The Kibbe image identity system is the brainchild of Manhattan-based stylist David Kibbe, who established the concept in his 1987 book David Kibbes Metamorphosis: Discover Your Image Identity and Dazzle as Only You Can. The width in their shoulders, chest, and hips are what keep them in the Soft Natural category, however. took the kibbe body type test just to be called fleshy ive had enough. Have large bone structure, or large hands and feet. . The quiz basically determines the balance of your yang and yin features. If you are looking for which IDs are more "feminine", then again . Famous soft dramatics include Ashley Graham, Adele, and Sofa Vergara. As an alternative source of Soft Classic outfit inspiration, Ive started a Pinterest board. Shirley MacLaine, Tracee Ellis Ross, Michelle Obama, and Charlize Theron all fall in the Flamboyant Natural category. But this line of thinking can still be a slippery slope, wherein people are placed into self-selecting groups predicated entirely on appearance. Theatrical Romantic Example #3: Rachel McAdams. I think her dress on the right is a great look on her too. (Short and slender bone structure with soft flesh and facial features. I think that Oprah Winfrey is another great example of the mixture of a balanced bone structure with softer flesh and facial features that soft classics have. He gave the different body types names like Gamine and Soft Romantic, which I definitely prefer over the bizarrely objectifying Apple or Pear.. So far, though, hes done little to correct the record. Slightly straight. Consider some celebrities that fall into this category to see how their hairstyles differ. The fashion tips themselves are intended to be harmonious with the body type there is nothing to hide or de-emphasize! Even proportions are a defining characteristic of Dramatic Classic body types. The Kibbe body type system is an image identity system created by David Kibbe in his book Metamorphis in the 1980s. The only Kibbe-approved forum on the internet is Strictly Kibbe, a private Facebook group with nearly 8,000 female members from over 100 countries (Kibbe did not start the group but exists more like a guest of honor alongside his wife, Susan Slavin). It is arguably harder to be body neutral on social media, where societys worst biases are brought to the fore. Lizzo is quite tall and also has some width to her, which makes her a flamboyant natural. In reality, the key with a Flamboyant Gamine wardrobe is to embrace all of the sharp angles. People have biases, and biases can have consequences especially in a fandom devoted to scrutinizing the minutiae of strangers bodies. Thanks, I really wanted to get a diverse selection of examples for the body types. They are reported to be the same height, but I guess because Beyonce looks like shes a bit shorter, she kind of flies under the radar. People like Chudnovskaya might have left behind the fandom aspect of Kibbe, but many consider it a baseline guide to styling themselves or others. While I have sometimes seen Priyanka Chopra typed as a soft dramatic, Ive also seen her typed as a natural, and I think that she fits well into the natural body type. This Kibbe body type is like the reverse of the Theatrical Romantic a long figure with some curves. Kibbe says its important to know your image identity, lines, and color palette. The physical descriptors of his 13 image identity types havent changed, but he has since narrowed them down to 10. In other words, womanly and petite but with a bit of an edge. And perhaps thats a testament to what Kibbe offers an imperfect solution to womens styling woes, one that the body type quizzes of fashion magazines past have failed to provide. At first I wasnt sure what body type Dascha Polanco has, because she has quite a bit of softness to her, so she might actually be a soft gamine, but I think she looks pretty good with gamine lines. Overly groomed styles (too stuffy and matronly on you). The list of famous Soft Naturals includes Katy Perry, Julie Andrew, Hellen Mirren, and Chloe Sevigny. Their Yang comes through as some slight broadness in the shoulders or facial features. Your archetype is your major country, then its like your image identity is where you live within that country, says Arruda. You take into consideration the fabric weight, the texture, and the overall silhouette of the outfit or garment and align it with your bodys shapes and traits., Arruda suggests trying different hemlines and silhouettes to find out what works for your personal shape. Entire YouTube channels, TikTok accounts, Facebook groups, blogs, and subreddits are devoted to analyzing the technicalities of the Kibbe system. The intensity shows up in the height and in the long limbs, as well as in prominent facial features. Theme by 17th Avenue, Hello there! Have a large bone structure or large hands and feet. I love seeing her in a variety of different outfits, and I think shes a great source of inspiration for any soft classic looking for modern outfit ideas! Dramatic Classics, on the other hand, can rock high contrast lipstick and bold eye looks quite well. Learn as much as you can, then just walk away, she said. Google Pay. He didnt type her, but most now theorise shes DC. Sheer fabrics. I know that people really like to debate the body types of various celebrities, which is fine, but this post is mainly to provide a lot of examples for people wondering what the overall vibe or appearance of the different body types are. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. You can see that Grace displays a balanced blend of angularity (Yang) with supple fleshiness (Yin), especially in her legs. Im excited to start with Soft Gamine, which is my body type. Slightly angular with blunt edges (as opposed to sharp). This intrigue was enough for her to venture further down the Kibbe internet rabbit hole.. (LogOut/ Kibbe used the same body types to identify men, and some of his advice is even quite similar. Gamines are a combination of opposites, so theyre small, theyre compact, but then thats the yin part, Kibbe says. This post may contain links to shops that I regularly support and am affiliated with. The Kibbe celebrities don't match the descriptions of the types they are supposed to be. Even though she appears to have a low body fat percentage her shoulder caps are rounded, not hard-edged and angular. I also think she looks super cute in her red lip makeup look in the photo on the left! Though