Tried this after a very long time of living with an unflattering, mixed wardrobe. SURPRISE! I looked the best in the Dramatic "dress". Very long charcoal turtleneck sweater over skinny black pants - hair sleeked back. I am totally shocked!!! Now I understand why average length and shorter skirts and dresses felt awkward on me, and why even slightly A-line dresses were not flattering. Most of the sewing patterns that I bought and never sewed were more Romantic style or Gamine......Those types of clothes made me feel awkward, manly and silly- even though they are so right on others. Maybe I'm not an ugly duckling after all. Thank You
Yes similar to me, whilst i really liked short puffier dresses because they were girly and cute, i always look sooo much better in longer dresses. It makes me look tons more elegant, im only now learning to wear more soft dramatic lines.
STOP LYING TO YOURSELF!!! (and everybody else) IT'S NOT ABOUT BODY ANGLES, IT'S ABOUT A STYLE THAT COMPLIMENTS YOU! THERE IS A COUNTLESS NUMBER OF DIFFERENT BODY ANGLES, 2 SOFT GAMINES ARE NOT SAME! Fashion and style is much more than body angles! You are trying to make the RULES THAT DON'T MAKE SENSE AT ALL! That is why people focus on their curviness and non-curviness, and trying to be something that they are not!!!!!!!!!!! btw you are the reason why my friend and I were mistyped for 5 years. We've been UGLY FOR 5 YEARS. Also your style is awful. STOP LYING TO YOURSELF!!! (and everybody else) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have always been super picky about what I wear. Not that I'm beautiful or vain, but when clothes don't "feel" right, I feel very uncomfortable. I asked my husband to figure out my kibbe type and he confirmed my thoughts(and this excellent video) -- a classic. I like things that are neat, fairly fitted, don't swish or swing or get in my way. Even my jewelry can't be too loose or hanging, bouncing, or making noise as I walk. Many of the Kibbe videos are confusing, but you simplified this esp with the five dresses. Thanks so much!
Bit late to the party, but wanted to thank you for this simple but genius idea. I been unsure weather I'm a SG, SN or PR. Just tried on a load of clothes and can finally confirm I am a SG. I have had such difficulty with the kibbe system and this makes the whole thing much easier. Thank you so much
I actually tried this and the results shocked me so much! I'm 5'7 so just automatically assumed dramatic would be my best lines but they looked... the worst on me. Romantic lines won by a land slide. I've struggled with the test for so long just because of my height and the body type stereotypes, but this little exercise has shown me exactly what my body type is :) Thank you so much for this, and I look forward for your future videos!
I feel the same, i am 5'8 but most dramatic clothing seems to be too stiff or heavy for me... and any natural makes me look like i just got out of bed. But i;m trying to figure it all out still TT
Bellaxx1990 yes, I also confirmed myself is a total Romantic after watching this video. I am 5’5.5” (0.5” over the definition) and I don’t even have a left to right wide hip (but front to back thick). I don’t have huge boobs. But I don’t look super flat chested (32B), because my rib cage is completely rounded with front to back thickness and narrow left to right. This height thing really got me confused for a long time. Visual weight is the key.
Thank you soooooo much for this tips!! I've been getting more confused with every video i watched on this subject, but your dress technique just made it so clear for me, i don't even need to go "shopping", i've always looked like crap in the 'dramatic' structure and great on 'natural' style. I was doubting between those two , so thank you so much!! You have a new subscriber :)
From watching your videos I've realized: I'm a soft natural who's been wearing gamine and sometimes classic lines (probably because I'm very short, I thought gamine clothes would suit me). Oops. No wonder that - especially as I've gotten older and a bit chubbier - I've started to look a little matronly in those choices. Well, yesterday I bought my first clearly soft natural dress, and it looks fantastic! Can't wait to go out and find more clothes that actually flatter me. Thank you so much, your videos are excellent!
I think this video does a really nice job of comparing and contrasting the 5 main types so you can see what a difference wearing the right clothes for your type makes.
What a great idea! I tried this today and was shocked that Romantic looked best! I never would've tried on those extreme styles. I am quite slender, though (sharper bone structure) so I think I'm Theatrical Romantic. After a year of looking at Kibbe, your method really made it simple to see it and understand it and eliminate the obvious ones that don't work. Thanks!
