Frida Kahlo: Identity Through Fashion

If you’ve ever worn a brightly coloured dress, shirt or skirt, with a floral print, chances are the designer was inspired by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Sixty-six years after her death at the age of forty-seven, her unique style remains instantly recognisable.

What is it about the life of this remarkable woman that is more relevant today, than ever before? Is it the way she used her art to explore identity, race and gender? Maybe it’s Kahlo’s self-determination despite her physical disabilities. Perhaps it’s her timeless sense of style that defied society’s beauty standards while embracing her heritage?

Kahlo spent most of her childhood and adult life at La Casa Azul, also known as, The Blue House, in Coyoacan in Mexico City. Contracting polio as a child left her right leg shorter than her left. A horrendous bus accident at the age of eighteen inflicted spinal damage and multiple bone fractures. Her medical issues caused Kahlo extreme pain and discomfort her entire life.

In her early 20’s, Kahlo began wearing her own interpretation of traditional Mexican dress. Embroidered blouses, fringed scarves and coiffured hair was designed to draw attention to her shoulders and head and away from her body. Frida Kahlo’s exotic use of colour and texture, combined with her personal sense of style, make her a natural muse for today’s fashion designers.

Kenzo, Missoni, Valentino are just a few designers who have based their collections on Frida Kahlo. Kenzo’s fall/winter collection 2011-2012, showcased voluminous dresses and skirts in oversized flower prints. Angela Missoni, who designed Missoni’s spring ready-to-wear collection in 2015, found inspiration in Kahlo’s vibrant artwork and Mexican heritage. The collection included fitted and flared silhouettes in knitted halter tops and A-line skirts in vibrant blues and yellows. Valentino’s 2015 Resort Collection saw a ruffled dress printed with exquisite hummingbird’s, float down the runway. The vibrant colours combined with the folklore theme was an undeniable nod to Frida Kahlo.

Museums around the world, continue to curate exhibitions that explore this cultural icon. ‘Frida Kahlo: Making Her Self Up’, was the Victoria and Albert Museum’s major summer exhibition in 2018. The exhibition displayed square-cut embroidered huipil blouses, full enagua skirts and a resplandor, a starched lace headdress, traditionally worn by the Tehuana woman of Oaxaca, Mexico.

Visitors to the exhibition were surprised to learn that much of Kahlo’s style of dressing—the tiered cotton skirts, high-necked ruffled blouses and embroidered scarves—was a self-orchestrated way of dressing, designed to distract from her physical disabilities. In doing so, her flamboyant appearance became her trademark.

We could argue that women today, albeit unknowingly, use the same principles as Frida, when it comes to dressing. We seek out garments that enhance our shape and are drawn to colours and fabrics that allow us to move easily and feel comfortable. Contemporary women embrace their cultural heritage, gender and ethnicity through dress and in doing so, are free to be their authentic self. I’d like to think that if Frida Kahlo was with us today, talking with other women, flowers in her hair and wearing her turquoise necklace, she’d feel right at home.