The Moroccan caftan has long captured global attention, embraced by royals, celebrities, and style icons from Princess Beatrix and Lee Radziwill to Talitha Getty and Oum Kalthoum. From high-society balls to the White House and Buckingham Palace, it became a timeless symbol of elegance and cultural exchange. In the 60s and 70s, the Moroccan caftan was introduced to the global fashion scene, featured in European and American fashion magazines and worn by celebrities, fashion icons, and even rock bands who embraced Moroccan attire. The centuries-old garment fascinated many, including Diana Vreeland, Vogue's Editor-in-Chief during the 1960s. She described the caftan as «the most becoming fashion ever created», inspiring many to embrace it gracefully. From royalty to fashion icons, celebrities, and even female politicians, the caftan has continued to make public appearances since the 60s and 70s. Yabiladi has curated a list of these women who donned this Moroccan beauty. Introducing the Crown Prince in a Velvet Caftan When she presented her newborn, the crown prince of the Netherlands, to the press for the first time in 1967, Queen Beatrix, then still a princess, chose none other than the Moroccan caftan. In a black and white photo capturing that moment, she appears in a velvet caftan, minimalist yet elegant, adorned only with a brooch shaped like three blossoming flowers.
The caftan worn by Queen Beatrix featured debana embroidery, which translates to «fly». It refers to a woven band that adorns the edges of sleeves and hems of caftans. The photo was taken at Drakensteyn Castle, where Princess Beatrix held baby Willem-Alexander in her amrs. It later featured in the exhibition The Sixties, with the Wereldmuseum Amsterdam crediting photographer Max Koot. Rocked by the Radziwill In London, for a Vogue photoshoot, the younger sister of former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and sister-in-law of President John F. Kennedy Lee Radziwill posed in a caftan. She matched the décor of her extravagantly furnished London flat, wearing a yellow-gold caftan of brocade fabric, while seated on a sofa next to her daughter, Anna Christina, who wore a silver caftan paired with gold-embroidered red cherbil (Moroccan slippers). Dressed in caftans, Radziwill and her daughter were photgraphed for Vogue in December 1966. Another photo, from that same photoshoot, shows Lee in the same caftan inside a heavily draped and styled room, said to be decorated by Italian architect and set designer Renzo Mongiardino. The two caftans may well have been gifts from Morocco. In 1963, Lee accompanied her sister Jacqueline Kennedy on a trip to the Kingdom. They arrived in Marrakech from Athens aboard a jet sent by King Hassan II for a three-day private visit. During a black-tie dinner hosted by King Hassan II's brother, Moulay Abdellah, Jacqueline was gifted a gold belt, similar to one Lee later used to cinch her caftan. Talitha Getty and Her Many Caftans No celebrity is more closely associated with the Moroccan caftan than Talitha Getty, the Dutch actress and model tied to Marrakech's bohemian scene. A style icon of the 60s, Talitha married Paul Getty in 1966, son of the American oil tycoon, and the couple divided their lives between London, Rome, and Marrakech. In January 1969, Patrick Lichfield photographed them on a Marrakech rooftop : Paul cloaked in an off-white jellaba and Talitha reclining in a silk brocade caftan, known as khrib, typical of Fez. Talitha styled it in a modern way, open over white pants and knee-high boots. In another shot, Paul even wore s similar caftan in a «matchy» moment. Earlier, in Naples, Talitha appeared in a Moroccan brocade caftan at a film premiere in the late 1960s, paired with a clutch bag. Caftan at Manhattan's Balls The craze for caftans even reached New York's most iconic parties. On November 28, 1966, American novelist, screenwriter, playwright, and actor Truman Capote hosted his legendary Black and White Ball at the Plaza Hotel, celebrating his literary success with 500 handpicked guests. Among them was American socialite and fashion icon Lucy Douglas «C.Z.» Guest, who wore a dazzling caftan in a gandoura-style cut with puffed sleeves, double sfifa embroidery down the front, and a pearl necklace. She was photographed at the party showcasing this pièce de résistance. Kawkab Chark The caftan craze of the 60s and 70s was not limited to the West, it also swept through the Middle East, particularly in Egypt, where it became a favorite among cultural icons and cinema stars. On March 16, 1968, Oum Kalthoum performed for the first time in Rabat. Tickets cost 300 dirhams, a steep price at the time, but hundreds attended to see «the Lady», as Egyptians called her. For the first time, Moroccan audiences saw her iconic dark glasses, tightly pinned bun, and white handkerchief in person. The «Star of the East» surprised the crowd by appearing in a magnificent velvet caftan, likely navy with silver sfifa and embroidery. She chose not to belt it, giving her performance an added elegance. Another Egyptian lover for the Caftan was the «Cinderella», Souad Hosny. The beloved actress was also photographed in Morocco wearing a two-piece takchita, paired with traditional jewelry known as cravache boulehya. Another photo, reportedly taken in 1962, shows her in the same caftan seated next to Abdelhalim Hafez, the «Nightingale», a frequent visitor to Morocco, the two rumored to have shared a romance. Caftan in the White House and Buckingham Palace In March 1999, on the final leg of her North African tour, U.S. First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton arrived in Marrakech with her daughter Chelsea. Both wore caftans: Chelsea in gold, Hillary in a red takchita with golden sfifa and belt, walking alongside King Hassan II at the royal palace. It wasn't the first time Hillary wore the Moroccan dress. In 2000, shortly after King Mohammed VI's accession, she welcomed him to the White House in a beige two-piece caftan with golden embroidery. She was photographed next to Princess Lalla Meryem, also dressed in caftan. In 2017, Hillary Clinton was once again spotted in caftan. This time she wore a sky-blue gandoura-like caftan at a wedding in New York. From the White House to Buckingham Palace, the Moroccan caftan continued to turn heads. In 2019, Camilla, then Duchess of Cornwall and now Queen Consort, wore a green caftan at the Irish Embassy in London for an early St. Patrick's Day dinner. Months earlier, she had worn the same caftan to a Buckingham Palace reception hosted by Prince Charles. The caftan had been a gift from King Mohammed VI during the couple's 2011 state visit to Morocco, where Camilla also attended a fashion show.