Thanks! That helped a lot. I always perceived myself as a bit heavy and out of proportion, so I guess it affected my replies in the Kibbe test - I was ending up as a soft natural every time I took it. The problem was, I look absolutely terrible in natural lines. Finally I decided to ask my mother and my friend to take the test for me, and they both ended up with classic. It is hard for me to accept, as I see classic as exceptionally proportional (I am not... at least I don't think I am) - maybe due to the fact, that all this body evaluations are done with actresses and models - so in comparison to them I just can't see myself as classically balanced. To summarize - I do feel best in classic lines - sometimes gamine (bodycon, not girly A line). In romantic I feel unnatural and fake, dramatic unfortunately makes me look like rihanna in this masculine suit and this shiny, long, natural dress you have showed is probably the worst outfit I could pick for myself :)
My dear!! After a huge amount of time defining myself according to the Kibbe system, I intuitively switched to dresses. They give information about body types more clearly. But thanks to your video, I now see everything as it is! Thank you very much!
Wow, this could not have been more aptly timed. I was planning on going TOMORROW to fake shop at a store to figure out once and for all if I am a Theatrical Romantic or a Soft Gamine! Just discovered Kibbe last week, been obsessing ever since, found your channel this week, and thank you so much for everything you've posted, I've watched pretty much everything and learned a lot! I thought that was just too perfect that you went and posted this today! 😆
I would be interested to know how you go! I'm pretty sure I am TR, with some lingering doubts about SG. I know TR is an R subtype but I think it has a special connection with SG. Good luck finding your type :)
@jro418 Miriam explains the difference between TR and the soft subtypes so well. TR is mostly D answers -- pointy yin. The soft subtypes all have E undercurrents. You may be a TR if you feel each of your features is sharp yet you have the overall appearance is very feminine. Also, TR and SG faces can look similar or have the same test results. Look at your body and see if your proportions are straight and petite or slinky hourglass. If you think you may be TR, don't be thrown off by the frilly outfits and rhinestones the internet wants you to wear. You may not like those things and therefore not feel you look good. Instead, use process of elimination. As an ornate, yin type, you will look plain or sloppy in the wrong lines because of the contrast. If you look especially homeless and sad in ugly sweaters or especially boring in minimal looks, that's your clue that you're a romantic.
I found this test at the perfect time. I needed to buy a dress for my son's hockey tournament banquet. The test was not difficult to do at all. My eye generally steered me to what I like. I am a Theoretical Romantic. I took the different type of dresses into the dressing room, but I already knew which ones I didn't like. Even before looking in the mirror I could tell by how it felt when putti g it on. And, you're right, I definitely feel best with waist emphasis. Great tips and great video.
Thank you SO MUCH. I was really confused and now I'm sure I'm a romantic. A theatrical romantic I think. That romantic dress is basically the prototype of most of the dresses I have in my closet. It's not even my favourite kind of dress but it's the kind of dress that really fits me and flatters me. When I was younger my mother used to try to dress me like a dramatic because those kind of clothes are her favourite styles and I always looked awkward and goofy. Natural clothes make me look like a sack. Classic are not horrible, but make me look older. Gamine clothes are kind of okish, but I feel too constrained in fitted clothes and I look somehow heavier.
Wow, this is super helpful. I was confused about the whole kibbe system. I watched part of the aly art series then turned it off because I didn't understand the differences and had no idea what type I was. I did the quiz finally and soft natural was the outcome. This dress test confirms it too. Gamine dresses look terrible on me. Also, flowy unconstructed stuff usually looks fine, even though I'm thin with not many curves.
Just came across this video while looking for Kibbe related topics. I think I'm a romantic type, BUT there's always that bit of doubt. I do feel the most comfortable in this style of clothing. The idea of trying on different styles is so simple, but genius. To actually see intentional side by side comparisons will really help. I'm going to take advantage of Amazon Prime Wardrobe to help figure this out. Even in the store I'm a bit overwhelmed, so this seems like a good option.
Oh I’m absolutely classic. Thank you, this was so helpful!! I think I might be dramatic classic because dramatic lines look ok on me too. My face is very round and feminine so that throws me off, but the dresses don’t lie!
I am planning to try this out. I think it’s helpful to do the main types because it can help narrow down the possible types. I also like knowing what looks worse on each type that helps narrow down the types . Thank you 😊
You are so beautiful Merriam! I have a request. I would love it if you made a video about Gamine clothes for older women, with examples of celebrities over 50, and why not 70 too. Of course it would be interesting to see all the types, but I'm particularly curious about Gamine, and how to make that style more mature. I'm a Soft Gamine and 48 years old. And I love your videos! Thank you! 🧡❤️💛
Same for Romantic! I'm struggling because I think that's my general area - but no way am I doing ruffles and bows at my age. I feel like this drives me more to classic options...which aren't necessarily the best? Thank you!
