thrifted style, preloved fashion, maxi skirt, scarf shawl, inspired by Frida Kahlo, boho style, Shelbee on the Edge

The Thrifty Six: Inspired by Frida Kahlo

July 17, 2023 / 16 Comments
thrifted style, preloved fashion, maxi skirt, scarf shawl, inspired by Frida Kahlo, boho style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, preloved fashion, maxi skirt, scarf shawl, inspired by Frida Kahlo, boho style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, preloved fashion, maxi skirt, scarf shawl, inspired by Frida Kahlo, boho style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, preloved fashion, maxi skirt, scarf shawl, inspired by Frida Kahlo, boho style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, preloved fashion, maxi skirt, scarf shawl, inspired by Frida Kahlo, boho style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, preloved fashion, maxi skirt, scarf shawl, inspired by Frida Kahlo, boho style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, preloved fashion, maxi skirt, scarf shawl, inspired by Frida Kahlo, boho style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, preloved fashion, maxi skirt, scarf shawl, inspired by Frida Kahlo, boho style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, preloved fashion, maxi skirt, scarf shawl, inspired by Frida Kahlo, boho style, Shelbee on the Edge

Emma chose this month’s thrifty theme…Inspired by Frida Kahlo, a Mexican painter known for her colorful self portraits and paintings depicting her experience with chronic pain.

I cannot remember when I first learned about Frida and her impact on the art world. It was probably in some introduction to art history class some time during my schooling days. Maybe in middle school, high school, or even college. I do remember taking art and art history classes at each of those educational levels. My suspicion is that I learned about Frida earlier than college because it is knowledge that I have had for so long that I assumed it was common knowledge.

But I quickly learned that knowledge about art history is not common knowledge at all. When I told Jeff the theme for this outfit, he had no idea who Frida Kahlo was. Even after I showed him some photos of the artist and her artwork, he still did not know. Jeff did not study art. Ever. I think his art background consists of middle school shop projects and taking photos of me for my blog. But he knows who Frida Kahlo is now so there’s one benefit of my blogging…it educates on random topics!

And now you might be confused thinking you are reading a Style Imitating Art post since we are featuring an artist for this challenge. But alas, art permeates everything in my life, including inspiration for how I dress myself.

So why Frida Kahlo as inspiration for a preloved outfit in July?

It seems to be the perfect month to honor this extraordinary female painter since she was born and died in the month of July. She was born Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón on July 6, 1907, to a German father and Mestiza mother. She spent her childhood and much of her adulthood at her family home in Coyoacán, Mexico. She contracted polio as a child that left her with permanent disabilities which were further exacerbated by injuries caused in a bus accident when she was 18 years old.

Due to her physical disabilities, her wardrobe was designed in a way to accommodate and conceal her disabilities. She wore long, full skirts, not only because they reflected the traditional attire of her culture, but because they were easy to wear. She had a prosthetic leg so her footwear also required special details to accommodate her disabilities.

Her signature style put her own personal spin on traditional indigenous Mexican peasant clothing. Her wardrobe included vibrant colors and prints, lots of black, extraordinary floral headpieces, long skirts, drapey wraps and scarves, and piles of big, bold jewelry. So unlike Style Imitating Art, I drew my sartorial inspiration from the artist herself, not from any particular artwork.

Here are some photos that inspired the silhouette, colors, textures, and patterns of my outfit.

thrifted style, preloved fashion, maxi skirt, scarf shawl, inspired by Frida Kahlo, boho style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, preloved fashion, maxi skirt, scarf shawl, inspired by Frida Kahlo, boho style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, preloved fashion, maxi skirt, scarf shawl, inspired by Frida Kahlo, boho style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, preloved fashion, maxi skirt, scarf shawl, inspired by Frida Kahlo, boho style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, preloved fashion, maxi skirt, scarf shawl, inspired by Frida Kahlo, boho style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, preloved fashion, maxi skirt, scarf shawl, inspired by Frida Kahlo, boho style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, preloved fashion, maxi skirt, scarf shawl, inspired by Frida Kahlo, boho style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, preloved fashion, maxi skirt, scarf shawl, inspired by Frida Kahlo, boho style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, preloved fashion, maxi skirt, scarf shawl, inspired by Frida Kahlo, boho style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, preloved fashion, maxi skirt, scarf shawl, inspired by Frida Kahlo, boho style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, preloved fashion, maxi skirt, scarf shawl, inspired by Frida Kahlo, boho style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, preloved fashion, maxi skirt, scarf shawl, inspired by Frida Kahlo, boho style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, preloved fashion, maxi skirt, scarf shawl, inspired by Frida Kahlo, boho style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, preloved fashion, maxi skirt, scarf shawl, inspired by Frida Kahlo, boho style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, preloved fashion, maxi skirt, scarf shawl, inspired by Frida Kahlo, boho style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, preloved fashion, maxi skirt, scarf shawl, inspired by Frida Kahlo, boho style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted style, preloved fashion, maxi skirt, scarf shawl, inspired by Frida Kahlo, boho style, Shelbee on the Edge

This patterned maxi skirt was a thrift shop find a few years ago. I wore it last year for a Thrifty Six challenge to create an outfit Inspired by Travel. For this Frida-inspired outfit, I paired it with a preloved kaftan style tunic which I tucked into the skirt and then belted with a gold scarf. I added this gorgeous green paisley pashmina, also preloved purchased many years ago. I piled on chunky gold necklaces and added large chandelier style earrings. I did not have any floral headpieces that are Frida-worthy so I settled for a simple black headband with one large flower on top. I wore ankles boots instead of sandals despite the hot humid summer temperatures we have been experiencing. I think boots are much more accurate in reflecting Frida’s style. Plus I just scored these gorgeous L’Artiste boots during my birthday thrifting adventure in May. They had very little signs of wear and I only paid $7.50 for them! I also appreciate the brand name L’Artiste for an outfit inspired by an artist.

