This has been the best explanation I've seen so far! Thanks for this video! I'm 52 years young and discovered the Kibbe and Kitchener worlds a few months ago. What I realized is how much I have been hiding my body in way too big clothing. It has to do with a distorted self-perception image which stems from my younger years of not having a curvy, attractive body type. I never had a blooming moment as a woman, and I still use the same bra size as I did in High School. I'm a 5'2" Soft Gamine with Gamine and Classical essences. I recently cut my hair in a pixie and wow, my Gamine was awakened! PS. Sorry for the lengthy comment.
You’re the only video I have found that explains this properly and it detail. Most videos: the bones will sharp or blunt…well, what the hell does that mean? Looks all the same to me!!! So thank you for explaining. I think I have a better idea of what I am leaning towards now. 🙌
Can you explain how to know if you have to accommodate width? My shoulders are slightly wider than my hips, I see mostly trapezoids shapes with round corners but can't still decide between SG and SN. I'm 5'2", short vertical line.
Do you need things to accommodate petite? Do you need clothes close to the body, preferably showing ankles or wrists? Soft Gamine can get by with a lot more sharpness than SN as well. How do you handle a traditionally fitted blazer?
Oh, I love this video. It’s giving me a lot of clarity, but I’m still stuck between soft, natural and soft Gamine. I would even go as far to say that my father is a Gamine and my mother might be a soft natural. I definitely feel like I’m towing the line between the two.
Sounds like you need to determine whether you have width or an overall more narrow frame and shoulder line. If SN and SG are truly the only possibilities, then having width would make you SN (and eliminate SG) 🥰
Great video, I love you calm voice! Can gamine also appear taller than they really are? I have small head and long legs and arms with short torso, I'm 163 cm but people think I am at least 10 cm taller. Rest of my body is more soft gamine like. I am not dramatic for sure, but maybe dramatic classic, my face is classic and a little bit ingenue
It’s difficult to say without seeing you, but gamines typically don’t appear tall (or taller than they are). I’d be happy to help you out if you need a second opinion on your photo 🥰
Love this video. I always felt so boring because I'm moderate looking in every way. I so wanted to be in the natural style family but, i just don't have those broad shoulders. The quizzes for kibbe are so unhelpful for me. Doing the line drawing and being totally open to anything showed me how balanced my body is. The body drawing and the process of elimination is how I landed on dramatic classic.
Thanks for the amazing content, Alyssa People in Brazil love this topic, please consider putting subtitles in portuguese in your videos. I'm sure you'll get many viewers Best wishes ❤
WOW thank you so much! It was so much easier to finally determine my body type! If only you had made this video years ago, it would have help me to save so much time and frustration😅😅
This was great! I did the line drawing. One of the most noticeable things is that I have a broad chest and large rib-cage. Not very much waist definition. My shoulders just a little wider than my hips, but pretty balanced. Long legs/arms. Pretty sure I'm soft natural (with a fairly classic face as you mentioned can go with that.) Can I rule out soft classic because of my upper body width? 5'6"
It's difficult to say without being able to look at you, but I would consider the possibility of FN. It sounds like you may have vertical rather than curve, but again it's difficult to tell without seeing your photo 🥰
@@alyssarudman I’ll look a closer look at FN too then! Overall I look yin (ingenue facial qualities) but for sure I have some yang to my bones! I had a DEXA body composition scan last year and it was really cool to see my skeleton vs flesh. Def blunt shoulders and long limbs.
This explains everything so well thank you! I typed myself initially as tr then i thought maybe sg. But i was clearly sn i have to accommodate my shoulder/ upper arm area and curvy hips. I love being able to know my type and dress to accommodate my body
What a great video! This is the first time I come close to understanding the kibbe body type (I didn’t even bother because it seemed so complicated). Now I’m between a soft natural and a soft classic but my shoulders are more symmetric with my hips and I’ve never had to accommodate the shoulders when I’m wearing the right size so I think I’m a soft classic. Thank you!
I had a suspicion I was a flamboyant gamine, but I was confused because I am a bit on the busty side. I asked my mom to describe my body type for me and she told me I looked like a short beanpole, so I guess that confirms it. 😂 This was a great way to explain the body types, especially for beginners that get confused, some of the terms Kibbe uses can get a bit complicated.
SD here, hi! I fell down the Kibbe rabbit hole in my late twenties, but it was only recently that I realized I was Soft Dramatic. Dressing for vertical plus curve has been an unconscious go-to of mine for years--that alone should have told me I was barking up the wrong tree when I first assumed I was a Flamboyant Gamine. Great video!
