Frida Kahlo and her impact on fashion

Everybody knows Frida Kahlo. She is an artist with a huge impact on many domains, from politics to feminism, art, and of course, fashion.

Frida’s style is very well known. Just by saying her name, most people can imagine her rosy cheeks, eyebrows, iconic hairstyles, big skirts, gaudy accessories, and colorful clothes.

Her art was always filled with strong messages and passion. I think that is the main reason why you feel exactly how she felt when viewing her paintings or reading her poems. She also liked to use her style as a source of personal and political expression, doing so through conscious clothing she put on her body.

1. Accessories: She would combine pre and post-colonial jewelry to make a political statement. Like wearing silver earrings with a Mexican jadeite pendant necklace.

2. Embroidered blouses: Kahlo would wear Tehuana dresses derived from the matriarchal society located in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, in Oaxaca State.

3. Most of her hairstyles were also inspired by her Mexican heritage. Also, she would choose tops with a boxy silhouette for extra room for her torso, back braces (due to her accident), and for more comfort when painting.

4. If you pay attention to her style, she always focused a lot of attention on her upper body, with various patterns, colors, and jewelry. All this is in order to frame her face and distract from her lower body.

5. Big skirts: All the layers of fabric at her feet seemed to dance with her when she walked.

6. Rebozo scarf: This article of clothing symbolized the Mexican fight for freedom. It was first introduced by European colonizers but was quickly “adopted” by the Aztec artisans, adding embroidery and bright colors. Frida used the scarf on her shoulders or threaded it into her braids with colorful flowers, again centering the attention on her face.

Frida soon became an example or guide of what Mexican culture was, and her image was at the center of the mainstream fashion world. In a larger sense, she became a symbol, her wardrobe was no longer just fabrics but a political message.

After her death in 2004, they found in the house where Rivera (her husband) kept all her belongings locked since 1954, a self-portrait by Kahlo. This painting represents her injuries with the description “appearances can be deceiving” proving that even though she could “hide” her disability with clothes she was unapologetic in her artwork.

It is clear how her history continues to shape the fashion world.

Frida Kahlo showed us the power of self-expression through her style and the impact that it can have through the years. Fashion should be something that helps us embrace who we are, what we think, and what we want from the world.