Awhile ago I typed myself as Soft Classic. A lot of the parameters fit and I found myself intuitively leaning towards that style anyways. Then, as I started consuming more Kibbe content I considered that I'm wrong because I'm 5'1" which is supposed to be too petite for a SC. I rethought the whole thing and was then thinking perhaps I'm a Soft Gamine. Where I'm landing today is... who cares?

My point is will I ever be 100% sure? No. Does it matter? No. I'm just going with what I have learned by trying different looks and observing my style evolution over the years, how I like to look, and what makes me feel confident. If you don't feel good in it, does it matter if it's your type? But if you just pay attention and don't get too in your head about this stuff you will figure out what is most flattering. Most of the frustrations with these systems is our own hangups and insecurities and feeling like getting our type perfect will make us perfect but that's not healthy or realistic. That's when it becomes just another mechanism for self-loathing, not confidence building.

Is there a law of the universe that says David Kibbe is a divinity of style typing? No. It's just a man with ideas that he adapted based on a woman's ideas. And that woman is no more divine than him. It's all ideas. A lot of them good and logical but people are creatures not static design elements. And figuring out a style type isn't going to grant us some mystical power.

So, I'm okay not knowing if I'm a Soft Classic or a Soft Gamine according to Kibbe. What I have learned is I do need waist emphasis, soft fabrics, simple lines with a slight romance, more fitted pieces, and an overall elegance to my appearance. Extreme color blocking doesn't work, but I can pop color on top or bottom with a statement accessory or do variations in tone. Oversized silhouettes don't work, but nothing that is too body con does either. But ways the rules don't fit me for either is that I feel maxi lengths work amazing on me and I pop in bold jewelry, not dainty pieces. My hair looks best in a curly/wavy lob that doesn't look overly polished but also isn't messy, and my makeup needs to be refined and not too dramatic.

I take this same approach now with my color season. This is more direct and I am pretty confident that I'm a bright winter. But guess what? While I was happy, I was also a little intimidated to find that fuschia and bright purple are power colors for me who tends towards muted monochromes. I have gained comfort wearing those colors and see that it does bring me joy but also still lean into my all pale neutral looks. I will wear gold and taupe, which aren't suppose to work on me, but they do. How do I know? I tried it. I also do a pop of a warm color as an accessory to add interest and well, warmth. So what? It works.

Moral of the story is, all of these systems can help point direction, but they aren't gospel or anything to get worked up about. The only way to know what works is to try and be objective. To me it's more about eliminating based on what you know doesn't work, until you get to combinations that do. I worked retail for years and I see the same pyschodrama over fashion and bodies being played out online regarding these style types that I witnessed in dressing room meltdowns and it makes me sad.

17 comments

Posted by

flamboyant natural

13 hours ago

FN - outfit for a live jazz bar night

outfits

2 comments

Posted by3 hours ago

Things I wear as a suspected Dramatic (5’7)

outfits

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1/7

I do not strictly stick to lobbed guides as you can see but it’s a matter of figuring out what u like on urself :)

4 comments

Posted by4 hours ago

Whoever chooses Jenna ortega’s outfits really know their kibbe lol. I noticed this on “Wednesday”. (SG)

celebrities

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1 comment

About Community

This is a community to discuss the image identities described by David Kibbe.

Created Aug 5, 2019

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Introduction

This is a community dedicated to discussing the work of David Kibbe. David Kibbe is best known for his work as a stylist and image consultant in New York City. In 1987 he published his acclaimed book, Metamorphosis: Discover Your Image Identity and Dazzle as Only You Can. In his book he discusses the 13 (now 10) Image Identities, based on the Old Hollywood Archetypes, and how one can embody these style archetypes through their clothing and essence. David’s work differs from other styling systems that seek to “correct” one’s body into a conventional hourglass. Instead, he seeks to harmonize with one’s natural yin-yang balance by having their clothing imitate their natural shapes in their silhouette. The Kibbe system is about creating a style that is authentically you, embracing your natural features and enhancing them.

The Kibbe system is a tool to help people learn the importance of creating a head-to-toe look and occasion for which you are dressing. Additionally, it will teach you about your accommodations and how clothing interacts with you body. This system is a tool to develop your style, not a body typing system. It takes a holistic view of the body and help us to have “enlightened subjectivity” when looking at ourselves. The journey may be long, but will result in a better understanding of personal style.

Disclaimer

This is a body positive sub, and Kibbe's styling system is body positive. If you are looking for hot & not "body types", then it might not be for you - none of the Image IDs are a negative one. If you are looking for which IDs are more "feminine", then again, this might not be the system for you; and yin/yang do not equate feminine/masculine in their original meaning, nor in the Kibbe system appropriated meaning. This sub is NOT affiliated with vindicta, redpill, and the like.

r/Kibbe Rules

Generally be a nice person

Rule 1 amendment - about the targetting of FNs and generally stereotyping image IDs

Minimum karma and account age

About “Type me” posts

"Type me" posts photos

No "what is my essence" posts

No nudity and mark NSFW posts accordingly

No posts about the test

Don't correct people's image IDs/ don't suggest an image ID on outfit posts

10.

Report posts that are against the rules, do not comment on them

11.

This is a community to specifically discuss David Kibbe's work

12.

Don't tell people that their post belongs on r/kibbecirclejerk

13.

Don't post exercises, quotes, or photos from strictly kibbe

14.

No spam and no politics

15.

Inappropriate behavior will result in a ban

Book extracts

Please note: The book contains some bits that are considered outdated today.

Visual glossary

Visual glossary regarding styling, however ~unofficial~ :)

Line break

Curve accommodation for R ≠ bodycon

Dramatic outfit vs stereotype

Image IDs are not aesthetics

Resources

David Kibbe mentioning how his work gets misunderstood

(There are no "body types", it is Image Identities. The test was never intended for "typing". It is not a prescriptive system etc. No boxes. No stereotypes.)

Rita is someone who has gone to see David Kibbe herself.

Please note: There's a lot of other YT channels and blogs on Kibbe out there, however, a lot of them are inaccurate, especially when they mainly use the test - which was never intended for "typing" - to work backwards/reverse engineer the Image ID's characteristics. Even those who have access to the (now outdated) book fail to interpret terms like "true hourglass" with the silent generation context in mind (where it refers to round shapes coming from the flesh, not WHR). They also fail to interpret the clothing descriptions - which come from an 80s book referring to Old Hollywood concepts. Example: a dress with a loosely defined waist is this, not this.

Fabric, Kibbe, and You: A Crash Course

An amazing post on fabric and dressing for your own lines.

Strictly Kibbe Facebook group

A Facebook group where David Kibbe is active himself; contains a lot of resources for learning about the system and dressing for your own silhouette; updated info and clarifications in regards to the now outdated book.