Art History: Frida Kahlo Bridal Editorial
I recently had the incredible opportunity to collaborate on a bridal editorial celebrating the life and style of surrealist painter Frida Kahlo. Against a backdrop of oversized silk and fresh florals, the creative team worked to capture her personal tenacity and bold artistic aesthetic.
Capturing Frida’s Personal Style
While Frida Kahlo’s self-portraits offer a remarkable wealth of creative inspiration, many of the jewelry designs I selected for this editorial are primarily based on the unique ways in which Frida expressed herself through her distinct sense of personal style and her carefully curated appearance.
When sitting for photographs, Frida tended to adorn herself with striking jewelry pieces, particularly at the neckline. These distinctive “collar” style necklaces also grace several of her self-portraits and feature occasionally in the portraits she painted of others.
In our bridal editorial homage to Frida, I wanted to evoke a similar sense of texture and decadence. For the first look shown below, I opted for a rose quartz and mauve pearl collar that maintains a sense of lightness and warmth despite boasting a playfully chunky, faceted texture. For the second look, I layered a five-strand freshwater pearl choker with a double-strand baroque pearl pendant to create a sense of lavishness and decadent display.
These statement necklaces were then accented by matching teardrop and circular-shaped earrings, which strikingly echo the styles that appear frequently in Frida’s own accessory collection.
Capturing Frida’s Artistic Style
Rich with symbolism, Frida Kahlo’s surrealist paintings reveal her complex psyche and emotional fortitude. She turned to painting while recovering from a life-threatening bus accident, frequently using her artwork as a way of processing her pain and trauma. Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird (1940) and The Two Fridas (1939) are two beautiful yet harrowing examples of how deeply Frida wrestled with her experiences and identity through her art.
To honor Frida’s authentic artistic practice, I wanted to follow in her style of bringing together raw emotive power with dreamy, natural beauty to create a work of art that challenges the status quo.
This unique asymmetric golden tiara features rambling floral vines that climb along a high arched halo, giving an organic sense of growing and lifting upward. Mauve and white pearls and Herkimer diamond (quartz) create a strong contrast between smooth and sharp edges, while micro-faceted tanzanite, ruby, and pyrite gemstone beads lend the tiara a sophisticated, subtle palette of blue-purple, magenta, and near-black. The black velvet wrapped headband seamlessly blends in with the hair, casting a dream-like floating quality on the design.
While this tiara design draws on motifs of classical femininity through the use of florals and foliage, it challenges the bridal industry’s reliance on traditional pattern-repeating bridal tiaras and crowns. Instead, it harmoniously presents the warmth of opening blooms as well as the structure of thorns and branches upon which they flourish, as would be seen in a living garden. Even though the tiara boasts a nontraditional asymmetrical design, composition remains balanced and dramatically poised.
Through this embodiment of Frida Kahlo’s style in accessory form, my hope is that others would feel inspired to express themselves authentically. Frida’s art and personal style teaches us that self expression is more than just a matter of showing others what you like by what you wear, it’s a way of telling your story in all its depth, difficulty, and delight.
CREATIVE TEAM
Host, Planning, & Photography | Brianna Graca Weddings
Hair Artist | MCS Hairstyles
Makeup Artist | Makeup by Angeline
Accessories & Jewelry | Marian May Atelier
Model | Katelyn
Silk Florals | Elegant Bloom Rentals
Fresh Florals | JI Florals
Hi, I’m Naomi! The artist behind Marian May Atelier.
First, I want to say thank you for checking out the blog. I hope you found it interesting to read about Frida and how her style has inspired my work.
If you have an upcoming special event or wedding and are interested in having your story told through hand-crafted custom accessories, you’ve come to the right place!
Here are a few quick links to places around this site that you might like to check out:
