Frida: Style Icon: A Celebration of the Remarkable Style of Frida Kahlo

by Charlie Collins

Style Icon charts Frida's fashion evolution through 50 beautifully illustrated style moments including pieces from her famous wardrobe, her most iconic looks and her own special kind of styling.

From embroidered blouses and traditional Tehuana dresses to indigenous treasures and jewelry strung by Frida herself, this book showcases how Frida used her style as a means of personal and political expression. Her wardrobe includes examples of traditional Mexican dress—rebozos (fringed shawls), embroidered huipiles (square-cut tops), enaguas (skirts) and holanes (flounces), as well as a series of hand-painted medical corsets and supportive back-braces which also illuminate the story of her near-fatal bus crash at the age of 18.

Tastefully and elegantly illustrated throughout, this volume is a must-have for admirers of Frida Kahlo, fashion historians and fans of fashion illustration.

Genres: Nonfiction

192 pages, Hardcover

Published August 9, 2022

Reviews

[Jessica Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

While it was a little repetitive, I loved the bite-sized chapters as they dealt with each topic. My only complaint is that the illustrations were beautiful but I would have loved some photographs to accompany them, so I could see exactly what was being referenced.

[Inga ʘ‿ʘ Šačkutė · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pati gražiausia knyga iš visų, mano kolekcijoj 💛

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - I found this to be a useful resource for my dissertation as it highlights Frida’s influence in easy-to-read chapters, and it taught me about Fridamania, the term coined for her role as a cultural icon.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet little read about one of my favorite people. I learned a new thing or two about her, and the illustrations had a great vibe that showed Frida's without feeling derivative.

[IMOGEN JANE · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book - I enjoyed every word!

[susanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolute icon, no wonder why I've been so obsessed with her since I was little.

[archive · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel very inspired having learned about Frida Kahlo.


I wish this book included Kahlo’s photographs and/or artworks in lieu of Charlie Collins’ illustrations of Frida.

[Elleni Yapanis · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75🌟
what i saw in tkmaxx and was only going to be a display / coffee table book turned into something different when i picked it up to read on the train home. my love for frida deepened with this beautiful insight into her fashion & it’s influences; learning so much more about her and her life.

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a visually lovely book, with some little known facts thrown in.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reason for reading…

“ I hope you enjoy reading this book… I hope it allows you to be a little braver,a little bolder, and a little truer to your wonderful uniqueness in honour of the endlessly inspiring Frida Kahlo.”
That is what I hoped too, to channel some of her bold belief in self, bold belief in life and become a little more me. My third Christmas gift to myself this year! Already a little more decadent a little more self than selfless.

Favourite line…

“I drank to drown my sorrows but the damned things learned how to swim” Frida Kahlo

What I’m taking from the book…

I tried to fit in to avoid my difference but it created a loss of me.
This book for me, is a gateway book I’m desperate to know more about Frida, I want to try her perfume
Shalimar by Guerlain and my next book will be La Lacuna.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an interesting overview to Fridas life and her impact on modern day society although the book felt longer than it needed to be. The artwork was beautiful but it would have been nice to also include some original Frida art and photos

[Cate · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple love letter to Frida’s incomparable style with bright, eye catching art at every turn of the page.

[Aus Liebe zum Lesen · Rating 4 out of 5]

»Ich male, weil ich muss. Und ich male alles, was mir durch den Kopf geht, ohne darüber nachzudenken.«

Wenn man an Frida Kahlo denkt, dann sieht man unweigerlich bunte Röcke, farbenfrohe Muster und üppig mit Blumen geschmückte Frisuren vor seinem inneren Auge. Ja, Frida Kahlo war definitiv eine Stilikone und eben dieser widmet sich Stylistin Charlie Collins in ihrem gleichnamigen Buch.

Sie erzählt zunächst kurz vom Leben und den Werken der Ausnahmekünstlerin, kommt dann zu ihren Outfits, ihrem Schmuck, ihrem unverwechselbaren Style, um zum Schluss ihr Nachwirken auf spätere Designer*innen und Künstler*innen wie Alexander McQueen und Jean Paul Gaultier zu zeigen.

Die bunten Illustrationen von Camilla Perkins sind nah am
Original und wecken die bekannten, teilweise nur monochromen Fotografien von Frida Kahlo zum Leben. Ich hätte mir aber dennoch das ein oder andere Foto, von dem im Text gesprochen wird, im Original gewünscht, wovon man wohl leider aus Kostengründen abgesehen hat.

[gltgw · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's difficult to rate this, because the pictures are 5/5 but I don't know about the book as a whole.
The stated aim is to discuss her fashion, but you cannot have unlimited paintings, which means it references things you can't see and you either have to imagine or Google separately. I wonder if a photography book would have made more sense for the topic (although, again, the paintings are beautiful.)
The writing is engaging enough, but it has less on the fashion than I would've expected and more on biography. I get the impression that the paintings are the author's heart for the book.

[maro ✩ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

-.5 for the lack of pictures/illustrations of things that were referenced in the book.

Overall, it was such a nice book! A bit repetitive sometimes but it’s all worth it. I feel like I get Frida more now. 🩷

[Chloe Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

BIOGRAPHY
An amazing biography on the fashion and lifestyle of Frida Kahlo.
Incredibly interesting & the illustration/photography is stunning.