Local Threads: Frida Kahlo: Fashion Inspiration

Everyone has at least one famous person they admire. For some it's an influential industrialist like Howard Hughes. For others it's a writer like Ernest Hemingway. There are a handful of celebrities that I idolize and have spent years learning about. One of them is Mexican artist Frida Kahlo (1907-1954).

My interest in Kahlo was sparked by a love for art and art history. After being introduced to her work eight years ago while studying overseas at the University of Cambridge, I was eager to learn about her life. I bought biographical books and watched every documentary that aired on TV. I saw Salma Hayek's big-screen rendition of her life multiple times. I was simply in awe of her accomplishments.

Kahlo was aggressive and played by her own rules. And though her life was filled with tragedy she never allowed it to conquer her spirit. She was a vivacious, strong-minded, and passionate woman. As a woman, I heartily respect that.

One of Kahlo's many qualities that I most admire was that her canvas wasn't the only place where she expressed her creativity. She lived her art and it was apparent in her appearance.

I (like many) consider Kahlo a fashion icon. She had such a unique way of dressing. She wore indigenous Mexican attire but added her own twist-- weaving roses through her braided hair and accessorizing with chunky jewelry. While times were changing and women's fashion was evolving, she continued to wear traditional tehuana skirts (see right) and wrapped herself in vibrant rebozos (see Oct. 13 post).

I chose to devote this posting to Frida Kahlo's style as a way to illustrate how traditional Mexican garments have made their way into contemporary fashion. Kahlo's revolutionary "look" has become the inspiration for many designers.

Noted fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier produced an entire collection inspired by her style. In that collection he showcased several corsets, which fashion critics believed to be inspired by the ones Kahlo had to wear to support her spine following a near-fatal accident.

Images from Jean Paul Gaultier's runway show in Paris

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n Dior, Moschino, and Christian Lacroix have also shown designs influenced by Kahlo's style.

Harper's Baza ar magazine featured a fashion spread inspired by Kahlo. The model had a garland of red flowers in her hair and wore white blouses and embroidered skirts reminiscent of Kahlo's style.

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Watch a fashion show presented in Montevideo, Uruguay inspired by the Mexican painter: