Recently I’ve discovered a phenomenon that probably would have shaped my self-image in a completely different way had I been aware of its existence while growing up. It would have saved me from so much distress; not to mention bizarre shopping experiences and a ton of money on useless clothes.
Learning my own body type.
Truth be told- the self-image about our bodies determines our self value to a certain extent, at least until we come to terms with the futility to resist the hard truth: we cannot change it. If that is the case, then we’d better get to know it and work within its limitations and strengths. I’m a fan of anything that involves simplifying life and getting to know ourselves business, so why not extend it to ways of covering our physical bodies with fabrics?
That being said; worrying too much on clothes according to some is understandably a “waste of time”, but let us not forget that at the same time it is a tool to present ourselves to the outer world, which is important for a ton of reasons that are too many to mention here. Style obviously is the most important aspect that serves to this purpose. So how come we choose a style and apply it on ourselves to a t, yet it looks completely awful on us; whereas our friend that puts on the very same apparel looks gold?
Well, we have different bodies after all and the first thing that comes to our minds is that our body is not just as good. The fact that the current fashion trends and clothing companies favouring a slender figure and not being able to find clothes that would flatter our not-fitting-the-bill body add on top of that negative self-image, with the accompanying thoughts:
“There must be something that is seriously wrong with me. How else is that possible that there are no clothes that would look good on me?”
This is a complete injustice to ourselves. There is nothing wrong with anyone really; we just need to prioritize working with what we have, here, now, in real life, over the mainstream rules, values or resources out there.
Enter body typologies.
One of my favourites is the one created by David Kibbe, a New York stylist, way back in the 80’s in his book (David Kibbe’s Metamorphosis, 1987) and is recently being re-discovered.
As to the system, it is brilliant and greatly ahead of its time. It is also universal. The classification is based on the presence of Yin and Yang in our bodies, Yin being feminine aspects that could be described as soft, round, lush, full; whereas, Yang; the masculine aspects as sharp, angular, elongated.
Obviously we all have different types of yin and yang features in our bodies. It is the where, how and the extent of these elements that make certain shapes, fabrics, clothes, cuts and overall styles look good on us. In other words, whether they will have harmony with us; where and how they should be used to create this harmony.
As an example, if we have a slightly masculine face and prominent bones with a considerable body height, we might fall into “Dramatic” Kibbe type. Normally, men’s outfits may look death cool on us, but an overly feminine dress with ruffles may probably make us look like a doll, it just will make no sense on us at all, and that is due to yang (our features) clashing with yin (roundness of frills or ruffles).
Along with the Dramatic example above, there are 13 types in total, from overtly yang Dramatic to overtly yin Romantic, and the variations in between Natural, Classic and Gamine depending on the yin/yang variations with masculine/ feminine subtypes in each of the classes. Kibbe takes the personality element into account in terms of styling as well.
After I’ve discovered my own type, everything related to my outfits and the history of my clothes started making sense to me and the amount of items that I had bought and had to discard unknowingly seemed such a waste of time and energy.
It was a moment of enlightenment.
With knowledge came a deeper understanding, and with it came mindfulness. Mindful wardrobe design, mindful shopping, mindful dressing. No more trying to see if a certain piece would work, no more stressing why it doesn’t look good. Now I know my body. I have become definitely a better version of myself, not just due to looking better, but being comfortable in my own skin.
I think that’s the whole point, forget the clothes really.
If you are interested in this system, please search “Kibbe body types” on the internet and do the 16 question very simple quiz that is present in various websites with explanations. I suggest doing it multiple times from different resources just to make sure the guidance that comes along or your first impressions do not skew your results. For this reason I’m not putting any links here. Second, “Aly Art” on Youtube does a fantastic job, working on the types, I think it will help you to understand not only your own type, but everyone’s type. Now you will know why some people look great in some outfits and not so great in others.
Please bear in mind that there are so many different styles out there and one should not get stuck with examples, but rather care about the principles. You don’t have to wear old fashioned frilly outfits or be a femme fatale just because you are a Theatrical Romantic. The guidelines to use feminine aspects, soft fabrics and soft lines with slight yang here and there, these are what is really important to adhere to.
And remember, you may always denounce the rules altogether, but:
It will be a conscious decision, and it will be yours.
Next step: Find your colours.
I hope this helps you in your personal journey in some way.
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