Let’s start the new year by returning to Morocco from Belgium. As we’re just now slowly weaning ourselves from the holiday excesses, I’ll take you through this entry with not one but three outfit changes in one day (celebs eat your hearts out!). It’s just one of those days when you wake up enthralled by the colors around you and want to play dress up for the fun of being a girl. I do this once in a while in my closet at home when I feel blue–let me tell you, I don’t need to see a therapist if I can get the same release from trying on a few…let’s say thirty…pairs of shoes and a slinky dress. Fashion happens to have the same kind of chemical effect on my brain as any prescription drug. And no side effects. Unless you call shopping addiction a side effect.

So anyway, I begin the day with a colorful sweater from one of Gucci’s runway looks a few seasons ago…

It’s surprisingly chilly in the early morning so I pile on an Etro wool scarf, BR cashmere cardigan (which is a staple in my luggage anywhere), and Gap sherpa hoodie over it. It’s the only other black warmer outerwear I’ve packed, but I’ve always liked mixing luxury goods with less expensive items together anyway. My thinking is that the geometric pattern of this top pays tribute to a city full of geometric zellig, which we can clearly find here at the magnificent Bou Inania Madrasa:

This madrasa was once both an educational institution and a mosque. It is presently one of the few religious places where a non-muslim can enter:

The sun comes out later in the morning so I go back to my riad to change into a silk JCrew top but keep the cardigan before heading back into the souks for more loitering:

Down some random path in the Medina I run across the Qaraouiyine Mosque, which is definitely off limits to me. Here is where the University of Al-Karaouine or Al-Qarawiyyin resides. It is considered the oldest and one of the leading educational/spiritual institutions in the Muslim world. I wish I could have gained entry…

By the time I return to the riad, the sun has set and the courtyard is lit by lamps. There are shadows playing on the wall. I’d written before that my first impression of Fes is that it’s not the most romantic city in the world, but at night, there is no other word to describe any riad but romantic. Which explains my inspiration for getting into the third outfit for the day. It’s Look 7.

It’s a bit formal for a night of casual dining, but can you blame me?

The exotic spices and sounds and sights of Morocco are a cause for celebration, and any kind of celebration should always involve cute clothes! Tomorrow, less about fashion and more about daily life in Fes.