Celluloid and Mexican fashion

Did you know that decades ago there was a Mexican designer who brought glory to the national film industry?

Behind beautiful women like Dolores del Río, Elsa Aguirre and María Félix, there was a gentleman who, to this day, is considered one of the pillars of Mexican fashion. His name? Armando Valdés Peza (1907-1970).

And to add further relevance to her career, it is worth highlighting that in addition to fashion, she also worked in the worlds of acting and of course writing, an area where she reflected the glamour of a unique era, from her own perspective thanks to interesting coverage she did at high society events for important national newspapers.

Well, returning to the exciting fashion industry, we can understand this designer as a figure who helped position top names in Latin American beauty in the world's echo: María Félix herself was his close friend and, of course, client.

Yes, the influence of this designer in creating costumes and styles for the Lady undoubtedly contributed to her being imitated by thousands of women and admired by many more as a representative example of the era.

What was Valdés Peza's contribution? His participation in almost 100 films as a costume designer, even sharing credit with the renowned film director Emilio "el Indio" Fernández.

Among the significant feature films of her career are titles such as I Danced with Don Porfirio (1942), The Rock of Souls (1942) or Maria Candelaria (1943); the films continued to be present in her extensive career that extended until 1970, the year of her death.

It is important to note that in addition to the dresses, this fashion creative also paid special attention to other details. His hands created hats, various accessories and even gloves. Proof of this are some of the figurines that can be found in reports dedicated to his life and to the historical archive of the seventh art of our country.

Although on different occasions this designer spoke of the lack of a fashion culture in Mexico, the truth is that decades later we can conclude that his talent provided the foundations and a representation of Mexican fashion through a path full of inspiration and stories: cinema.