So helpful!! Thank you very much. I just discovered the Kibbe body types and it has helped me fine tune my clothing and understand what looks best on me.
My friends and I are doing this this week! I am pretty sure I'm a Soft Natural (but not positive), and my one friend is stuck between Soft Natural and Soft Gamine, then our other friend is a Romantic. It's going to be fun to see how we all look in the same dresses :)
Thank you for making this video! It was extremely insightful! I believed I had it narrowed down to a Classic type from watching a lot of analysis on different types and looking at both my features and what I know looks good on me on not. This video really cemented that fact, and I now with certainty can say I am a type of Classic. There are so many styles that are just too much of something and I struggled to figure out what. They were too frilly or fuzzy, too strict, too busy as examples. The Classic dress here would definitely look the best on me of these, and the natural dress would be something I’d shy away from as I know that type of cut is awful on me.
I like your hair. Thanks for the examples of the dresses for each of the 5 main types. That helped me narrow it down to 3 at least. One of the naturals-leaning SN
I loved this video, it was explained in a simple, but practical and effective way, and it's actually helpful. I found many RU-vidrs who talk about Kibbe usually just read out from the website, the same things like "oh if you have this height you CAN'T be this", " if you are this, you definitely can't have big hands...." And blablabla. Great video!!
Oh I'm so glad! Yes, I think soft gamines look so cute in natural clothing because it makes them look tiny, but not necessarily the most 'complimenting' lines of all the choices. :)
I think this explains a lot about me as well. I'm fairly sure I'm a gamine, but I have a few draped outfits that are relaxed and comfortable, and I get compliments on them even! I think the key is I always layer and break up my silouette (different coloured dress, tights, and boots) when I do wear these styles.
Wow this is wonderful. Definitely gonna make something out of the shopping stuff afterwards. Thank you Merriam. My experience tells that I'll look the best in your Classic's example. Clevage emphasis and frills just don't work on me, as well as unconstructed, draping lines, I'll look like I forgot to groom myself. I look fine with the formal lines of Dramatic, but stiffness occurs sometimes.
I love this idea of trying on 5 dresses! If they are all the same color I think that would be the most fair comparison. Best if it's in a color very flattering to that person. Someone in the comments said they would try on the 5 dresses with their friends - great idea! Is there a FB group to post photos and get opinions?
Hello. I find your channel so beautiful and helpful. The videos are so well put together and I can see how much effort you put in them. Thank you. I am still struggling with kibbe. I gained a lot of weight the last years and trying now to get down in weight. My face and body shapes changed or just because of the overweight I think I often tend towards maybe a wrong type. I thought I am a Romantic or Theatrical Romantic. A professional now did a quick look and that Soft Gamine. I will definitely try the dress Test you recommend here. It is interesting. Still I find Kibbe confusing a bit. Though I love the thought behind it to emphasize every types special features. Thank your for sharing your knowledge.
Haha, I totally agree that gamines looks cute in natural lines! My friend is a gamine and in somehow unconstructed loose pyjamas she looks so soft and cute :D (while wearing her right gamine lines makes her look just right, even badass when she turns into flamboyant gamine clothes) I am a classic and in natural lines I look like a homeless person.
I've played around with this! We can wear classic or natural lines as long as we find ways to color block them. A soft gamine might look cute in a sloppy tee shirt if the hem doesn't go below her hip and it looks boxy instead of slouchy. Everything has to be in our proper size -- not oversized. Audrey Hepburn's look is basically just chopping up classic outfits by cropping everything and making the waist higher.
Similar here, im a soft dramatic and anything too baggy or too casual makes me look homeless. Hell, anything remotely casual makes me look sloppy. I guess this is the downside of being soft dramatic
This helps so much!! Thank you. I always thought my body type was romantic but I hated the way I looked in romantic type outfits. I look so much better in classic and gamine looks
You are so very knowledgable! I wish to save up for your personal test indeed. It will save me the headache of my wardrobe pulling me in five directions. I have always been so confused. what looks good on me, I feel like I am a mix of two, because I always looked great in high waist dresses with small romantic patterns for like 20 years, but suddenly I feel like an oversized baby in it and maybe one can grow out of ones type?
This test really worked for me, after trying lots of dresses and taking photos it became immediately obvious I’m a soft natural, and dressing as such has made such a difference since discovering this, clothes are actually starting to suit me for once. Before this all the tests came out as soft classic or romantic which both felt wrong.
