Marrakech: Designer's Paradise

YSL exhibit at the Jardin Majorelle

Today I am doing some research on what to see in Marrakech, Morocco to prep for my week long stay there over New Years. It occurred to me that Marrakech has been an inspirational playground of some of the top couturiers and fashion designers of the past and present. I'm anxious to unlock the magic of Morocco that has inspired fashion collections for years. As I was looking up restaurants in this majestic city, I found that one restaurant, Dar Moha, has occupied French couturier Pierre Balmain's old vacation home. I am dying to dine in the courtyard by the pool, stroll through the mansion and marvel the designs Balmain used to create here. Coco Chanel frequented Marrakech for extended periods of time each year. Designer Yves Saint Laurent also found a design haven in Marrakech and had many vivaciously colorful collections in the 60's and 70's that reflect the "saharienne" Moroccan style. Currently, the Yves Saint Laurent and Morocco exhibit at the Jardin Majorelle is displaying 44 gorgeous designs from his ornately embellished Moroccan inspired collections. Yves Saint Laurent spent so much time at the Jardin Majorelle so much when he resided in Marrakech that he fixed it up in 1980 when it needed funding. Upon Laurent's death in 2008, a memorial was made in his honor in the stunning Jardin Majorelle. I'll have to pay my respects to this incredible designer and spend some time in his favorite garden. I look forward to being inspired by the same sights, colors, and Moroccan traditions as these late designers.

Yves Saint Laurent's memorial

Dar Moha, Balmain's old home