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Frida Kahlo: Appearances Can Be Deceiving

Part 1

Picture Resource: https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/frida_kahlo

  1. Designer(s) / Creator: unknown
  2. Name of the Artifact: Huipil (Tunic)
  3. Origin: Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Oxaca, Mexico
  4. Season/Year: before 1954
  5. Function – as the daily outfit for Kahlo to indicate her “political personas and artistic considerations”
  6. Fabrication – It is made of semi-synthetics and cotton with machine embroidery on flounce and skirt because cottons could be dyed easily after being processed.
  7. Form –This form came from Tehuantepec and evolved from the textiles with prints and embroidery.

The first object looks similar with the one in this picture, but it is displayed in a sealed glass cabinet, being laid flat. I first notice the geometric embroidery on the garments, which reminds me of the Chinese traditional garments in palace where embroidery was frequently applied to garments. The piece is wearable from top to bottom as a skirt. It transforms notions of beauty at the time by preserving the indigenous Mexico culture and transforms notions of beauty in our time by inspiring the employment of lace, embroidery and patterns of the piece. By dressing as a Tehuana, she expressed her identity with Mexico artist legacies. An interesting fact about a huipil is that it  “may be made from a single piece of fabric that has been folded in half or it may be made from two or three rectangular pieces of fabric which are then joined together with stitching, ribbons or fabric strips, with an opening for the head and, if the sides are sewn, an opening for the arms,” which could be inspirations for zero-waste pattern-cutting methods other than Kimono.

Research Source:

http://www.connectingcultures.us/resources/artifacts/art_item.php?accno1=COST&accno2=MEX&accno3=499

  1. Designer(s) / Creator: unknown
  2. Name of the Artifact: European-Style Blouse/Rabona (Skirt)/Rebozo (Shawl)
  3. Origin:Season/Year: Mexico/Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, Mexico/ Tenancingo, Mexico
  4. Season/Year: 1930-37 (Blouse)/1930-37 (Rabona)/before 1954 (Rebozo)
  5. Function – For semi-formal events. Frida Kahlo wore this ensemble when being photographed by Toni Frissel for Vogue in October, 1937.
  6. Fabrication – It is made of satin for blouse and skirt, cotton for shawl because satin gives natural wrinkles and draping.
  7. Form – This form came from western fashion with the style of blouse and shawl.

 

What I first noticed about the second object is the high-necked collar, draping, pleats and wrinkles, which reminds me of the Japanese uniform that has pleated short skirt and collars in unique forms. The piece is wearable as a blouse, skirt and shawl as an accessory. It transforms notions of beauty in our time by highlighting the fashion around 40s through the floral prints on skirt and the employment of the shawl. Besides, it transforms notions of beauty in our time with the European-style blouse that is chic and trendy today even thought it is made in 30s and the pleated bottom of skirts really catches eyes. This item expressed Frida Kahlo’s mixed-race identity of Mexico and Germany with European and Mexican cultures cooperating in one ensemble. I researched the European fashion from the 1930s and found forms that were similar with this form like the tunic top dress. In the 1930s, garments were embellished with embroidery, covered decorative buttons, shirring and ruching, bows, trapunto, and faux flower trimming. This piece would be considered as a afternoon dress in the 30s trends.

Research Source: https://vintagedancer.com/1930s/women-1930s-fashion/

Frida Kahlo on Bench Picture Resource: https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/frida_kahlo

  1. Designer(s) / Creator: unknown
  2. Name of the Artifact: Headdress with Metal Flowers
  3. Origin: Mexico
  4. Season/Year: Before 1954
  5. Function – to be worn on head as an accessory
  6. Fabrication – It is made of aluminum for “flowers”, possibly “leaves”, paper and wires along the head piece because aluminum and wire would be sustainable to support paper and they are more natural and less luxurious than using silver and gold.
  7. Form – This form came from Mexico and evolve from the sumptuous flowers on the huipil grande headdress.

