Dior Honors Frida Kahlo With Resort Show

Last week, Dior hosted its yearly retreat show in Mexico City. The fashion house chose to honor one of the country’s most famous and influential artists, Frida Kahlo. The show, from the dresses and suits, to the animal motifs, to the simple makeup, all evoked the iconic artist. 

Image: Dior via Harper’s Bazaar

The clothes in the show were inspired by Frida in several ways. There was a pink dress that mimicked a dress that Kahlo wore in one of her self portraits. There were also a number of three piece suits, as the artist was known for her willingness to challenge gender boundaries and liked to wear suits herself. There were also white dresses printed with images very evocative of Kahlo’s content and style of art; bright red, anatomically correct hearts, flowers, and more. 

Images: Dior via Harper’s Bazaar

It was the details of the show, however, that really showed creative director Maria Grazia’s commitment to honoring one of the most influential female artists in history. Kahlo is well known for her animal motifs, butterflies, tropical birds, cats both big and small, deer, and monkeys all frequently found in her work. Bird and moth motifs were everywhere in the Dior show, including a choker necklace that bore a tasteful similarity to a symbolic necklace work by Kahlo in one of her self portraits. 

Image via Fridakahlo.org

Another detail which drew inspiration from Frida and Mexican culture in general was the very simple makeup and hair. The cast of predominantly Mexican models wore extremely natural makeup, with their eyebrows fluffed up and emphasized, as Kahlo is well known for her predominant eyebrows. As the last few Dior shows have all featured very heavy smokey eyes, this clean, natural look was refreshing. Hair was also simple, such as these thoughtfully done ouroboros braids. Subtle, but uniquely beautiful. 

Image: Guido Palau via Instagram

Dior worked closely with various Mexican artisans in the creation of this resort collection. Grazia worked with local designers in order to preserve and showcase the cultural techniques, traditions, and practices of the country. The traditional clothing, including embroidery, belts, sashes, gabans, and huipiles, were all created or overseen by local artisans.