Carolina Herrera and the Importance of Her Hispanic Heritage
For decades, Carolina Herrera has been a household name and go-to for women’s perfume. She has dressed multiple celebrities for red carpets–such as Zendaya, Nicole Kidman, and Kate Middleton. Herrera has also dressed First Ladies like Michelle Obama and Jackie Kennedy. But what most people don’t know is that Herrera was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela.
This small and simple fact is actually bigger than it appears, since people tend to think of high fashion coming from countries such as Italy or France; they rarely think about countries in South America.
Herrera is the best example of how high fashion can come from any country in the world. She has built a fashion empire and a signature style–combining white blouses, jewelry, and long pleated skirts. Her signature style is also reflective of her personal style, which is heavily inspired by Venezuelan fashion.
In Venezuela, women during the 50s were commonly seen wearing long pleated skirts paired with blouses. This was a signature style during Venezuela’s Golden Years, when the economy was flourishing and crime was at its lowest. In her various collections, she has paid homage to her Venezuelan roots by creating layered dresses with the colors of Venezuela’s national tree, the Araguaney, and has also used several patterns with the same colors as the flag. She has managed to do all of this while still creating classy and elegant pieces.
Carolina Herrera not only represents Venezuela, but all fashion designers who also come from South American countries. She opened doors and created a path for other fellow hispanics designers to follow in her footsteps, and be successful doing so.
Strike Out,
Writer: Cristina Jiminez
Boca Raton