Tuesday's post on Ingrid Bergman got me thinking about her wardrobe.  No, not the clothes hanging in a closet at home; but her Casablanca wardrobe -  and also the attire of all the other characters in the movie.

For all of you who follow our adventures on Travels With Bella Figura USA; you know that I love Morocco.  For me, it is one of the most enchanting places on the planet.  But when I've been there, I've never seen anyone dressed quite as stylishly as Rick and Ilsa, and their friends.

Now, don't go shaking your head saying, "Uh oh, she's taken some kind of pharmaceutical and is confusing reality with Hollywood!"  No, I haven't lost it yet.  But here's what I'm pondering: Hollywood's take on what worldly sophisticates wear in exotic, foreign locales.

After all, long before catwalks in Paris, Milan and New York were showing folks the latest, and greatest, looks; Hollywood set the bar for glamour and chic.  A movie actress wore a particular swim suit, and women everywhere rushed to buy the same suit.  Clark Gable didn't wear an undershirt; and sales of undershirts dropped dramatically.  And how about more recently: think Annie Hall attire, Meg Ryan's hair, Indiana Jones' hat - and the list goes on.

The last time I was in Morocco was during late August and the first part of September.  It was HOT, as in 115 degrees at certain times.  And I think about Ilsa in her crisp white dress and hat strolling through the bazaar, looking oh so cool and glamorous.  Now I too, wore a white hat; but mine was much more functional than chic.  And a dress?  I don't recall wearing a single dress the entire time I was there, not even at night.  And I certainly didn't wear evening attire as all the ladies wore each evening at Rick's Cafe.

This is not to say that I looked like a bum, or that the people (tourists) around me did.  Far from it!  Most looked pretty good.  And the Moroccan shop keepers, in the downtown boutiques, looked very nice indeed.  (Yes, a lot of the men were wearing suits and ties, even in the late summer heat!)

But next time I'm there, I've decided I'm going to up the ante.  Oh, not full on, mind you.  High heels really don't work well in the souks.  But I want to see if my experience is altered in anyway, just by attire.  I want to see if I look at things differently or feel differently.

The saying goes, clothes make the man.  Well, by dressing more glamorously, does your experience become more glamorous?

I want to see if Hollywood was on to something back then; or if it really is all "just make believe."