After discovering Kibbe’s body type, my years of style mismatch and shopping regrets are dissolved, and I’m getting closer to finding my true style.
There’s a difference between dressing to reflect your self identity versus dressing to impress. The latter often results in a reckless pursuit of trending fashion items or Instagram-worthy bags. You’re dressing to belong to a community that’s determined by the 1% of people (the influencers) which in turn is highly dependent on the brands that back them up financially.
On the contrary, when you’re dressing for yourself, you feel nothing but your true self.
Be yourself. The world worships the original.
– Ingrid Bergman
Re-discovering my style
I stumbled upon David Kibbe’s body type recently and am amazed by how finding your personal style not only helps you build your perfect wardrobe, but also makes sure that your outfits will exude your inner essence. This is the opposite of dressing to belong to somewhere that’s anything but you.
Kibbe’s body type categorizes women by 13 different types divided by ying (soft features) and yang (sharp features), based on the following:
1. Bone structure
2. Body flesh
3. Facial features
You can do the Kibbe body type test to find out yours.
I found my Kibbe body type!
After doing the test I found that I’m a theatrical romantic. A typical theatrical romantic has the following characteristics:
Body type: soft and voluptuous, although trim and smallish (as opposed to wide and bulky). Hourglass figure; curvy bustline and hips with a waspish waist. Soft, fleshy arms and legs.
Bone structure: small and delicate. Slightly sharp edges (shoulders, jawline, cheekbones, or nose). Small hands and feet (in proportion to height). Facial bones are small, delicate, and slightly sharp.
Facial features: soft and lush. Large, luminous eyes (sometimes slightly upturned). Full, luscious lips. Soft cheeks.
I would say most of the features are true for me with a few exceptions, but according to Kibbe it’s normal to have some deviations of the characteristics from your body type.
Styling advice for my body type: Theatrical Romantic
Based on body type, here’s the styling technique recommended by Kibbe in regards to shape, silhouette, fabric, detail, color, accessories and jewelry.
Shape: rounded, intricate, and ornate.
Silhouette: dress in fitted clothes with an hourglass figure that emphasize the waist and curves.
Fabric: should be lightweight, soft and flowing and luxurious, such as silk, crepe, linen.
Detail: intricate, ornate and lavish. Bows, sheer lace, jabots, soft ruffles, and sparkly appliqué are excellent.
Color: light, bright and lush.
Accessories and jewellery: one of the most important things. They should be elegant, glamorous and delicate (not chunky).
I know when I look my best
Dress to define my body
I’m often the overdressed person in the room. Whenever I wear body-hugging dresses or fitted clothes that define my waist, I get compliments easily. Whereas when I wear oversized or relaxed fitted clothes, even though they’re comfy, they might not be something that represents me and few people would say ‘you look great in those hoodies’.
The brighter the colors, the happier
I look the best when I wear bright colors. I like beaches and sunny weather and wearing bright colors makes me happy and also fits my skin tone which is to the tanner side. Before I learned about Kibbe’s body types, being a ‘lady boss’ advocate I always liked the idea of dressing in powerful clothes like sharply tailored dresses and blazers with strong shoulders in black or dark blue. Though I could look good in those clothes, I didn’t look like I was at my true self because those dark colors were too stark for my essence.
Use accessories and jewelry as your weapon
I used to be an acclaimed minimalist who didn’t like wearing any accessories or jewelry. I’ve only started to wear more accessories and jewelry recently and I realized those additional sparkles really energize my outfit and my face especially when I wear earrings and a necklace.
What happens after I found my Kibbe body type
After discovering my Kibbe body type, I tend to shop smarter and spend less time on choosing the silhouette or colors for my outfit, and I know that I can always use one or two jewelry pieces without over-doing my outfit.
Most importantly, I feel happier to dress in a style that truly represents who I am and what I stand for. It’s about showcasing my strengths, my beliefs, my energy and my relationship to no one but myself. You have to love yourself in order to love others, and finding your personal style is the best way to get there because you’re feeling the best like you can conquer the whole world with your power that’s manifested in your style with both your outer and inner essence.
I’ve told all my friends about this as I benefit a lot from this. I hope you will find your Kibbe’s body type and your personal style soon too!
