I have created a FREE checklist of ingenue elements (e.g. bows, shimmer etc) which is a lot more comprehensive. Check it out by signing up to my newsletter: elliejean.substack.com/p/11-styling-rules-for-your-cute-face/
I am not young nor an ingenue but I think a lot of women not all but some want to at least once in a while want to dress a bit sexy. The ingenue dressing seems to be unsexy.
I have almost this exact combo, and I find Allison Bornstein’s 3 word method really helpful in combination with this system. I realized I have the same 3 words as Alexa Chung, and since then everything has made sense. I’d look at some of her style choices for inspo, as well as Chloe Sevigny and Sienna Miller, I feel like they do this edge+cute/innocent+ womanly thing perfectly!
David Kibbe says that Soft Naturals have an innocent essence in his book, so ingenuity goes along with that. I believe most Soft Naturals have ingenue or romantic essences, or both ❤
Yes please! This video was so helpful and interesting. I thought I had ingenue essence in my blend, but now i’m not sure because I might have more romantic instead. My dominant essence is classic, so the other two in my blend are not obvious 😅
Oh my gosh, this was so helpful. My whole life I've tried to go against my actual style roots and essences. (for reference, I'm a soft summer, petite, ingenue, and possible romantic or soft gamine) I really didn't want to look like a child, so I tried to dress more grunge or "mature." I would have never thought that embracing the ingenue would make me look more mature! I just tried styling an outfit with these guidelines, and it turned out so good! It's perfectly feminine and dainty, but SOMEHOW doesn't make me look like a child. Thank you so much for the much needed style tips.
Finally I think I understand that I have ingenue essence - perhaps it's not my main essence but I have very small facial features and I struggled to find myself in the descriptions of essences because a lot of them are large in some capacity. However now you said that ingenues have small, delicate and round features in their faces and throughout my life most people have the idea that I'm very sweet and kind just from my appearance alone (I used to hate that). I also still get ID'ed even though I'm almost 30 (drinking age is 18 where I'm from). So, it's probably safe to say I have this essence in my blend. Thank you❤
I've been doing "farmcore coquette" because I'm 1. Ingenue 2. Natural 3. Gamine. I can pull off touches of classic but only if it's ingenue as well. I look youthful and effortless. My sister says I'm a "sporty natural," but athletic wear has nothing to do with it. I consider myself similar to the Disney princess Belle, but I live in rural western America instead of a French village. My attempts at looking my age, hardcore, or sexy have not gone well. The cottagecore trend has been a godsend. I find my personal style everywhere. My favorite brand is Free People.
No way I think I have the same essences as you, and yesterday my sister said I look like Belle. I said I didn't really see it, but she insisted. I wonder if that's why! This was really helpful!
I have the same blend in basically the opposite order. I find girlish athletic wear (eg the tennis fad) inspo to actually be the best way to blend them but this may be because of the more dominant gamine/natural for me--I do resonate more with being an "athletic" looking natural as well. Though yes "sexy" always looks kind of gross on us 😂😢
I have ingenue essence and I own a purse that looks like a carton of strawberry milk 🥰 I usually avoid dressing for my ingenue essence and lean more into my romantic and gamine but this video is really inspiring me to embrace it more!
Please do this for other essences, particularly how to dress in different situations (like at work) and as you age. I am a theatrical romantic with ingenue, romantic and classic essence. I feel like I struggle blending those aspects and end up leaning hard into one or the other and it can look too much.
