Mexican actress
Salma Hayek
wore a Tehuana gala dress during the opening of an exposition of Frida Kahlo ’s personal dresses and objects at the Victoria & Albert museum in London .
The actress surprised the special guests with an outfit embroidered by hand on a base of black velvet and flowers on her head, greeting the public with a “ Viva México .”
“I discovered Frida Kahlo when I was 14 years old, a friend of mine showed me some of her paintings. At first, I thought they were scary and horrifying. I especially remember two of them: ‘ Mi nacimiento ’ (My Birth), and ‘ Unos cuantos piquetitos ’ (Few Small Nips).”
“Mi
nacimiento
” (1932)
is a painting in which Kahlo’s large-sized head emerges from the mother’s uterus. The baby, halfway through labor, falling into a pool of blood, relates to the creature that Frida had just lost in a miscarriage.
“I was intrigued by the paintings and it made me want to see those horrifying images again. Through the years, I’ve learned to love them, and they have been very, very important to me,” the actress stated.
Salma Hayek began reading more and more about the artist. Her fascination peaked when she starred in the movie “Frida” (2002) , which dwells on the controversial Mexican painter from the 20th century.
“She changed my life in so many ways. I remember one of the things that inspired me most in making that movie was that everyone saw her as a victim… Later on, I realized that Frida Kahlo wasn’t a victim. She had the most beautiful relationship with life,” Hayek commented.
She also mentioned that Kahlo’s relationship with fashion was deep and thorough. The painter used to carefully pick out every dress, piece of jewelry, makeup, and perfume that she wore.
Frida Kahlo created her own public image which evolved through the years and this was reflected in her hairstyles and clothing.
The actress, who currently resides in Mexico City , captivated audiences with her charisma and sense of humor during the gala, to which around 1000 people from the world of arts and entertainment attended.
“You’re going to have to forgive me, because whenever I get really excited or drunk -which isn’t the case right now- my English is very bad. But I hope that is not the case and that you are able to understand some of my feelings.”
Polo Sánchez Valle
and Julio Parejo were in charge of producing the actress’ outfit. Through the Mexican Mestizo Market , they got their hands on the elegantly embroidered flower garments.
The dress was tailored at the Santo Domingo municipality in Tehuantepec, Oaxaca . It is an authentic Tehuana gala outfit embroidered by hand through a hook-weaving technique using silk thread.
It took a whole year for the Mexican outfit to be created, through the detailed production of three cloths which were later assembled into a full dress.
“I bought this outfit during a recent trip to Oaxaca, and then I brought it to London. I didn’t know Salma Hayek was going to wear it at the gala,” Sánchez commented. “Unfortunately, the name of the woman who embroidered the patterns is unknown.”
The gala also offered appetizers by the Mexican chef Martha Ortiz , and the García sisters (Celia and Laura) , from the state of Guerrero , performed a few traditional boleros.
The largest museum of design and decorative arts will present the exposition “Frida Kahlo: Making Her Self Up,” starting on 16 June . European audiences are already looking forward to it.
dm