I think anytime you play with boundaries of what society views as beautiful, test the trends of time, and own your own playfulness in expression, is when you discover your own expression. Frida Kahlo, a famous Mexican artist best known for her self portraits is such an inspiration for cultural and timeless beauty. Her uniqueness resonates in fashion, art and home design to this present day. Just like her paintings, her style was ahead of her time and found more appreciation in the lime light after she had past. Frida’s life was forever changed when she suffered from a bad car accident. This injury caused her to turn into isolation, being limited to her home or being bed ridden. The isolation led her to her love for painting. “I paint myself because I am so often alone and because I am the subject I know best.”
I’ve always loved Frida’s boldness. I love how her iconic unibrow, her full bodied skirts, flower crowns, vibrant colors and corsets have always poked at what society considers beautiful or fashionable. But it her artful expression and her courage that we so mostly admire. I was excited to see Vogue Mexico create an editorial inspired by her individualism and boldness in style.
Photos via Vogue Mexico
Photo: Michael Filonow
Stylist: Lauri Eisenberg
Hair and makeup: Gianluca Mandelli.