Title: Mexican Dress Design
Image by Julia | in fashion, design & create, drawings/design
**The story of la China Poblana, or the Chinese Pueblan, goes there was an Indian girl going to New Spain by merchant ship to become a servant for the viceroy of Spain. The ship was however attacked by pirates and the girl was kidnapped. She escaped, took refuge with Jesuits and was baptized, only to be kidnapped again by the same pirates. Instead of delivering her to the viceroy, she was sold as a slave to another man and eventually married and became a nun. Throughout the years, she continued to wear dresses of Indian style which is thought to have inspired today's China Poblana which is rich in colorful floral patterns and decorated with sequins, beads and beautiful threads. The name comes from chino, the name sometimes given to people of Asian descent by Spanish-speakers, and Puebla, a state in Mexico where the Indian girl was buried and became a saint. The inspiration from the China Poblana can be seen on the lower part of the dress which likewise has floral patterns and such, as well as the scarf which is commonly used as part of the outfit, either around the neck to cover cleavage or on the head to protect from the strong sun. I also got inspiration for the shawl from Matthew Williamsons 2008 spring/summer collection, as well as the "Palestinian" shawls that could be seen everywhere this fall. The dress has a high slit as the traditional foot-length dress may be uncomfortable in the warm weather. The peppers at the very bottom are inspiration from the Mexican cuisine, in which red peppers are commonly used. **Bullfighting, a sport and traditional event commonly practiced in Mexico was the inspiration for the dominant red theme of the dress. In this sport, the matadors or bullfighters use a red cape, legendarily to anger the bull (when as a matter of fact bulls are colorblind). The inside of the lower part of the dress is completely red whereas the outside is only partly. The shawl is also completely red. All are made of silk. **The top of the dress as well as the shoes have been left white to flatter and bring out the beautiful, tan skin tone that many Mexicans have. **The floral hairclip is a simplified version of the "Mexican Sage Geranium", also inspired by the upcoming trend of classic "comb-clips" (accessories that use their shape of a comb to attach to the hair) **The gold bracelets on the left arm are inspiration from the Aztecs, a Native American ethical group who were the forefathers of many Mexicans and still inspire the Mexican culture of today. Gold in various forms was one of the things that they traded with other people along the coast.
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