Hi there, re dressing for work: I've seen quite a few examples of women looking 100% professional at work, yet honouring their yin essences in a stylish way. Since work outfits available to buy tend to be Classic (or lately Dramatic) in style, I'm assuming your current work clothes are probably Classic. My thought is that you could keep wearing your Classic wardrobe but add details that are Romantic and Ingenue; as Ellie-Jean says, just one or 2 touches are all that is needed. The easiest place to start would be your accessories, replacing your Classic ones(if you have them) for Romantic/Ingenue ones. Looking for: >Tiny dainty petite jewellery.( see Ellie-Jean's examples above) If your Classic essence is strong, you may prefer to keep the jewellery to a minimum; but just even a single stud on each ear e.g a pearl, and thin rings, will add the subtle Romantic touch. If your work suits have lines which are all yang, consider adding a small flower brooch (even a fabric one) to the jacket lapel.( I have a very delicate cat brooch.) A single brooch can soften a whole suit! > a handbag as small as you can practically use, and ideally a non-dark colour, with feminine detailing e.g quilted, embossed, patterned - or, a contrasting colour such as pink! A handbag alone can change the whole outfit. >traditional pump shoes with moderate height dainty heels, no hypertrendy shapes. A tiny detail on the front of the shoe, like a shoelace bow or flat bow, or quilting, is a subtle lean to the Ingenue/feminine. If you don't mind a contrast between your trousers and your shoes, a lighter colour such as beige, reads as more feminine than Classic black. > when you need to replace your work clothes, look for skirts, pants and jackets in soft textures and beautiful lighter colours -- e.g aqua, mauve, pink, blue. Progressively bringing in softer or lighter colours from your colour season into your work clothes - not just your blouses, but your jackets, pants and skirt -- and moving away from the predictable dark colours -- is a game-changer. Tip: coloured workwear is often available on sale! :) >A plain fitted button-up cardigan, in a delicate soft fabric, worn done up, looks very feminine yet professional, it's a softer Classic alternative to blouse-plus-blazer. I've got one in light grey angora, the fluffiness adds a feminine hint to classic tailored dark pants.
@a24-45 thanks so much for your very detailed reply! It's super helpful. You're right, I tend to go for classic pieces at work and sometimes feel a bit boring and lacking in personality. I'll definitely try to add a few romantic and ingenue small details moving forwards.
I have the same essence blend and Kibbe type! I agree, it's not easy for me to blend the essences together. Lately I've been focusing on David Zyla's color and archetype system more instead of essences, I found an archetype (Soft Winter, the Romantic Poetess) that seemed to mesh well with them and have managed to put together some great looks. Unfortunately Zyla doesn't give many recommendations for each archetype so I feel like I'm getting stuck again.
It’s odd, dressing “cute” and sweet actually makes me look MORE mature. You’re totally right. I tried a more edgy style, a more classic, a more serious, and a sexy and the fact they look like you’re playing dress up actually is what makes you look immature. Even super casual I find looks off. I feel like I have a bit of natural essence but even sports clothing looks silly. I’m just about in my mid 30s…I don’t think I’m going to grow romantic or classic but knowing how to dress my face has made a HUGE difference I’d give my left foot for ethereal/romantic essence because that’s usually what I first gravitate towards. But I’ve found what works
I feel the same way too, I gravitate towards romantic and classic clothing but I am super ingenue and even just casual jeans and t shirts doesn't work for me. I have always felt so frustrated with that but now I realize that I was not dressing for my essence.
I relate so much to what you said in the beginning about ppl not taking you seriously for being cute and sweet and baby face. I used to get angry at that (sometimes it still bothers me) but now I realize that I need to embrace the "cuteness" and sweetness and be confident about it. I worry that by doing I'll look younger than I already look. Ps. you look amazing in the first outfit with the pink trousers
Thank you for this video, it had many useful points. I'm pretty sure I have ingenue essence as I have been ID'ed until I was 35. I naturally gravitated towards doll-like clothes, and they actually made me look very classic and feminine. Now I have started to look older and I have a lot of grey hair. While I still have sweet features, the doll-like clothes don't look right anymore. They've started looking frumpy. I think I now look better in romantic/ soft natural styles with a touch of ingenue.
Do you have tips for how to look mature / sophisticated or even edgy despite having ingenue essence? My personal aesthetic does not match the innocence of ingenue 😅
I would REALLY love if you could do outfits and ideas for 3 essence blends some time! In my face there is a considerable amount of ingenue, i believe, but not nearly enough to pull off tiny flowers and stuff... I have to accommodate my Dramatic, Ethereal, Natural first... Seeing how to incorporate several of them into your style would be so helpful!
Super fun and interesting video, Ellie-Jean! I don’t have any Ingenue, but my teen daughter definitely does (and I’m guessing she won’t likely totally outgrow it), so I’ll pass this on to her. She’s sometimes struggles with people seeing her as being just sweet and innocent, when actually she doesn’t see herself that way at all. I think her style roots are 🌸 ☀️ 🪨 . (Btw, I’m sure that content was very overwhelming to create, but if you ever feel inspired to dive in again, I really enjoyed your roots combos videos. Would love to see mine some day as a earth, mushroom, stone. 😘)
My glasses are a clear/"jelly" pink color, and I wear my hair with a scrunchie or a claw clip in girlish colors or prints (usually pink, white, beige, purple, iridescent), and I feel like that's enough to honor my essence. That especially applies for work because I'm required to wear scrubs in a certain color. Outside of work I like to wear neutral colored clothing and then wear a lot of pink, girly accessories and I think it's just enough without going over the top. Think scrunchies, clips, braids, little earrings, scarves, ruffle socks, keychains, slouchy tote bags, etc. I'm in my mid 20's.