And there you have it…an outfit that is wholly inspired by the talented and fascinating Ms. Frida Kahlo!

Now let’s see how my thrifty friends were inspired by this amazing woman.  

The Thrifty Six is a group of international fashion influencers who meet once a month in our little space on the internet to share our thrifty outfits. On the third Monday of every month, we will all share an outfit based on a theme that features preloved wardrobe pieces. Shopping and reselling preloved clothing is so much better for the environment and you can find some of the best fashions in thrift or charity shops. The Thrifty Six are here to inspire you to shop second hand! 

The Thrifters:

Emma of Style Splash
Style Splash
“I was introduced to the works and life story of Frida Kahlo during my degree course and have been fascinated with her ever since. I have prints, jewellery, clothing and ornaments featuring her famous face. She often wore flowers in her hair so I upcycled one of Isobel’s old headbands with some artificial flowers and ribbon I’d saved from packaging. It was fiddly but I’m pleased with how it turned out. I bought the Mexican top on Vinted for about £8. The skirt is part of a vintage co-ord that I bought on eBay. My black stretch bracelet is from a charity shop and I made the silver and turquoise ring and bangle. This might be my thriftiest outfit yet!”
-Emma
Grace of Graceful Rags
Graceful Rags
“I really struggled with this fun theme! I put together a few very Frida-esque outfits before realizing that none of the pieces were thrifted. And as much as I love costumes, I didn’t want to put together a look that I wouldn’t wear in real life. I decided on this beautiful beaded crochet top that was a hand-me-down from my mom’s cousin. I noticed Frida actually wore a lot of black, and I thought the little beaded flowers fit the theme (plus, she loved showing her boobies, so the sheerness seemed on point!). I paired the outfit with gold face earrings, layered necklaces, and a braided updo complete with little hair rings. Modern Frida!” –
Grace
Jane of Preloved-Vintage-Handmade
Preloved-Vintage-Handmade
“’I’m the person I know best…
…that’s why I paint self-portraits.’
A quote from Frida Kahlo, the inspiration behind this month’s T6 post.
She paints herself because she’s alone, I wholeheartedly identify with that…
…solitude is a drug to me; I crave it like primal desire.
Frida and I are alike, creativity blossoms when solitude prevails.
I’m capturing her essence in colour and form, the unmistakable pallet of jewel and primary…
…dominant floral crowning glory and distant, melancholy gaze*…
…her image in perpetual suspension…
*I don’t do melancholy gaze; wide mouth smile or sultry pout are my only settings I’m afraid.”
-Jane
Jodie of Jodie’s Touch of Style
Jodie's Touch of Style
“I’m not very knowledgeable about artists, but I knew a little about Frida because we have one of her pieces in our Phoenix art museum. I searched high and low for some colorful embroidered clothing that was second-hand, but instead, I found this colorful flower dress. My headband was created with a scarf and a flower pin (that my mom had made years ago) and I finished off the look with 2 layered necklaces. The funny thing is we went to the museum this day and checked out the Frida Kahlo piece since I was channeling her.”
-Jodie
Nancy of Nancy’s Fashion Style
Nancy's Fashion Style
“I must admit that I made it a bit of a costume party from this theme, inspired by Frida Kahlo. I don’t have anything in my closet that would even remotely resemble Frida Kahlo, so getting inspired was pretty hard. Of course she almost always had her iconic flowers on her head, that’s a no brainer. And in several pictures I saw that she often wore pink with red and green. Hence the color combination. She also often had a scarf draped over her shoulders. So I made a true color palette of it. While when I think of Frida Kahlo I would actually find a black outfit more inspired. Because of her hard life and traumatic events and also often the morbid paintings. But black would be too easy! And apparently she wasn’t put together that way either!”
-Nancy
And Me!
thrifted style, preloved fashion, maxi skirt, scarf shawl, inspired by Frida Kahlo, boho style, Shelbee on the Edge
“I wore this same secondhand skirt for our Thrifty Six post, Inspired by Travel, back in September. The style and bold print remind me of something that Frida would have worn. I paired the skirt with this preloved teal kaftan style tunic which I tucked in and then used a gold scarf as a belt. Because Frida was well known for her large drapey scarves, I added this gorgeous thrifted green paisley pashmina. My boots were also a secondhand purchase…$7.50 with my birthday coupon in May for these amazing L’Artiste ankle boots which have very little signs of wear. I have been wanting a pair of boots by L’Artiste for a really long time but have not wanted to spend the money (they retail for about $150-200). I think they are perfect for an outfit inspired by an artist! I also added a black floral headband because any fan of Frida’s knows of her love for floral headpieces.”
-Shelbee 

We will posting our thrifty styles again on August 21, 2023, with a fun summer theme of Hot to Trot chosen by Jodie. I am looking forward to more creative styling!

Keeping it on the edge,

Shelbee

Joining these Fabulous Link Parties.

Outfit Details: Skirt, Top, Pashmina, and Boots (L’Artiste)-Thrifted / Necklaces, Earrings, and Headband-Very Old / Gold Scarf/Sash-Gifted from my MIL

I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.

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