Wow this video really works!!! I now know I’m definitely gamine, despite being utterly confused by everything for like a month since I looked into this!!! Thank you!! It’s great 👍🏻
By the way I have strong arms from exercise (not very long though), normal shoulders, busty, tapered but not tiny waist, narrow hips. Shape wise I’m between rectangle & inverted triangle. Which type do you think I’m leaning towards please??? 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
I first only heard your voice in your videos, and I LOVE your voice. It's sounds so feminine and sweet. Is there such a thing as a yin and yang mixture of voices that people can have?
I’m still finding it confusing since I’m a bigger girl. Would be nice to see guidance for plus size women and some examples of plus size models/celebrities.
I was mostly trying to confirm that I'm a pure Classic, because the push towards dramatic or soft classic was really confusing for me, and I'm one of those weirdos who doesn't really push towards either side? Trying on the other shapes was *really* helpful cementing that I'm a Classic, whichever more yin or yang I actually swing towards, this at least helped it make way more sense by wearing what is clearly *wrong* on me!!!
I am watching this because I cannot tell if I am a Theatrical Romantic or a Soft Classic so I am gonna try this tomorrow since its already 11pm here I am so excited to know my exact body type hehe thank you so much ❤
This is so helpful! Also, I wonder if you could discuss Natalie Dormer's kibbe type? I've seen her typed as Flamboyant Natural but I'm having a hard time seeing that since she rarely wears those lines; she tends to wear more Gamine lines, which made me initially think she's a type of Gamine.
Could you please explain the difference between natural and flamboyant natural? I'm 5'7" and I have always gravitated towards natural lines - draped tops, big hats, big scarves, etc. It's hard to tell if I'm flamboyant since I'm not super tall.
Merriam, if you ever see this, I love your videos. 💖 Also, I am curious about why classic stuff looks nice on me if I am supposedly a rounded type (TR). In my Body Geometry test, I got blended in second place after rounded, not any sharp or beveled answers. When I was slimmer and looked less soft, SC lines were amazing on me as well.
omg!!! i like the way I look in romantic and natural. ive tried several dresses now and I honestly can't tell if I am a soft natural or a soft classic.
You mention that Romantic bodytype is the opposite of Gamine but I could totally see a Gamine wear the dress at 8:52 and look adorable (high neckline, short lenght, belt, doll-like vibe) and I think that about almost all romantic clothes that have a high neckline. But to be fair, as a gamine, I'm incredibly biased :D I think I look my worst in Soft Natural lines but Natural lines, as you mentioned, give off a cute vibe which I like on me.
I was always confused when looking at clothing recommendations for gamine because I feel like skinny jeans and big ruffles look absolutely horrible on me but I like the way I look in boyish clothes. you saying that Gamines look their worst in Romantic lines and that some might actually appreciate the way they look in natural lines helped me a lot.
THANK YOU. Finally confirmed. I'm a theatrical romantic who loves wearing soft natural and soft gamine style as long as there's a waist line. Have always been confused cuz most theatrical romantic stuff I researched online are so middle-aged, and I'm a 5'2'' Asian who fits in and looks fine in GAP Kids.
This was very helpful for me. On tests, I'm either a soft gamine or theatrical romantic. I have some features of each but don't fit in either exactly. But I look better in romantic styles.
Girl I think you got classics a bit wrong lol. Yes we tend to look better in simplicity than other types (besides dramatics) but that doesn't mean we can't have any detail at all! In fact we tend to look even better in clothing with symmetrical, clean detail as this can highlight our well balanced features. But this took me a while to figure out as well. Aly Art even recommends to avoid minimal detail for classics, as well. And I think I can see why; because our features can be a bit understated, too plain clothing can make us look a bit boring. Just my interpretation!
i think the idea is that you work to emphasize your type not subdue it, so if you have "understated" features, it looks better to have understated clothing, as well, so your features are not lost in your clothing. of course im sure there is space for detail, but not with the goal of "making up" for your classic lines
When i think classic clothing i think of lots of the clothes kate middleton wears. Im not sure if she is classic... I think she might be, but she rarely wears things overly simple. Not too out there, and not too subtle. Edit: dont think that classsics are boring at all. Every other body typing system considers this to be the most beautiful and ideal type and say they can get away with wearing anything. whilst i dont agree they'd look their best in everything, this may be the case.
I am a strange case: I look great in classic dresses (I have very similar one to the girl you showed, but in teal), but I also look good in natural dress. However, I look like granny in romantic. What am I?