 

The object could be worn like Frida Kahlo did in this picture. What I first noticed about the object is the pendants shaped in beads and the craftsmanship of the aluminum flowers lining on top. The piece is wearable on head and could be dressed with tradition Mexican dresses and huipil grande headdress for formal events like church weddings. The object transforms notions of beauty at the time by indicating the Mexican dressing cultures in Tehuantepec and transforms notions of beauty in out time by presenting in a more simplified version than huipil so that it could fit for the aesthetics of the modern world. Kahlo expressed her indigenous Mexican identity by dressing herself as a Tehuana. I searched for cultures and reasons of Mexicans wearing headdress and according to their tradition, “[they] have a precise idea…of the magnificent ornaments that could make a man something greater than a man, almost a divine being, hieratic [linked to the world of gods] and filled with splendour,” which indicates the relationship between their identities and the accessories. Headdress could be functioned as an avatar in their culture.

Research Source: http://www.mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/ask-us/why-wear-headdresses

Part 2

“Self-portrait as Tehuana or Diego on My Mind” (on the left) painted by Frida Kahlo in 1943 and “Lace Headdress and Skirt” (on the right) created before 1954 which share common points in indicating the identity she wants to represent in different ways. The self-portrait, in the medium of oil painting, illustrated Frida Kahlo wearing the starched resplandor headdress, a Mexican traditional accessory, with a small portrait of Diego Rivera on brow. The portrait was painted three years after she remarried with Diego Rivera in San Francisco. She painted Rivera sharing the same skin with her, which could implicate the reconciliation between she and Rivera. The other piece, from Frida Kahlo’s wardrobe, is the ensemble of huipil grande headdress and dress with vestigial “sleeves” glued by starch, made by machine-made lace, cotton and lace. Employing the proper length of the dress, Kahlo might try to hide her physical disability of legs left from the accident. Again, Frida Kahlo emphasizes her indigenous identity of Tehuantepec not only in the medium of her artworks, but also use her wardrobe as the language to tell the public. Like the argument in the reading “Kahlo and O’Keeffe” by Paula Rabinowitz, the female modernist artist would build her outfits as canvas to signify her originality as her works and the studio pushes the limits of the body into the space it habits, which “allows access to her art” and establishes her identity as artistic considerations. The culture of Tehuantepec largely influenced the native textile fashion trends. Based on the research, the reason why embroidery and lace were frequently employed on headdress is due to the embroidered silk shawls from Manilla that traveling in huge quantities. Therefore, Mexican women were inspired to create their own embroidery techniques on headdress and skirts.

Research Source: https://hauteculturefashion.com/tehuana/

Kahlo and O’Keeffe_Rabinowitz-1zjr98o

Part 3: Reflection 

The most important lesson I learnt through this experience of walking into Frida Kahlo’s wardrobe and artworks is how to express one’s identity in diverse aspects. She embraced everything that established her persona and identity despite the fact that some of them are tragic. She faced her physical disability attributed to the bus accident and made them into part of her artwork. She builds a firm stance in expressing her artistic considerations and indigenous Mexican identity. As an international students studying art, I could relate to her dedication to Mexican cultures. For the rest of the projects, I would reflect on the types of identity I want to present to the audience and use the ensembles as my canvas to illustrate the identity. 

Yiting (Brianna) Zhang is currently enrolling in the BFA program at Parsons, declaring her major as Fashion Design. She was born in Shanghai, China in 1999, the year of which significant changes on financial development and city planning were happening in Shanghai. In this city combined with the antiquated and modern culture, she finished her middle school and first year of the high school education. Then she spent three years in New Jersey, living with her host families and finishing her high school study at Union Catholic High School that was located in Scotch Plains, NJ. Throughout the years living with her host mother who is also an artist, she has been influenced and inspired by her a lot with regard to relationship between nature and humans. Since the first time when she got to deal with the volume and stories fabrics can create and tell, she has decided to dive deeper into playing with fabrics and fashion. She is also looking towards the sustainability in the fashion industry when fashion production has become one of the biggest threats to the environment. Accordingly, she believe that fashion can be reformed in a better direction and it can make certain changes to the world. Over the past years, she have obtained diverse skills and qualities, including strong leadership, playing percussion instruments, Latin dance, and of course, skills regarding to her current major, Fashion design.

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