@@alyssarudman It was a wild ride. After I realized I wasn't a gamine but some flavor of dramatic, I tried pinning photo after photo of stark architectural fashions only to have it dawn on me that that wasn't strictly accurate either. The final tipoff was my partner remarking that I reminded him more of Ava Gardner than Katharine Hepburn. All right, I thought, I'll take it.
Hi! This is an amazing video! I have an issue identifying my body type even though I've been researching this topic for years and created my siluete. I am 5.4 and I don't feel petit, but I need my clothes to fit tight in order not to overwhelm me. I would say it's because of my bust area that is too small when you compare it to my overall body and hips, but not too small in comparison with my waist. Also, my waist is tiny in comparison to my butt and lower hip area and shoulders. I have prominent shoulders, but I don't feel like I have to accommodate that in any way. It might be because my size is the smallest one for tops and bottoms, and in shoulders, it fits okay, but it's big around my bust (my breasts appear bigger only because of my small bust area, they are B/C cup). I have to accommodate curve for my lower part of the body. Bottoms are better if they are fitted around my waist and butt, but wider or flared. I am not overweight, and I have small head, feet, and hands. I have sharp bones and small wrists, and my bones are visible. I am curviy, but bony. I think I may be FG. If anyone could help, I would appreciate it so much!
I’d love to help you but I’d have to see your photos to really understand your shapes and proportions. You’re always welcome to DM me on Instagram @alyssarudman 🥰
Thanks so much for clarifying a lot of the kibbe concepts. I do have some additional questions, if you don't mind. When creating this line drawing, I saw lots of ovals in my body shape, one larger oval on the bottom and one slightly smaller on top. When you mention ovals in your video, what do ovals mean as far as body typing? Do ovals correlate with any specific kibbe body type? Also, for the outline of your head, do you include your ears/hair within the outline or just the face? Being 5'5.5", I've struggled to figure out what kibbe type I am. My face outline measurement to the floor is 7.5 heads,, so I don't know if I have a short vertical accommodation. I've always been curvaceous and soft, with very slightly narrower shoulders than my hips, but I am taller than TR & R, so I'm leaning towards SC. Maybe learning what oval shapes signify will help with body typing. Thank you again for sharing, it's exciting and fun trying to figure all this out!
Ovals tend to indicate elongation, but without seeing your photo and line drawing it’s very difficult to help you determine your body type. When outlining your head, try to trace the shape of the head itself rather than face or hair. The best way I can describe this is to trace your head as if you didn’t have any hair. So the top of your head is likely above your hairline but below the top of your actual hair 🥰
@@alyssarudman Thanks for the response, Alyssa! Now it's 7.25 heads to the floor for me, but I probably have vertical accommodation with the length in my torso but short arms and legs. I look terrible in all things that don't accommodate for curves, so from this video, I'm leaning even more towards Soft Classic. What is kibbe for soft, curvy, with slight elongation who looks terrible in heavy clothing and geometrics? The next time I have extra cash, I'll have to book a session with you to finally figure this out and get my color season done! 💗PS I really love how you mentioned that Kibbe body typing is a way to dress for your body and not to force yourself into any specific body shape. It's why I like learning about Kibbe so much, it focuses on what works for your body no matter the size
Thanks a lot for making this video. You highlighted crucial differences, explained and displayed them an in clear way :D Was unsure for almos 1 year between D, SD and FN and finally realized I must be FN!
So my shoulders and hips are the exact same width and I'm elongated (8 head lenghts), but my drawing look too wide for the dramatic types even thought I'm slim by size of clothing. I guess I'm too tall for classic (5"8). So confused😢
Wow, this sounds almost exactly like me. 😄 (Except I'm 5'7" and I'm not sure how many heads tall I am.) I'm driving myself (and my family members) a little crazy trying to figure out my type.
You can be SD and have no defined waist. Kibbe's book describes SD waist as moderate, which can become thick. They just have upper curve so the breast area is defined in the silhouette. I'm a waistless SD too ;)
Huh. So I am def a natural type. Prob a soft natural, i kept thinking I was a DC. But I always have to make sure my shoulders fit into whatever I am trying on.
This video is made perfectly 😊, you made it so clear ❤ . I still don’t know what type I am though 😂 , I’m not sure what my dominant features are . I have a short vertical line, width , I think mostly sharp bones , yin flesh , small hands and feet , romantic essence ❤, I think I have double curve, and sharp shoulders.
I have zero idea what I am. Hour glass but short. Mixed face features. Broad and strong. So a muscular hourglass that’s short and not really soft. I am too curvy for soft natural, too much width for soft gamine. No others come close. All clothes look decent except clothes that make the lower half look bigger. Have spent last 12hrs not being able to figure it out.