These are great tips. I'm +40 and ready to embrace my ingenue. When I was younger with emotional wounding, I portrayed myself as tougher. Everything from hardcore punk as a teen, to bolder dramatic/romantic styles as an adult. Always a mismatch for my face though. What I'm finding works best for me now is to place the ingenue pieces closer to my face and upper body. Jewelry, ruffled necklines, bowed necklines, gently puff sleeves. Then keeping things more basic on my soft natural body and footwear.
I'm on my twenties already but i have a girlish look so i still get asked if I'm older than 18. But it isn't the most distintive essence i guess. I happen to hate typical girlish looks, so I have to make my way into the style with the few things i do like > i have curly hair, love sundresses, love colorful clothing (But i wear mostly black and dark colors because of my color season), backpacks, of i wear open shoes never heels but flats sandals with minimal heels for the support. Also my roots are sun, moon and earth
I've been typed as ingenue as my primary essence. White or baby pink or baby blue linen pants are the only pants I can really wear well. Jeans, yoga pants, chinos, etc look terrible and heavy on me. Usually with a silk shirt, angora or cashmere sweater, lace, pastel puff sleeve blouse, or chiffon shirt. So I second linen looking good in pants. I've also found that sometimes I can pull off pants of different fabrics if they are cropped at the ankle and in a soft or pastel color. But I wear dresses 75% of the time. Sometimes the activities of the day does necessitate pants.
I'm soft dramatic with a true winter palette and dramatic, ingenue and either natural or ethereal essence. How do I balance a fairly high ingenue essence with a soft dramatic frame?
Any tips on incorporating ingenue essence while being a (soft) dramatic? I’m struggling so much with this because I definitely have to honor my SD body that does not seem to match ingenue recommendations
Eh, I don't know about this. My kibbe body type is FG, and my face is more ingenue than gamine. None of the recs mentioned here work for me, except that I've recently figured out that dressing in very girlie/youthful pastels really suit me a lot better (and not in a color season way).
I am very confused between gamine and ingenue 😅 i think i am gamine, but i couldn't pinpoint what i my face is giving this effect. Because i really think i look awful in ingenue style and so fitting in gamine. But i dont understand whyyy
I understand but because I'm the opposite. When I took the Kibbe quiz I thought I was gamine, but when I dressed in the recommendations I looked terrible. I have a long vertical line even though I'm barely 5'4", and eventually discovered I probably have Ingenue instead of gamine. So, just go with whatever lines and recommendations feel and look the best on you.
Great video! But after seeing it, I think I struggle to see the differences between ingenue and romantic. Like the fabrics or the necklines you mentioned, I thought they were more romantic. It would be very informative if you could do the same video for romantics 😊
U are mixing feminine × romantic. Romantic is sexy ingenue is cute. If u look always younger u are ingenue. If u look your age and "sexy " u are romantic.
In one of your videos , you said that you have a classic essence, in another, you're the ethereal type and now ingenue . Girl 😵💫😵💫😵💫 Is it possible to have more than two type? Coz I think based on yout videos, I might fall under the romantic essence, but I'm not that intense looking, and also classic category.. Most people say that I have an innocent face, and i also hear that i look feminine. I also hear that I look like Kat Dennings cos we both have similar lips. Girl 🤣🤣 Maybe I'd be able to play several types of roles if I were an actress 🤣
I struggle with this as a lesbian who doesn't always love presenting as feminine. I would lean more towards masculine clothing & silhouettes if they didn't make me look like a 12 y/o boy with my rounded, ingenue features :(
I wish I could find advice for ingenues that isn't inherently feminine. As a non-binary person, it's frustrating that all I find is 'dress girly / feminine / yin' when all I wanna do is seem more androgynous
I am ingenue but always drawn to romantic clothes. However, wearing sexy clothes makes us look like we are trying to hard, like a child trying to play adult, you know? We look sexier when we are being cute and you won't be seen as a little girl if you dress more ingenue
@mianagouveia6511 You're saying the exact same thing people tell me. I hate feeling like Caricature. So you're telling me I have to look cute!? I hate this. I feel like a little boy or little girl. Keep dressing like a little girl you five year old.
