The Kibbe Style Types: Starting with the Dramatics

Quite a while ago, you might have read my post about David Kibbe, his book Metamorphosis, the style types he identified, other stylists who do similar work, and my version of the Kibbe quiz, created for black women. This month, we'll be looking at each of the Kibbe types.

And our style goal this week is to create outfits that replicate what your body is already doing. Not to pretend you are some manufactured fashion ideal and try to hide whatever isn't a match for it.
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The Kibbe Types

David Kibbe identified his style types based on the sharpness, softness or balanced quality of your bone structure, your body flesh and your facial features. This introduction and description offers a simplified explanation, but if his system is entirely new to you, it will help you get started with exploring it.

Each person is somewhere on a continuum of several characteristics - sharp, soft, balanced, broad, narrow, delicate, round, straight, etc. Most of us are a combination or mix, and identifying that mix helps us find our type n his system. 

The five main types are Dramatic, Natural, Classic, Gamine and Romantic.

But he only uses two of the main types now -  Dramatic and Romantic. These two each have a subtype: Soft Dramatic and Theatrical Romantic.

For the other types, he limits his focus to their subtypes: Flamboyant Natural, Soft Natural, Dramatic Classic, Flamboyant Gamine and Soft Gamine. Today, we will take a look at Dramatic and Soft Dramatic.

Note: your type won't change with weight loss or gain, because your bone structure won't change.

But weight gain can be misleading when you are trying to identify your type. It's easy to mistake it for softness or roundness, when you don't have either, or more of the two than you actually have. I have found that to be myself when trying to figure out which type I am!
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The Dramatic Style Type

​Strong, sharp physicality, straight and angular. May tend to long and sleek musculature. 

The Dramatic style type holds the sharpest spot on the Kibbe continuum. If you are this style type, your overall look is sharp, angular, sleek, straight, and narrow. You have a long vertical line and you are probably tall.

One interesting observation about Dramatics is that they are sometimes even more striking when they don't smile than they are when they do.

​Dramatic Style: sharp, sleek, long and angular.

You want to create long, sleek vertical lines and sharp angles.

​Geometric shapes, a sculpted look. Make sure your fabrics hold those shapes. Too light and the fabric will drape and mold, losing that sculpted look you created.

Monochromatic outfits are a great idea. Think clean lines and minimal detail. In fact, the minimalist look is perfect.

​And for Zoom meetings, suits with blazers that have crisp, sharp edges are a big "yes."
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The Soft Dramatic Style Type

​This type begins with the same bone structure characteristics, but is softened and rounded by the body flesh and facial features.
 

The Soft Dramatic type has the same sharp, angular physicality as the Dramatic and the same long, narrow vertical lines. But the flesh on the body softens the appearance and adds narrow but strong hourglass curves.

So if you are a Soft Dramatic, you are likely to be tall, with long arms and legs because of your long vertical line. But you also have sleek curves and more softness than the Dramatic does.  

If we were going to identify a va va voom type, this one would probably be it. 

Soft Dramatic Style: long lines and bold geometric shapes with soft edges.
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​For this type, you want lightweight fabrics and softer textures. And though this type also needs long lines, you can add waist emphasis, to follow the curves. 

Kibbe says that both dramatics and soft dramatics have a "T" shape, which is wider at the shoulder level but with long and narrow line. In clothing, this means adding width or detail at the shoulder line or top of your outfit, while keeping the rest of it sleek and narrow.

You could do that with wide, open necklines, shoulder detail, scarves, big collars, cowl necks, etc. And the overall look, for the Soft Dramatic should be large and somewhat rounded.

​Are you a Dramatic or a Soft Dramatic? 

See you tomorrow!

Love, Jeanine
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