9 minute read
A NIGHT IN MARRAKECH
Regine Traulsen and Bill Diamond revel in the muchanticipated, authentic Moroccan fete.
INSPIRED BY HER BIRTHPLACE, REGINE TRAULSEN HOSTS HER SIGNATURE ANNUAL PARTY STEEPED IN MOROCCAN STYLE
BY JUDY MARTEL PHOTOGRAPHY BY JERRY RABINOWITZ
Traulsen intentionally hides the dinner tables—which are nestled under a tent in the front yard that is heavily draped with royal blue and gold—from guests during the cocktail hour. “They don’t see it until dinner, so it’s a surprise,” she says.
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egine Traulsen has called many cities around the world home, including Los Angeles, New York, London, Paris, and Acapulco. But no matter where she lives or how far she roams, she never forgets her North African roots. “My upbringing in Morocco follows me everywhere,” says Traulsen, who was born in Marrakech. Sitting in her living room, resplendent in a rose caftan and matching coat of her own design, she ticks off the elements that make the ancient city unforgettable, from the subtropical climate and rich cultural heritage to the distinctive architecture, exotic colors, and, of course, the food. Even the air is unique, she says. “All the different spices give Marrakech a special smell.”
A quick tour of Traulsen’s French Regency–style home bears witness to a deep affi nity for her native country, with its white walls and tiled fl oors relieved by splashes of vibrant color. But a closer inspection reveals mementos that are essentially a travelogue of her life and the fascinating friendships she’s cultivated along the way. Walking over to a bookcase, she pulls out a photo of her with Pop artist Andy Warhol and then another with the king of Morocco. “Dalí gave me this,” she adds matter-of-factly, indicating a small, framed black-and-white sketch by Surrealist artist Salvador Dalí that incorporates the phrase “pour Regine” (“for Regine”).
Even the inspiration to open a caftan design business in the 1970s came to her during a serendipitous shopping expedition with none other than the decade’s poster boy for color-saturated, bohemian fashion, Yves Saint Laurent. As the two strolled the souks searching for fabric, a stall keeper lifted a stunning, old, embroidered caftan out of a wooden trunk. “He said he had been saving it just for us,” she recalls.
Traulsen has stories galore of her travels and the people she’s met, one more enthralling than the next. “I don’t play golf or bridge; I think they are boring,” she says. “I like meeting people who are creative and
intelligent.” She credits her ability to amass notable friends around the globe with a willingness to put herself out there and travel alone. “I was always open to meeting people, and you know what they say about the right place at the right time.”
It’s precisely her talent for assembling a unique mix of guests that makes Traulsen’s gatherings a sought-after invitation. “I usually entertain small groups of eight to 10 for dinner,” she explains. But once a year she goes all out and stages a bash, transforming her home into something reminiscent of an old movie set. “I want to bring my Morocco to Palm Beach.”
No detail of the annual party escapes Traulsen. When the 150 partygoers arrive for “A Night in Marrakech,” they’re met by two remarkably patient camels that pose for hundreds of photos. As they proceed through a deep-blue-curtained hallway carpeted with an Oriental rug to the home’s front door, belly dancers moving to the Moroccan beat of a three-piece band beckon them inside, where Traulsen and her husband, former Palm Beach councilman Bill Diamond, welcome them and invite the men to help themselves to a fez.
“It really is like a Hollywood production,” notes Diamond, dressed for the evening in a white, hooded caftan custom-made for him in Morocco. Indeed, Traulsen likens herself to famed movie producer
Cecil B. DeMille, known for his cinematic fl ights of fancy in the early to mid-twentieth century. And, like an exotic movie set, the party seems to unfold in layers, revealing the magic and mystery reminiscent of Marrakech’s labyrinthine passageways leading to hidden, mosaic-tiled courtyards. There is a visual delight around every corner.
Mingling in the living room and pool area, some of the caftan-clad guests sway to the plaintive music of the 78-string kanoun, while others soak up the atmosphere. “Every detail is authentic and this is as close as you can possibly get to the real thing,” says Renee Morrison, who has been to Morocco. “It’s in [Traulsen’s] blood and DNA, and she oversees everything to make sure it’s perfect.”
“I love this party because it’s so different than any other on the island,” adds Fern Tailer. “She has such style. Everything is so glamorous. Coming here makes me feel so special.”
The evening’s pièce de résistance is the buffet dinner, catered by Miami’s Thierry Isambert Culinary and Event Design. To ensure the menu’s authenticity, Traulsen consulted Princess Lalla Joumala Alaoui, the current Moroccan ambassador to the United States and a cousin of Morocco’s King Mohammed VI. “She is like a daughter to me,” she says. “I’ve known her since she was a baby. She couldn’t attend this year, but I asked her to help with the food and she sent me a menu from the Moroccan embassy.”
Based on the Fête du Trône (“Throne Day”), this year’s meal featured dishes traditionally enjoyed during the festival commemorating the anniversary of King Muhammed V’s accession, including bakkoula (spinach salad), lentils, marinated olives, vegetables, couscous, chicken pastilla, and lamb tagine with prunes and peaches.
Flower arrangements:
Richard Grille Events, West Palm Beach
Tents, tables and settings, camels, music, and belly dancers:
Alibaba Events, Miami Buff et: Thierry Isambert Culinary and Event Design, Miami
While Traulsen loves to entertain, she didn’t grow up learning by example. Her father owned a beeswax and almond factory—both big commodities in Morocco—but she describes him as “eccentric and antisocial.” Instead, she learned by observing others, while also giving some credit to her heritage. “Moroccans are famous for their hospitality, even to strangers,” she says.
Raised in the Arab quarter of Marrakech, close to the Royal Palace, Traulsen recalls an idyllic, if fairly sheltered, life that left her keen to explore beyond the medina walls. As a teenager, armed with this yen to see the world and a resistance to strict rules that required her to have a chaperone whenever she went out, Traulsen met a family from San Francisco who offered to sponsor her if she came to the United States. She wasted no time securing papers and purchasing a transatlantic ticket—all before informing her parents. “When I told my mother, she started to cry, and said, ‘Who will make your bed for you?’”
Except for a forced hiatus during the COVID pandemic, Traulsen travels to Morocco at least once a year and still loves prowling the souks for handmade creations. “The ancient way they dye the fabric makes it look like an Impressionist painting,” she says. “It’s so primitive, which in some ways is more beautiful than modern.”
While it might be true that the past is a foreign country, in Traulsen’s case, she manages to appreciate and treasure it while still moving forward. “I have this intellectual curiosity,” she says, “and wherever I went in my life, I had fun.” «
