Styling Clothes for Your Kibbe Body Type
We spoke to a personal stylist about the differences in the way people dress across various countries. For example, we found that a popular style among Taiwanese women is loose-fitting clothes without any waist definition, which doesn’t necessarily look good on everyone.
This conversation led to an in-depth discussion of Kibbe’s 13 body types, which we are keen to share. You didn’t know that shopping and getting dressed could get so technical, did you?
Who is Kibbe?
David Kibbe is an image professional and fashion stylist from New York City. His book, Metamorphosis, introduces a style type theory known as Kibbe Types. FYI, the book is out of print now and pretty rare.
What is the Kibbe Type System?
Kibbe’s system focuses on the balance between Yin and Yang. In general, Yin describes femininity. His book uses words like: hourglass outlines, grace, flowing, silhouettes, and fitted waists.
On the other hand, Yang refers to masculinity. Metamorphosis uses phrases like: strong, vertical lines, stiff, smooth silhouettes, and sharp edges.
Each body type falls somewhere on the Yin and Yang spectrum. But be aware that there are a lot of misconceptions and misinformation about Kibbe’s body types. And since the book was published in 1987, it’s a bit dated now and the Internet is littered with a lot of interpretations of his theory.
There is also a whole business revolving around categorizing people into a “verified” Kibbe type. But, the only person that can authentically tell you your type or image ID, is David Kibbe himself — and he has done it for some people. So, don’t think you’ll be able to take a quick quiz — we see you Instagram filter, “Which Disney character are you?” — and be done with it.
The most important implication for Kibbe’s body typing system is that it lends itself to style recommendations that complement your features. It is not intended to change the way you look or idolize one type of body type — although we’d kill for a curvy hourglass figure.
But before we digress any further, here’s a brief overview of Kibbe’s 13 body types.
Kibbe’s 13 Body Types
There are 5 main type categories: Dramatic, Romantic, Classic, Natural, and Gamine. Some type families have variations, which ultimately total 13 different body types.
Kibbe’s Dramatic Body Type (extreme Yang)
Dramatics have a straight and angular body with sharp and narrow facial features. They look best in clean, long vertical lines (like a single color jumpsuit) in stiff fabrics. A subtype of dramatics is Soft Dramatic.
Here are some outfit recommendations, not necessarily examples of the body type.
Kibbe’s Romantic Body Type (extreme Yin)
Romantics have a curvy and soft hourglass figure with rounded full facial features. They look best in delicate, weightless fabrics to create gentle silhouettes with an emphasis on their waist. A subtype of romantics is Theatrical Romantic.
Kibbe’s Classic Body Type (neutral)
Classics are the definition of moderate. They have chiseled features but are very symmetrical and balanced. So, classics look their best in shapely, symmetrical outfits (like a shirt dress with buttons down the middle). Two subtypes of classics are Soft Classic and Dramatic Classic.
Kibbe’s Natural Body Type (lean towards Yang)
Naturals are slightly straight and angular but with blunt edges as opposed to Dramatic’s sharp features. They look best in relaxed silhouettes in natural, weighted fabrics. Two subtypes of naturals are Soft Natural and Flamboyant Natural.
Kibbe’s Gamine Body Type (combination Yin and Yang)
Gamines have delicately sharp features, as a combination of both Yin and Yang. They look their best in tailored, cropped, and sharp silhouettes, such as shirts with fitted sleeves. Two subtypes of gamines are Soft Gamine and Flamboyant Gamine.
Check out this Aly Art’s YouTube channel for an in-depth explanation of Kibbe’s Body Types and signature looks for each.
Kibbe’s Body Type Quiz
Kibbe’s book includes a style quiz based on a scoring system. But Kibbe doesn’t really recommend using the quiz anymore. Instead, he actively participates in the Facebook group called “Strictly Kibbe” and provides exercises to help you find your body type.
But, just for fun, we had one of our writers take a quiz.
Case Study
When I took the quiz, I fell between a Gamine and a Classic. Then, I had my husband assess me and the result was a Dramatic Classic.
So, I guess, I lean more Classic, which means that theoretically, my style should be structured, tailored, and symmetrical. That kind of makes sense since my favorite kind of triangle is equilateral (Sabrina and Harvey, anyone?).
And it seems that my style naturally leans toward well-fitted pieces, as you can see from the outfit I wore today.
This outfit is pretty well-tailored to my body,
but leans more towards the Romantic style.
Our Thoughts on Kibbe
Although our writer likes the symmetrical, tailored look, she found that her style gravitates towards Romantics. She says, “I love waist-emphasized outfits with delicate fabrics, like lace. Romantics also look really good with loose, wavy or curly locks, which I attempt to achieve using hot tools on a daily basis. Although some days, I settle for a frizzy, wavy mess.”
Case in point:
Me actively holding my frizzy hair back.
I absolutely love lace and feminine details.
The problem with Kibbe’s system is that you can’t categorize every body. And we think he knows that. That’s why he no longer recommends a point-based quiz, but to use these categories as a starting point to understand your body and experiment with different styles.
And you may have noticed that some outfits overlap across different body types.
But at the end of the day, what you like and what you feel comfortable in is the most important. According to a personal stylist, “What someone technically ‘should’ be wearing isn’t always what they feel their style is. I may choose a top or an accessory that matches their figure and facial structure ideally, but if they don’t love it, I know they won’t wear it.”