The Moroccan caftan for men: a complete guide

The caftan is not only for women. The Moroccan men’s wardrobe is old, codified and surprisingly varied: it shifts with the season, the time of day and the degree of ceremony. Here is what you need to know before you walk into a shop in Marrakech.

The main pieces of the men’s wardrobe

The gandoura (or gandora) is the base piece: long, straight, loose, pulled on over the head, with or without short sleeves. It is worn in summer, for Friday prayer, at home or out. Its dressier version, in lamé or cotton-silk cloth, is worn to daytime celebrations.

The jabador is a two-piece set: a standing-collar tunic and a matching saroual. Closer-fitting than the gandoura and more worked at the placket, it is the outfit for weddings, Eid and evening receptions. It comes with or without a hood.

The farmla is a short, open jacket that stops at the hip. It is worn over a gandoura or a shirt. This is where the embroidery is concentrated: bands of gold thread, Amazigh motifs, passementerie. It is often the groom’s outfit on the henna night.

The selham (or burnous) is the large hooded wool cape, sleeveless, worn over the shoulders. In white it carries strong ceremonial weight; in dark wool it keeps you warm in the winter medina.

The saroual is the traditional trouser: wide at the thigh, narrowed at the calf, with a high drawstring waist. It lets you sit cross-legged freely and completes the jabador or the farmla.

Which model for which occasion

• Friday prayer, daytime Eid, summer: a pale gandoura in linen or cotton-silk, perhaps a light mansoura over it.
• Daytime wedding: a lamé gandoura or a pale jabador, tone-on-tone braid, matching babouches.
• Evening wedding, reception: a dark jabador (indigo, night green, black) or an embroidered farmla over a shirt, with a matching saroual.
• Groom’s henna night: an embroidered farmla, often ivory or in a colour that answers the bride’s outfit.
• Winter in the medina: a wool gandoura, a dark selham over the shoulders.

Choosing the right fabric for the season

Linen and cotton breathe: these are the fabrics of summer and daytime. Cotton-silk adds body and a slight drape without being stifling. Fine wool and gabardine are made for winter and evening; they keep a crease. Velvet is a cold-weather celebration cloth: heavy, warm, superb by candlelight, but reserved for evenings.

Be wary of cheap all-synthetic cloth: it shines badly, traps heat and ages fast. Fine embroidery on a poor base does not last — we go into this in our article on the fabrics of the caftan.

The finishing that makes the difference

Three details separate a workshop piece from a mass-produced one:

1. The sfifa: the braided trim that edges the collar, placket and cuffs. Hand-made, it is even and supple; industrial, it stiffens and lifts off.
2. The aqad buttons: the small buttons knotted one by one down the placket. Count them: on a good piece they are close-set and aligned.
3. The tarz: the embroidery itself. Look at the back. On careful work the reverse is clean, with no hanging knots or pulled threads.

Look at the inside too: cleanly mounted linings, turned seams, a hand-worked hem. It is invisible in the window, and yet that is where the work shows.

Getting the fit right

A gandoura should fall straight from the shoulders without pulling under the arms, and stop at the ankle. A jabador is worn close to the body but leaves two fingers at the collar. The saroual is set at the waist: it should hold without a belt. If you are passing through Marrakech, plan for an alteration — it changes everything and takes a day or two.

Where to try in Marrakech

At Tazi Caftan, in Jnane Awrad, you will find gandouras, jabadors, farmlas and selhams for men, to try and to alter on the spot. See the pieces available for men, or message us on WhatsApp to plan your visit from the Visit us page.