So for jackets, I always feel like my usual clothing size is too tight on my shoulders, so I have to size up. But then the jacket is kind of loose everywhere else. Is that indicative of needing width accommodation? Or maybe it's just a jacket thing? It's not as noticeable with shirts, but sometimes I struggle to get things over my shoulders when trying on if it's not a loose fit.
It could be, especially if you are confident in the quality of the sizing and cuts of the jackets you are trying. Sometimes fast fashion brands cut corners and make things smaller/ill fitting to save money, which can result in a poor fit on almost anyone. But if you are trying mid-to-high-end brands in your true size and are consistently having issues with fit in the shoulders, then that may be an indicator of width. I have that exact problem, and I am FN.
If you are petite but have an extremely defined waist can you be a soft gamine? I have a very small waist but also I think my shoulders show width so I dont think I can be theatrical romantic. People always comment on my petiteness first as my bone structure is very tiny but I seem much more curved than the soft gamine describes? I really can't work out my type 😭
You probably have a moderate vertical line, which is totally possible for someone 5’7”. But if you want some confirmation, you can always DM me on Instagram @alyssarudman 🥰
I would have to see your photos to be able to help you determine your type, but I can say that your body shape and bone structure are what determine your body type and should be weighted more heavily than your facial features. Facial features can sometimes contain clues to our body type (since our facial features are also impacted by our flesh and bone structure) but facial features alone won’t override your body type. If you want some help you’re welcome to DM me on Instagram @alyssarudman
I am so excited about this series and have signed up for your course. I have been typed a FN, but I struggle with feeling like I need to accomadate curve. Is it possible accomadate vertical + curve + width?
Me too, I am a soft dramatic but the top is closer to romantic while the bottom is closer to soft natural. I have a vertical, curve (inc infamous double curve, even though I am not romantic); I also have width in the lower part of my body. At a lower weight, I have the waspish waist of the theatrical romantic. @@alyssarudman
@@desireemensah if you are FN, perhaps your personal preference is guiding you away from oversized silhouettes and towards those with more emphasis on curve, and that’s totally okay! In my experience, I’ve never encountered someone who has more than two dominant features though, so it’s likely that either vertical, curve, or width can be deprioritized in your body analysis. Which two features do you feel are most dominant?
Finally I have confirmation! I’ve watched countless videos explaining it but now I know for certain that I’m a soft classic. I’m 5’2, so I wasn’t sure if I was soft gamine, but my bones are definitely not narrow. I gave up looking into it because it seemed no one could agree on certain people’s bodies.
I am struggling with the same problem! 5’1 and the only thing I see is a slight curve! Soft gamine was my first guess, but the lines were super weird on me! Felt like too much, even cloudish! Then I tried some TR lines and it still felt like too much , romantic lines look ok, but the over soft as in ruffles and sparkle seems to be too much! Soft classic lines looks realy good! But I am obviously short, so that what I would like some help. Can a super short woman be balanced????
I am a very skinny person, this is overwhelming even with all the videos, i thought I was theoretical romantic cause i related to everything but height and double curve. Even when I add weight its in my face, inner arms and thighs. I'm a little top heavy. Thats it. Im confused. Help
I feel like I am really straight with no curves and I'm slim with chubby cheeks and big eyes, full lips and a round nose. My body is an inverted triangle and I'm really slim. But I have baby face and my friends make fun of my cheeks. I thought it was water weight cause I'm slim with round cheeks because last year I my dad showed my photos to some family members they had all assumed I was fat because of my cheeks because the photo was face photo. I have feminine face and masculine body, I don't have curve. I'm straight. Pls help. How do I dress up. I just wear jeans everyday!!!!!
Oh, I think you just solved my issues with typing myself. I've always been told I cant be petite, because my head isn't big for my body, so I therefore couldn't be a gamine. I often get typed in the natural family due to sharp shoulders, but have never had issues in fitting my shoulders in clothes. But judging on what you've just said I might actually be a FG. Slight elongation due to my vertical line, but still petite due to the narrowness and delicateness of my bones and the sharper shoulder area. I''ll have to experiment with this type now. . .
Based on everything you said, I think you’re probably right! Sharp shoulders are definitely more of an FG trait than a Natural trait. Let me know how your experimentation goes!! 🥰
Thank you for this, it's clarified so much. Could I propose one video suggestion? True/Cool Winter capsule wardrobe but for Romantic. I find this to be a bit hard to manage given Romantic detailing can be hard to find in darker colors. I loved your recent SD Winter coloring capsule so much because of this, I realized what I loved about it was the color palette. Please and thank you!
