We walked along shady lanes, in the midst of trees and exotic plants, past refreshing, burbling streams and pools filled with water lilies and lotus flowers.
The leaves rustled and the birds chirped, flocking here to take refuge, numerous in their numbers. Tall dark green pipes stretch upwards and curve into the sky. The bamboo trees are scarred by the etchings of previous visitors to Marrakesh’s most beautiful garden and the palm trees enclose you and cacti of all shapes and sizes grow in abundance. The path turned unexpectedly, revealing a building with Moorish charm, painted in astonishingly vibrant primary colors. It glowed with the same intense blue that the artist French artists Jaques Majorelle perceived in the Atlas Mountains in the 1920s when Morocco was still a protectorate of France. This garden is almost old enough to be considered antique, like the lanterns and the carpets for sale in the dusky souks which seem now a million miles away. Its colour though is bright, as if painted just yesterday, the palette of primary colours exceptionally avant-garde and modern, a great homage to the city which taught Yves Saint-Laurent colour.
Yves Saint Laurent was an Algerian born French fashion designer, and is regarded as one of the greatest names in fashion history. One of the most influential designers of the past twenty-five years, he can be credited with spurring the couture’s rise from its sixties ashes and with finally rendering ready-to-wear reputable.He was known for his use of non-European cultural references and his use of non-white models. After successfully suing Dior for breach of contract, he and his partner Pierre Bergé, started their own fashion house, which in the 1960s and 1970s, popularized fashion trends such as the beatnik look; safari jackets for men and women; tight pants; tall, thigh-high boots; and arguably the most famous classic tuxedo suit for women in 1966, Le Smoking. Yves Saint-Laurent also started mainstreaming the idea of wearing silhouettes from the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s.
Yves Saint-Laurent and Pierre Berge bought the garden in 1980 and started the long and costly process of restoring it. When he was not actively supervising the preparation of a collection, he spent time at his villa here in the Majorelle Garden, a place which he often visited to find inspiration and refuge.
The personal link to the great fashion designer can still be felt and seen here in this beautiful place. As well as his memorial, the garden houses the collection of his “Love posters”, which were designed over 35 years and sent as greetings to his dearest friends and clients. They are largely made of collages centered around the word “LOVE”, with my favorites featured his cute bulldog Moujik!
When Yves Saint-Laurent died in 2008, his body was cremated and his ashes were scattered here in Marrakech, in the Majorelle Garden. Bergé said at the funeral service: “But I also know that I will never forget what I owe you and that one day I will join you under the Moroccan palms.”
WEARING
Flounce Geo Print Maxi-Dress – FOREVER 21
Pink glasses – H&M
Evil Eye Jewellery (Ring Bracelet & Earrings) – ALI EXPRESS
SILVER BRACELET – AFGHAN CONNECTION (charity supporting education)
Ecplise Thong Sandals – GUESS
