Vogue on the Road: In Senegal, a Joyous Riot of Pattern, Texture, and Color

In a city littered with tailoring ateliers and fabric and accessories shops, Dakar’s stylish locals are a sight for sore eyes. Whenever I visit from London, where I work as a designer, I always head downtown straight off the plane to experience the elevated gaze and the graceful posture of its boubou-clad women (and equally graceful men) of all ages—the scene on the street could almost be something from director Djibril Diop Mambéty’s iconic 1973 Senegalese film Touki Bouki.

It’s poetry in motion—whether the poets are outfitted in artistically embroidered and appliquéd guinea brocade robes and tunics or in sharply mismatched European fitted separates, their confidence is friendly and assured, never arrogant.

On weekdays, when the sun goes down and the city’s heat is caressed by ocean breezes, the Corniche Ouest beach fills with people of all ages working out, kicking a ball, strolling, chatting, and flirting until nighttime falls. During the weekend, though, the exhilarating palette of Dakar street style explodes in everything from potent fuchsias and bold oranges and purples to eau de nile, turquoise, and starched white—often laced with trimmings and accessories that accentuate the figure and limn the personality of the wearer. Look closely, and no boubou or caftan is identical. Like a garden of overgrown bougainvillea growing amid lilies and hibiscus blossoms, the city becomes an oasis of color as the actors in this drama weave their way through the traffic-jammed streets and overflowing markets of downtown.