Just added to my list! I know you found my other Romantic + Winter video but I may be able to create another one in the future specifically for True/Cool Winter 🥰
@ensulalachance8353 I will look into it. I feel it could be a bit too much maybe for every day. Maybe. Hmmm...you kinda gave me an idea actually. With the Gothic I thought "lace", "glam" and Madonna. Especially her "Papa Don't Preach" bratty look. It looks liveable and casual enough for me to wear on the move but still feminine and a bit sexy thay I don't feel "blah". Just enough softness to look normal but in the every day silhouette used now of some kind of pants and shirts. I like it. Do you have any recommendations for specific stores or brands that you might be familiar with? NGL when I thought Goth I also got reminded of that brief "Scene" meets "Emo" thing in the late 2000s. I loved it but the haggard and grungy looking dry material Goth look is not my thing. Corsets I can do and wear from time to time but uhm, it's not often appropriate for everyday especially as I get older. I still have the figure but sometimes being too sexy can feel cheap. Why is marrying style with comfort and life so hard! 😫 I also tilt "glamourous", I like to wear bold lips, big hair, and do the Femme Fatale thing as I look and feel natural in that but I want to be even more comfortable now. Madonna gone Italian/"Papa Don't Preach" is gonna be my reiterating of "Goth" lmao. Thank you friend!
The biggest difference between SN and R is that SN is frame-dominant and R is curve-dominant. Romantics’ features will be made up of almost circular shapes while Soft Naturals’ features will be bluntly angular (softly squared). SN will also have more width and strength in their shoulders (their shoulders add structure to the clothing they wear) while the R will have more rounded or sloped shoulders. Romantics have double-curve and Soft Naturals do not. I hope that’s helpful!
not vertical somewhat soft dramatic flamboyant natural : shoulders much wider than hips angular, soft natural : X Dramatic classic yes gamine : petite means narrow
Such a great precise explanation of the types and differences! I used to wonder why on earth I looked so boring and plain in more laid back classic clothing choices…flamgam & boy do I need some vivid contrast & textures to look awake. 😂 I look hidden or dragged down by a lot of those classic clothing pieces (solid button downs). They need some layering & pattern mixing to accomplish that crisp, clean, fun & polished effect. It always feels like it’s going to be a bit too much but nope! Lol
Thank you so much, this is so good. I am going to send this to all of my friends struggling with the Kibbe system after I've recommended them to look into it. Absolutely lovely!
I am still stuck inbetween soft classic and dramatic classic. I think circles fit to my shoulders. In torso i see more of trapezium towards waist. In hips - not sure. I would say that curves start below the hips (under underwear line). I am lost 😂
After watching this video for the third time i finally found out that i am a Romantic type. Being a pear shape means a lot of advice / only advice about hiding or define your features, but what if you don't want to? What if you just want to be you? looking at myself as only a pearshape was one step to gain more body confidence and the kibbe bodytype was the next step to fully love my self. I have still moments when my insecurity takes control but it will be for a short moment. understandy my body inside and out means understanding myself. Thank you so much for this video.
I am five feet four and small boned. Though I have gained a lot of weight. My face is a square shape. I don't have a lot of natural muscle. My eyes are almond shaped with a square shaped face but not one of those square faces with sharp angles. My nose is kind of wide but not super wide. My lips don't have much width but they are neither thin no large as far as fleshiness.
I’d love to help but I would need to see your photo to really understand your shapes and proportions 🥰 you are always welcome to DM me on Instagram @alyssarudman
I just read your blog & I had to click on the video posted there just to comment and tell you how much I appreciate your time and your thorough explanation of all the types and how you found a way to simplify an otherwise very complicated process. My frustrations were ever growing as all u wanted was to figure out my body type and finally thankz to you im 111% sure of what that type is!! Thank you so much truly your knowledge on the topic is invaluable. 🙏🙏🙏🙏💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥😭😭😍😍
How to tell if I’m a curvier soft classic or a romantic? I feel I’m rounder/softer than the celeb examples of soft classic but I don’t suit the ornate styles often suggested for romantics. All I know is I am very yin 😂
I can’t be sure of your body type without seeing you, but maybe you are romantic and you just don’t identify with the styles that are typically associated with romantics. That’s why I don’t recommend Kibbe’s Image ID system and I prefer to solely focus on understanding the body’s shapes and lines. You don’t have to wear ornate styles as a romantic!