Finally figured out I am TR and not SD! My height kept psyching me out. I’m 5’8 and every source I found kept saying that’s too tall for TR. Most of my features are on the soft and feminine side, but I still couldn’t figure out if I was truly a TR. In the end, TR clothing really helped me shine. Even though I could pull off SD due to my height, it seemed more like the clothes were wearing me, and that they looked stiff. In photos of me with TR clothing I am glowing and angelic. Thank you so much!!
I think I'm having the same revelation! I'm also 5'8 and the height element threw me off initially, but there's something about the SD style of dress that doesn't quite vibe with me.
Thank you for another insightful video! You suggested that Naturals stay away from v-necks, and I can understand why, because v-shapes are sharp. However, I have often read that v-necks are recommended for Naturals, especially Flamboyant Naturals. Is it because FNs are closer to Dramatics than Ns and SNs? I'm confused now! Would you consider making a video in which you type clothes?
I also would like to see a video of typing clothes. Even better typing printable sewing patterns, because then if you find out something that would fit, it would be accessible to get that garment. There could be even a serie of videos for different occasions like everyday, busines/office, workout, celebration...
I am reading the comments before watching the video. I'm a flamboyant natural and my favorite tops are v neck. I watched another video regarding FN and it recommended that v necks in which I agree. I guess it really boils down to personal preference. That's interesting. Thanks for sharing. I looked at one of her other videos(wedding dress for body types) under FN there are v necks.....
Can you do a video for Kibbe types for african women? Because I havent seen any kibbe examples for black women apart from beyonce and rihanna. What body type is Lupita N`yongo?
girl i feel you... what I feel about applying this test on coloured women is you have to compare the tested person's features (sharp nose? medium height? curved?) with women of her own ethnicity, not the general public. for reasons like one can be considered very tall in one ethnicity and moderate in another and etc.
if you’d like some black examples; Naomi Campbell is a flamboyant natural, Halle Berry is a soft gamine, Skai Jackson is a gamine Zoe Saldana seems to be a dramatic classic and Lupita Nyongo seems to be a soft classic
Huh... I won't be able to do the test for a while (quarantine), but after watching this I'm almost 100% sure I'm a classic. I was wavering between soft natural and classic/soft classic, and was even starting to suspect romantic, but now I realize I've always gravitated toward classic styles and gotten the most compliments while wearing them. A couple months ago I tried on what I think was a natural dress (it had a halter neck but below that fell in loose, unstructured pleats to the knee), and it looked pretty awful. I wouldn't touch ruffles with a ten foot pole, and I'm pretty sure I'd look (or at least feel) like a clown in them. I'll probably do the test at some point but for now I'm going to assume I'm classic.
I suspect I am soft natural, so natural with romantic characteristics. This kind of made it make more sense to me. As a natural, I look great in flowy things without harsh lines or color blocking and have always HATED v necks unless they are very very wide and loose and flowy. But I also look significantly better if garments are fitted to me, especially to my waist. So like flowy and draped, but fitted to my body's silhouette. I also look good with a bit of frilly detail, but like low key. Kind of bohemian I guess.
Hm I don't know. A lot of the dresses that don't suit the body types just aren't flattering in general. It would be much better if we could see the same dress on different types. There's so much that goes into a dress that could determine whether it would look good on a person or not.
D: I'm a soft natural and my favourite clothes have gamine lines! That explains a lot. Now I'll have to figure out why I'm so personally against wearing natural clothing. Thanks for the video, I hadn't realised this before and now I know where my problem is.
Jess maybe you like the accessories and personality of gamine? Naturals can have lots of great accessories too! And it’s not a big problem for you to wear flamboyant natural if you like it.
I feel like the best look on me is something romantic with lace and gentle colors but also very fitted. Not sure if soft classic or theatrical romantic? I'm 162cm tall, with short defined waist and long legs, also my face is on the narrow side. Confusion.
Hi Merriem. I am Looking at your dress in this video. It’s black and it doesn’t look harsh on you. But as a cool muted person, it should look separate from you right? Reason I am asking is because I am trying to figure out my color and hence asking this question. I think bright look too bright on me and muted look is kind of dull on me. I am a cool season but not sure bright or muted. I am a deep winter. Which one you think I would lean towards
It's weird, because I think I am TR, but I feel like of those dresses the classic one would look the best on me and the natural one would be the worst. For the R dress, I get a very girly, innocent vibe from it, whereas I sort of feel R has more sensuality to it (think Liz Taylor... sensual even when she wasn't trying to be). Thanks for another great vid :)