@@mianagouveia6511 Not it doesn't. You just want us to dress like five year old girls. I don't feel grown up or mature at all. You're telling me people only like my style if I look like a damn innocent farm girl?
I have romantic and ingenue as essences...and sometimes I feel like they clash. If details are too girly I end up feeling and looking too ridiculous, but I also don't want to lean too much into the sexy aspect of a romantic because it will squash some of my ingenue features. I've been trying to find a balance
It might help to translate this as "romantic with a young heart". That's to say, the overall silhouette could skew romantic, but the color palette, makeup, and accessories then hint at a youthful delicacy. Hope that helps!
I'm glad you didn't talk about specific colors. As a Winter I found most posts about ingenues pretty discouraging because they say ingenues often have lighter colors (because dark hair=mature for some reason??) and should wear lighter colors and pastels, which don't look as good on darker features (autumn & winter) ingenue girlies like me. I do wonder how to do my makeup as light as you suggested as a winter who lighter colors make me look "erased".
I'm a winter, and think I have some Ingenue. I like to wear dark pink lipstick, and I think her recommendations to add pink might be enough for your makeup. Maybe a pink shimmery blush would look nice. (I'm not sure what I'd say to Autumns!)
Look up for korean makeup style. Some of them are dark seasons with baby face,but I never seen they puting heavy makeup,maybe for the style they like or just the vibe of their features are more strong.
I think I'm a dark autumn with dark hair and features and peachy colours (more muted shades for me), can look really fresh and can give that ingenue effect ❤
Agreed - winter ingenue here and I'm trying to go for Jewel tones but with feminine details - light, but turning the saturation up a touch. As a TR, too feminine can also overwhelm me!
you're basically describing my wardrobe here.. haha but it is true that having ingenue essence can be a little tricky when you don't always want to look super cutesy.. altho i do find leaning into my romantic body type with more "sexy" silhouettes can really help- in case anyone out there is also trying to balance their outfits :) i know make up was mentioned in this video- and i've also found a little bit bolder make up can definitely make me look more like an adult.
For me what helps is always having a soft/feminine detail and not wearing black or dark colors. I feel so plain and dull in classic, clean, and basic items and my mood gets sad when I put them on. Even if it's a plain white shirt there needs to be an intricate detail like lace trim, floral, a little bow, cute sleeves. But I usually take it to the extreme and wear brands like loveshackfancy that are known for their extreme femininity/girlishness. I get complimented all the time and it looks natural on me not like a costume
@@kayceejames9769 I usually buy them secondhand on eBay, poshmark, depop. The quality is so good and the styles are unlike anywhere else so I don't mind investing
A lot of your tips are things that I’ve learned about for myself through trial and error over the last couple of years, so it’s really cool to get it validated!
I was just talking about this the other day with friends. I'm a "mature ingenue" and for a long time, I was struggling with this feeling I wasn't being taken seriously because of how "cute" and "youthful" I looked, even as I was reaching 40. I tried to go very classic but it didn't feel like me, and I actually didn't like giving off a more mature vibe. It helped me find the "age appropriate" version of my natural essence though. However, I pull off a more glamorous/sexy style well too: give me sequins and sparkles any time, any day -- and I'll NEVER give up on that. My icon since forever is Kylie Minogue, I love her and I love her style, she's a perfect mix of cute, elegant, sexy... Not long ago someone said to me I gave off the same vibe and I kid you not, that's the best compliment and I have received in my entire life 😂(yes, you can still be that silly past 40.)
I have Flamboyant Gamine body, but my essences are Natural, Classic, Ingenue. it broke my heart knowing I can't rock a pixie cut because it's too "boyish" for my face😭
Yeah, I found that out the hard way, when my stylist took my hair too short once! Lol. I hadn't asked for a pixie, and as soon as it grew long enough to put a curl in it that helped immensely!
Thank you for this video. It makes so much sense. I am a soft classic. I have always loved and kind of favored vintage clothing. Prior to embracing this fact, I tried to just wear things that seemed fashionable at the time, but it was always off on me. I have been told I look young for my age (36 now). Now I understand why to my eyes vintage clothing looks more like myself then others. Again thank you for your videos. I feel more confident just in being myself.
