styled with grace

coveting { the Moroccan wedding blanket }

One of my favorite aspects of travelling is bringing home something unique to that destination. This doesn’t mean a cheesy souvenir from a tourist shop or the airport, but an item that is truly reflective of the culture and it’s history. When I finally make it to Morocco (high on my travel list), I will be coming home with one of these beautiful blankets native to the region. Hand-woven by the Berbers of the Middle Atlas Mountain region, the Moroccan wedding blanket or handira, is traditionally worn by brides on their wedding day to ward off evil and bestow fertility. Generally made of undyed wool, linen and cotton, silver paillette sequins are applied by hand by relatives of the bride. Where each handira is handmade, each is slightly unique, with varying colours, patterns and accents. The colorful bands of wool found in the blankets are typically kilim weaves, characteristic of the colourful, woven rugs of the region (another item I could do an entire post on). I think a Moroccan wedding blanket would be a perfectly pretty touch for a guest room, no?

P.s. Love this Moroccan wedding blanket-inspired pullover by Rebecca Taylor - perfect for summer evenings on the beach!

{ photo credit: lonny mag + coco & kelly }