Fashion, as I understood it, was about expressing your personal style in a way that flatters and likely alters the perception of your body. If you’re short, make the illusion of height. If you have narrow shoulders, make them larger. Combining tricks to create the illusion of an hourglass figure. Before shopping, I would find reference photos for inspo, and think about what I needed to buy to look longer and more chic. Along with the reference photos I watched all the youtube videos and read blog posts titled “basics for everyone”, “timeless chic” and “investment pieces”. I found a formula that worked pretty well. I had some basics, some fun pieces, all in mostly neutral colors that could be mixed and matched. To ensure longevity and quality, and reduce overconsumption, I always tried to purchase at the highest price point I could afford. To justify the higher price point I would focus on cost per wear and ensure I had several uses for each article I added to my wardrobe. For the past few years, I used all these guidelines to try and create a curated, stylish and flattering wardrobe.
And yet, the unexpected would happen. The pictures I took from the outing did not match the expectations I had in my head, at all. Why did I look so different from the reference photos I used to shop? Why did I expect to look tall and chic in a monochrome outfit, or look effortlessly chic in an oversized blazer, but really look like I borrowed my older sister’s clothes? And why did I sometimes feel I had nothing to wear, even though I was trying to carefully curate my wardrobe?
The past six months have been a frustrating period of feeling like I have nothing to wear, and realizing my clothes were not telling the story I wanted to share. I went back to the drawing board, obviously youtube, and started researching personal style. I stayed away from the basic “everyone needs” videos, and slowly found some personal stylists talking about body types. But the body type classifications were not as simple as apple and pear. I found Kibbe and was instantly inspired with the concept.
The Kibbe system was created by a stylist in the 80s based on his experience styling different women and body types in Hollywood. The original theory is outdated and narrow in scope, but has been updated and re-interpreted throughout the years and by different stylists. The system is based on the shape of your bones, and balance of yin (feminine, soft) and yang (sharp, masculine). The overall length, height and prominent feature of your body would determine the fashion choices you make to accentuate them. Seriously, game changing. You can actually celebrate your figure, without trying to change and make the illusion of something that in person, you very obviously are not. The five body types are:
- Dramatic: long, narrow
- Natural: prominent/wide shoulders, long
- Classic: perfectly proportional
- Romantic: round, petite
- Gamine: a mixture of long and short, contrasting angles, petite
This is quite an oversimplification, but provides a basic introduction to the body types. Under the Kibbe system, you will always look chic, flattered and put together if you shop within the correct body type because you’re flattering your shape, instead of working against it. As a gamine, I look most flattered in cropped lengths, contrasting colors and high neck tops. That is such a clear and easy starting point. When you try and emulate someone else’s outfit, without taking into the body type, you end up with two very different looks.
Now, let’s say you don’t want to look chic. Are you aiming to look elegant, sporty, alternative, ect. Well, you would want to shop in other body types recommendations. You can shop within the recommendations for your body type to look chic, or you can shop in another body type’s recommendations and create an aesthetic. For example, when I wear an outfit that would typically flatter a natural, I might look edgy. A great example of this is Wynona Ryder vs Cindy Crawford. They are both wearing straight leg jeans, a t-shirt and a leather jacket, but they are definitely contrasting aesthetics. Winona looks a bit alternative, maybe edgy. Cindy has the classic “model off duty” look, she looks elegant. Another example that is pretty obvious is lace. Some body types look very edgy and punk in lace, while other body types look chic and feminine in lace because it flatters their natural romantic essence/body shape.
I spent a lot of time trying to understand the systems and determine my body shape, but it is very difficult to be objective when evaluating yourself. Through all of my research I found a few stylists online that will type you based on reference photos you send of yourself. Each stylist has their own twist and interpretation on the Kibbe system, so it would definitely be a personal decision who you choose. I chose to go with merriamstyle, as her understanding of body geometry is very in depth, as well as her color analysis. I loved the information she provided me and look forward to breaking down my analysis in a future post.
Some people may say, hey it’s 2022, lets stop talking about our bodies, full stop. Or may feel that fashion is about wearing whatever you want. And that is true, but also, fashion is about celebrating our personalities, confidence and shape. There is no shape that is better than another, the goal is just to know your most dominant features, and flatter them to feel positive and empowered with your clothing. While I don’t want to limit what I can wear, I want to better understand what effect I will achieve with each different silhouette I purchase.
This is where I am right now. I have a much better understanding of what would work best on my body and what look I am achieving with different silhouettes. The most important thing I learned from all this is that pinning outfits online and trying to emulate them will never help you create your own personal style. It is really based on your body, personality, lifestyle and goals. And I am really looking forward to the rest of this journey where I work to transition my wardrobe and define my style.
What tips about personal style and fashion do you have?