her fashion aesthetic is aimed at vintage looks, these outfits provide countless templates for shapes, silhouettes, fabrics, designs, and accessories that are highly flattering to a Soft Classic. If you want to get a visual idea of what Soft Dramatic looks like, consider Sophia Loren, Barbara Streisand, and Tyra Banks. Sloe or almond eyes; narrow, thin or straight lips; taut skin, especially around the cheek and jaw areas. Nobody is. Like Jennifer Aniston, she shape of her bone structure and facial features are immediately identifiable as natural features, and she looks amazing in her lines (such as with the dress on the right). She looks stunning with loose and slightly messy hair in the photo on the left, as it suits her flamboyant natural lines. Finally, once I had an inkling as to my body type, I still felt like I needed external confirmation, so I posted a photo to the Kibbe subreddit. Essentially, ones body is a combination of lines and shapes, and [the system is] trying to see what those shapes are., Within the Kibbe system, there are five main body types: Dramatics, Naturals, Classics, Gamines, and Romantics, with variations of each (Soft, Flamboyant, Dramatic, Theatrical). While the stereotypical advice for Soft Gamines is to embrace cutesy clothes, were not about that life. Theatrical Romantics also benefit from a few sharp details and can handle stiffer items easily. So this week, Im sharing all of the Soft Classic body research that Ive done. For whatever reason, there just doesnt seem to be a lot of info out there on the Soft Classic body type! But Beyonce does look absolutely stunning in R clothes, and I really like the way Rihanna looks in TR clothing too. Starting with David Kibbe-verified celebrities can help you spot physical attribute patterns. Small details, ornaments, and patterns can also work quite well. Severe geometrics. Are you more angular, or are you more curvy? The Gamine type has a contrasting blend of Yin and Yang (as opposed to the balanced Yin and Yang of the Classic), and the Soft Gamine leans slightly more towards Yin. Heres how. The Kibbe Body Type Method was designed to help users find clothes that embrace their natural body type and give a more harmonious vibe to their overall aesthetic. Some systems can be so broad as to be too vague, while others are so specific as to be restrictive. Friends actress Courteney Cox is a great example of a dramatic classic, and the show is a great way to find examples of a lot of 90s looks on the dramatic classic body type. All unconstructed, boxy, or horizontal lines. Draped fabrics. A cottage industry of professional style and color consultants existed decades before the internet made this information widely accessible all with their own subjective theories and rules. General style tip: If the outfit is so distracting that you cant see the person behind the clothes, then its most likely not the most flattering look. The universal stages of finding out about the kibbe body types, reductively applied to fit Western contexts, (now-disproven) academic concept of body types, original sound - Body & Style by Ellie-Jean, arguably harder to be body neutral on social media. Like Romantics, Theatrical Romantics also benefit from waist-emphasizing clothes that hug their figure. We want to look for these traits within our bodies, explains TikToker Gabrielle Arruda, whose account is dedicated to the method. Mad Men actress Christina Hendricks is a prime example of a soft dramatic, and I think she looks phenomenal when she wears her soft dramatic lines. Kibbe Body Types: 10 Types & How to Find Yours. In context of your overall voluptuous figure, your bone structure is definitely delicate. Jennifer Aniston was actually the first example that I ever learned about for the natural family of body types, and I think its easy to see why! If your bone structure is slightly wide or lush, you may think of yourself as having a large bone structure. Classics are not particularly tall or particularly short, although a Soft Classic will generally not be taller than 56. Kibbe has since typed celebs beyond the typical Eurocentric ideals of beauty to provide more inclusive, realistic examples. Facial bones are small, delicate and may be slightly wide or lush (nose, cheekbones, jawline). They are often tall with strong shoulders and usually carry most of their weight in their chest and hips. Petite and curvy, Soft Gamines have more yin than their Flamboyant Gamine counterparts. Sharp. Softly woven fabrics: challis, crepe, tropical-weight woolens, jersey. Tapered shoulders. Like Soft Classics, Dramatic Classics also benefit from symmetry and clean lines, but they can also handle some straight, texture, or more geometric touches. Eartha Kitt immediately stands out as a soft gamine beauty, with her mixture of opposites and soft flesh and facial features. Audrey Coyne she flaunts many traditional and work-appropriate Soft Classic looks. Slightly angular. Romantic Example #4: Gabourey Sidibe I think Gaboyrey Sidibe is a great example of a romantic, as she carries the rounded and flowing lines of romantics so well. Verified Dramatic Classic Celebrities Jackie Kennedy Onassis (prime example from the book) Jill Biden Her look is fierce and magnificent. Flamboyant Naturals can also handle a lot of ornamentation and bold prints, and they can also rock layered looks. Though generally associated with women, Kibbe says this same process will work for men, plus-size, and non-binary people as well. Arruda says people with this body type have extreme yin with soft yang undercurrent. They often have curvy frames and more delicate features overall. Ornate or set styles. Arruda describes people in this image identity as having soft yang with yin undercurrent. Often curvier than Flamboyant Naturals, they tend to lean more heavily on yin features with soft, round characteristics. I want to start by getting a common critique that I disagree with out of the way. The Kibbe Body Types are an array of 13 style types based on the overall proportions of one's bone structure, body flesh and facial features. Be over 5 feet 5 inches (and is usually even more petite). This video specifically is spot-on if youre looking for modern, elegant, and universally flattering Soft Classic styling. Since beginning his styling business, Kibbe and his wife have typed more than 35,000 people and counting. Wash n wear styles. 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