Fashion Friday :: Sochi Style

With designers like Armani and Ralph Lauren tackling Olympic team fashion, you'd expect the Parade of Nations to be Sochi's answer to New York Fashion Week. But many countries sported looks that belonged on the slopes instead of in the stadium---with a few notable exceptions. Here are my picks for the strongest sartorial statements from the Opening Ceremony of the XXII Olympic Winter Games.

Best dressed :: Sweden
Designed by H&M, Sweden's blue and yellow uniforms were the most fashion forward of all 88 nations. I wouldn't expect anything less from the ever-stylish Swedes.

Most memorable :: USA
Ralph Lauren designed the night's most patriotic and polarizing outfits, also known as the Christmas sweaters seen 'round the world. I liked the shawl collars, hiking boots and après-ski vibe. Looking for the sweater? Sorry, it's already sold out online.

Most traditional :: Russia
The host country team came out in uniforms inspired by their past. Adorned with fur, sheepskin and folkloric symbols, Team Russia made a stylish statement at a ceremony that celebrated their cultural past. Honorable mention goes to Team Canada for their duffle coats, which mirrored the iconic 18th-century Hudson's Bay Company point blankets. If you want to dress like a Canadian athlete, you can buy the official apparel here.

Best print :: Ukraine
Puffy jackets covered in a patriotic organism print reminded me of pieces you'd see from French design house Kenzo.

Most confused :: Cayman Islands
Did they know it's the Winter Olympics? These Caymanians were the bravest of the night, wearing shorts and flip flops. They weren't, however, the only team in shorts; Team Bermuda also sported, you guessed it, Bermuda shorts.

Best neon :: Lithuania
In a sea of forgettable uniforms, Team Lithuania went for the boldest color combo of the night---besides the Germans, who maintain that their rainbow uniforms were just a style choice and not a political statement.

BONUS PICKS
While these striking showpieces weren't on display at the Parade of Nations, I'd be remiss to write about Olympic fashion without including them. I give you Mexico's mariachi-inspired slalom ski suit and Norway's curling uniform.

This post is written by Trip Styler fashion and lifestyle blogger Heather.

[photos via getty, epa & ap photo]

Morocco :: Savoring the Sahara

[trip style = adventure]

Editor's Note :: Aside from a few travel lifestyle bits, Morocco’s taking center stage on Trip Styler this month.

Preparing and packing for my trip to Morocco, I knew December 10th, 2013 would be "desert day." No big deal, we were just going three hours off the grid into the Western Sahara. At 10am, I jumped into our 4x4 in Dakhla, a fishing and surf Mecca where the Atlantic meets the desert. When dreaming of dunes, one thing I hadn't considered was the bathroom situation until my guide Mohamed said "I've got toilet paper." Right. Of course there are no toilets in the desert. When nature called, well, nature was right there, and I was surrounded by solitude instead of souls. This only added to the remote allure of the day.

A series of paved highways run through the Sahara. Oftentimes the roads are only about 10 to 20 centimeters above the sand, so if you want to go off-roading, just turn right or left. Throughout the day, we off-roaded to lunch, to an oasis, to a beach and to dinner in a local family's Sahraoui tent. Beyond the pavement, a billion other routes exist, known only to locals. How our driver navigated without a map, a GPS or markers other than the sun and stars remains a mystery.

What desert day lacked in luxuries, it made up for in wonder. And isn't that why we travel?

Where the Sahara meets the Atlantic

Deep tire treads. Careful---certain water-soaked areas have a quicksand effect.

Cruisin'

Lunch ahoy. As you can see, there's no sign; you just have to know where to go {a big benefit to traveling with locals from Heritage Tours}.

Oyster and fish are caught and prepared on the spot, then you eat

Shucking station

Ready to serve

Exploring before lunch in my layered "desert day" outfit: sandals, lightweight pants, tank, cashmere sweater and jean jacket. While this might seem like a lot of clothes, desert temperatures fluctuate significantly from dawn till dusk and I needed every layer I had.

