag enough, I've been using it the last few years when I travel (and at home) and its big enough to fit what you need for the day in, thick enough leather not to get cut through, buckled tight so you can't slip your hand in, wears across the body so it can't be snatched and has zippable inner pockets for things you really worry about. I've used it in Morocco, Rome and Istanbul, and my sister has used an identical one in Russia and Eastern Europe and neither of us has had anything stolen from it. As an extra bonus, it isn't as ugly as most tourist bags.
Warm Items
This may seem odd, in Morocco in September, but I had both a jumper and a jacket with me. They took up space, and were barely worn, but I had been warned that the desert would get very cold at night, and when I was leaving for the airport it was much to cold to not be wearing them, due to the lovely British weather. As it was, the desert was not cold, even at night, but it was pouring when we got back, so despite the annoyance of lugging them around, I was glad to have them. Ideally I would have just had a lightweight but warm wool pullover, just in case.
Obviously this list will change in different countries and times of year, but I hope it was useful for an idea of what might be worn to Morocco, I know I searched for many tips before I went.
It is the centerpiece of the wardrobe of Moroccan women. It can be worn by both the male and female.