Thank you! I'm classic, ingenue and natural with either a D or FN Kibbe ID and find these quite difficult to combine as D/FN are so far away from ingenue. I used to go for a vintage inspired look 40s/50s which is fine and takes me more time and sometimes the hair can be a little stiff on me but the other style I wear a lot of is a boho style and own so many floral patterns as I absolutely love anything to do with the natural world in my style
Not me over here wearing all the things to avoid if you have ingenue essence. 😅 Granted that probably works for me wanting to look more edgy - going against my ingenue essence.
I think Judi Dench is a great example for fashion for an older ingenue. E.g., she keeps her hair short, goes for brocade/embroidery in her red carpet looks, often chooses round-shaped chunkier necklaces. In a way, she transitioned from the princess to the queen dowager.
Thank you so much for all your videos 🙌 I have your color season, body type and this essence. It’s so helpful and I’m blessed I can find someone who matches me perfectly with all these 😊types
I try to incorporate those because I have natural classic and inginue. But my drama is I am FN and extremely tall. So sometimes it looks like a cosplay 😢.
My exact situation. My body is giving grown, sensual woman, but my dominant essence gives playful and girly at heart. I found that primarily catering to your body type and then tying in ingenue details (maybe a pink, floral dress, or flared jeans with a fun pattern on the pockets) will help out people with this body type and combination the best.
That is an amazing video! For many years I have tried have an edgy/rocker style but I can feel that looks too forced on me. Now I am trying to embrace my ingenue features like you said but I have a problem. I have a petite inverted triangle body, which means my butt is tiny and my shoulders are wide.. I cannot wear puff sleeves :( so I combine long skirts with spaghetti strap crop tops. my question is; what type of shorts would you recommend with these tops?
And how would you dressed if you were a deep winter but with an ingenue essence? ): A lot of people have told me that I’m a deep/dark winter, but I don’t know how to combine the very dark and contrasting color palette with a ingenue essence
Have you heard of the actress Carol Kane? Can you do some research on her. I think she may be an ethereal ingenue but I’d love to hear your opinion. I know you probably won’t do a video, but maybe a quick reply to my comment would be awesome. Thanks!
My second essence is ingenue and my first essence is romantic and romantic lines look best on me . I do look good in small floral patterns , a glossy lip, polka dots and small ,delicate puff sleeves and corset details . Are these not romantic elements as well ? I look like a little girl if i wear something very girlish like a peterpan collar or a princess style dress
What is your dominant essence? You could be the type that is more like "flirtatious cute" romantic dominant with some ingenue or "inocent and seductive" ingenue dominant with some romantic. Note: that names I used here I take for the channel dear peachie.
I actually love the painted ceiling colour, it complements the room ❤ Also love the Ikea besta units, we have one in our living room and used the design from scratch option to customise it for the things we needed to store like LPs, board games, gaming things, etc
I have ingenue, gamine, and ethereal. While I want to lean more into the ethereal essence, I'm a SG so the silhouettes clash. Actually everything clashes. I have ingenue essence and am a light summer...but my main style root in moon. I have ethereal essence but I have a 4th root as earth and I'm SG. I have gamine essence and am a soft gamine which means that I should wear more contrast and patterns...but I have ethereal essence and mushroom and stone as style roots which want LOW contrast and not a lot of patterns. Trying to get this all into something cohesive is such a struggle lol
I believe I have ingenue as my third essence so while it is important that I acknowledge it I can't go overboard otherwise it would look costumey as my top essences need to be honored as well. Percentages matter.
I have an ingenue face/ natural. But my essence I would say is natural essence. So how do I dress according to my essence but also my ingenue facial features ?
I have a soft natural Kibbe body with ingenue face. What I'm finding works best for me is to place the ingenue details closer to my FACE. Jewelry. Small ruffles at the neck or shoulders. I can pull off softly puffed shoulders too because they work with my ingenue face, even though they wouldn't normally be something a natural would wear. The lower half of my body looks weird if I go too "cute" but above knee slightly A-line or bias cut skirts work.
I agree with the point 1,when ingenues try dressing" mature" they end up looking much younger. The rule n° 1 depends also with your others essences,for how far you can go. Rule n°3 yes,the fabric plays a pivotal role in the vibe of the outfit,for example: a blouse made of silk will feel diferent than a blouse of hard cotton. Rule n°6 I love literal whimsycal acessories😅 About the makeup,I figure it out by myself,if I do my makeup with only matte dark colors,I look dead ☠️ Rule n° 9 I naturaly have coily hair and "short"(natural without any manipulation) About your question: loved the way u introduzed some ways to honor without going overboard💗