Width is always relative within an individual’s unique proportions, so I don’t know exactly what you are picturing when you say “slightly wider” shoulders or hips. But petite is defined as the combination of narrowness and short stature. This doesn’t mean that one must be extremely narrow to be petite, but if one of their dominant descriptors is width, then they cannot also be petite. Dominant width eliminates the possibility of dominant petite. They are mutually exclusive. Also, one can have a short vertical line without necessarily being petite (this appears quite often in Soft Naturals, who have width and can have a moderate-to-short vertical line). Did that help?
Well, this video brought me much closer to detecting my body type. Anyway, I am still struggling (which might be dependent on having gained weight by a disease). I am not petite, but I am not tall, either (5'4"). But in comparison to my height, I have very long legs and a short torso. I usually buy jeans 32 inches long, my inner leg length is 79 cm. I've got a big bust. After the breakout of lipedema, everything on my body softened, in particular, my hips widened a lot. But I always had a clearly defined waist whether I wore S or now XL, my waist-hip ratio was always something around 0,7. Therefore I always struggled with the waist of trousers: Most times the pants fit on the hips, but the waistline is way too wide. I can see a double circle if I only look at my chest and hips, but between my waist and knees, there is definitely an elongated oval. I cannot wear rounded necklines at all, they look horrible on me. That applies to all boxy shapes, too, but also to everything playful like ruffles or romantic patterns. I look best in clear, narrow (not tight) lines and solid colors, stripes, checks, and geometrical prints, but horrible in polka dots. I tend to think I might be a dramatic classic, but I really have no clue. 🤔🤔😂😂
I would love to help but I would need to see a photo of you. If you DM me on Instagram @alyssarudman I can give you a discount code for my color & body typing service 🥰
@@alyssarudman thank you. Is it the same account name? Despite that could you make a video, please, where you go into further detail how to discern between all those descriptions like "petite",' "elongated" and so on? For example Keira Kneightley is not small, but I'd see her bone structure as petit. I struggle to see a difference at all if someone is really skinny (it looks all the same =bony to me then) or of someone is of more weight (it looks fleshy to me then). Maybe I struggle with that because English isn't my mother tongue, but I am for sure not the only one who could need some help here. Accirding to another channel I would be a "theatrical romantic" or a "dramatic classic". You don't talk about theatrical at all as far as I remember. The more I watch the more I get confused.😃
@@summersun6536 Sure I can definitely create more content around that! I am planning to do Shorts for many of the body type comparisons as well. And yes, my Instagram account is @alyssarudman as well 🥰
Bulking or cutting (gaining or losing weight or muscle) won’t change your yin/yang body type. Genetically your bone structure and fat distribution doesn’t change even if you lose weight or build muscle. I find that the bone structure is most important when it comes to your yin/yang body type
Thank you for replying@@alyssarudman . I find it really hard sometimes to understand the kibbe type but your video is by far the most easy to understand 💕💕
I personally do see petite and narrowness in Liza. I can see what you are getting at, especially in more recent photos and some where her shoulders are emphasized by her clothing. But petite is dictated by the bone structure not so much the flesh. Her bones are quite narrow and if you look at younger photos of her wearing fitted clothing, her shoulders are quite narrow. I’m curious to hear your thoughts!
@alyssarudman kibbe says petite means short bones. That is why he says R is petite. I was surprised you didn't say R is petite because it is very emphasized by kibbe that R is petite. As for me I am struggling so much to see myself objectively. But I narrowed it to TR or SG maybe even pure R. But in some photos i look very tiny petite other photos I look gigantic like an SD you would think I am 5"7 but i am only 5'2. So I am confused tbh
@@ssam1820 I’d be happy to help out! If you would like to shoot me a photo I can talk through my thought process with you. Feel free to send me a DM on Instagram @alyssarudman 🥰
Soft dramatics have LUSH curves - fleshy, not „dry“ like the dramatic classics are better described by, while those can be quite fleshy und rounded in the lower bodyhalf, with every pound more so. The essence of the SD is much more bold and womenly, while the DC are more „cool“ or strong in an elegant „classy“ way.
This was a great video, but I have a question between the soft gamine and theatrical romantic… I thought it was the theatrical romantic that had that underlying vertical due to the dramatic undercurrent in their romantic shape.
SG and TR are both petite (the combination of narrowness and small stature) so both can appear elongated in comparison to the pure Romantic. TR drama is expressed in sharpness in the bone structure (usually sharpness in face and shoulders is most apparent), but TR doesn’t have vertical and will have relatively compact limbs. SG’s yang can be expressed in sharp features as well although her yin/yang balance is quite different than TR, and her limbs can be more elongated. Let me know if that helped or if you have more questions 🥰