Private beach

Private beach

Oasis

Fish who fancy feet live in these rain-fed pools. Their mini nibbles cause you to break out in high-pitched shrieks. Here's a video of my friend Chadner's reaction to the fish pedi.

A vehicle sitting outside a family's Sahraoui tent we visited for dinner

Before stepping inside the tapestry-covered tent used to sleep, cook and lounge, we removed our shoes. Our hosts, who spent their days tending to their caravan of camels, were generous and gracious. While none of us spoke the same language, we communicated non-verbally with nods and smiles. As a frothy tea was served—a daily tradition in Morocco—we were welcomed with a heavy spritz of  cologne-scented sanitizer. A communal bowl of warm camel milk arrived next. I took a sip, and was encouraged to drink more of what tasted like tart Pinkberry without the sugar. The bowl continued to circulate as our host stepped out to cook lamb over hot rocks in a hole he dug into the sand. A grill kept the lamb from getting sandy. I don’t eat lamb, but that night I did, as well as rice cooked in lamb fat. Dessert was a palate-cleansing spread of fruit. If you ever have the chance to dine in the desert, take it, and save room for a local feast.

More Morocco
Casablanca
Stay: Dar al Hossoun in Taroudant

[photos by @tripstyler taken as a guest of Tourism Morocco]

Morocco :: Casablanca

[trip style = urban + sun]

Editor’s Note: Don’t forget to enter our contest for a one-night stay at the OPUS Hotel in Vancouver, it closes TODAY at noon PST.

In mid-December I found myself in the exotic embrace of Morocco's eye-catching escapes. My eight-day jaunt satisfied almost every trip style from spa to surf, starting in Casablanca and veering from the Western Sahara to the Atlas Mountains to the Atlantic shore. The journey was fortuitous given my obsession with North African design, and my September brush with the Morocco pavilion at Epcot, where I wished upon a star I'd get to visit soon. {Careful what you wish for!}

Spoiler alert: Aside from a few travel lifestyle bits, Morocco's going to take center stage on Trip Styler during February.

On December 9th, 2013 my flight landed in Casablanca---the country's hub for most international flights---just as the sun was peeking over the horizon. Given the rise-and-shine hour, I dove into the local time zone with abandon. No dither-dather; my meeting with Morocco's major metro was only a day.

When I stepped out of the airport, the air was crisp. The light chill---similar to a late-September a.m. on the West Coast---woke me up. Coming to, I spotted my name on a signboard in front of a Mercedes van. From this moment on, the trip was guided by in-the-know locals from Heritage Tours who schooled me in Morocco 101.

During the 30-minute commute into the city of five million, the landscape turned from rural to urban. Early on we shared the palm-lined highway with a boy guiding a horse-drawn carriage filled with farming supplies. This was my first clear picture of Morocco's culture: a country where cosmopolitan and classic meet in the middle.

Once inside the concrete-clad port city bordered by a sweeping beach, we hit Monday morning rush hour and inched into the inner plazas where modern Euro-style trains buzzed about, and the time-crunched workforce played human Frogger over eight-lane expanses. I wanted to bottle the enigmatic energy and take it home.

Trip Styler Tip: Casablanca hosts major hotel brands, as well as beautiful boutique properties like Le Doge, a 16-room Relais & Chateaux property, and the smallest hotel in Casablanca {every room is different---I love the Josephine Baker and Earnest Hemingway rooms}.

Casablanca Disembarking the plane at sunrise

Mosque Hassan II, the most important living and breathing monument in Morocco capable of holding 25,000 worshipers inside and another 80,000 outside. The French-design structure rides the wave of traditional and fantasmic topped by a retractable roof and lit by almost 60 Murano-made chandeliers. Cool-to-the-touch white Carrara marble serves as a foundation throughout, while humidity-absorbing pillars made with limestone, black soap and egg yolk form the interior structure.

Mosque Hassan II

Mosque Hassan II

Mosque Hassan II

Exploring Place Mohammed V

A Casablanca rooftop vista

Regal staircase at Le Doge

Josephine Baker room at Le Doge

[photos via @tripstyler---except hotel room via hotels.com---taken as a guest of Tourism Morocco]