https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/when-is-it-gamine-and-when-is-it-something-else Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Sat, 18 Apr 2026 19:27:26 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/when-is-it-gamine-and-when-is-it-something-else/page/2#post-1742775 Fri, 21 Oct 2016 20:09:07 +0000 Sally 1742775@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Aliona that is an interesting explanation of where the gamine look came from.<br /> I think my aversion to gentlewoman is that it seems quite old world England with tweed and houndstooth which I like but not as a whole look. I prefer the sporty casual side of the menswear look.<br /> Thanks Ledonna....classic edgy is a term I like. I did a pinterest search and they are all styles I love. I do think you could pull off gamine as you have the haircut. Not sure about personality...what is a gamine personality. RachyLou alluded to it. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/when-is-it-gamine-and-when-is-it-something-else/page/2#post-1742719 Fri, 21 Oct 2016 17:35:32 +0000 Ledonna N. 1742719@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p><b>But is it the style or is it the person?</b> I think it is the style</p> <p>&nbsp;<b>Do you need to be petite with a<br /> piXie cut to do gamine or is the style of clothes what makes it gamine? </b>I think you can be any size and still achieve the look<br /><b>&nbsp;</b><br /><b> Can you wear gamine with a large bust and big head or does it become<br /> something else then?&nbsp; </b>Again I think you can be any size and it still achieves the same look</p> <p>I really envy your style it is classic edgy to me and I think you achieve alot of these looks in an outstanding way.<br />.</p> <p> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/when-is-it-gamine-and-when-is-it-something-else/page/2#post-1742556 Fri, 21 Oct 2016 11:23:46 +0000 Anonymous 1742556@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Great and highly enlightening thread, Sally. And I like your chambray pintuck top--To me chambray is a very gamine fabric. Great outfit! </p> <p>I always thought the fashion term 'gamine' evolved from 'les gamins/gamines' -- Paris street urchins ('urchin' is a loathsome term, but that was the translation back when I learned French). My HS French teacher grew up in wartime and post-war Paris and told us that clothes, food, everything was hard to find for many families. She and lots of other girls would be dressed in hand-me-down working boys' (or even mens') clothing and many of them had short hair for hygiene reasons. I just assumed that was the genus of gamine style (Leslie Caron comes to mind as another example). </p> <p>I actually like the term "gentlewoman," but my fondness probably has more to do with my belief that it's impossible to overuse the word 'gentle' these days. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/when-is-it-gamine-and-when-is-it-something-else/page/2#post-1742528 Fri, 21 Oct 2016 09:50:27 +0000 Sally 1742528@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Oh and yes all can be Sally...we may not do gamine but we can do Sally </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/when-is-it-gamine-and-when-is-it-something-else/page/2#post-1742517 Fri, 21 Oct 2016 09:04:27 +0000 Sally 1742517@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>When i started this topic, i didn't think that I would start a discussion that included secondary sex characteristics and hip -waist ratio. &nbsp;Its interesting nontheless and thanks everyone for your wisdom and taking the time to respond. &nbsp;</p> <p></p> <p><b>Traci</b> I really liked what you said about androgynous and<br /> masculine styles. It was interesting<br /> what you said about a more curvy person wearing it well. I tend to dress less androgynous/tomboyish<br /> when I am bigger because I find it harder to pull it off. I don’t know why…I would love to see that<br /> members clothes. I also love Sofia<br /> Coppola’s style….she does minimal well and I love her LBDs. </p> <p><b>Bj111</b> I do get what you were saying about the immature silhouette<br /> as gamine often has a ‘childlike’ element to the appearance…but as people have<br /> pointed out that it is not immaturity or childish but the youthful vitality of<br /> the look.</p> <p>and&nbsp;</p> <p><b>Vix</b> – loved your description “isn’t she a darling…” it reminded me of&nbsp;my childhood friend’s mother who was very small with a short hair cut. She had 3 children but when she went to pick up some money for the kids(it was a government payment that used to come for parents) she was told to go home and get her mother. She was very gamine looking. My friend who is just as short at 5ft is just as cute but &nbsp;very curvy and more bombshell ..its partly the hair.</p> <p><b>Suz</b> Maybe you are right about the pictures I pinned being<br /> more tomboyish and that may be what appealed to me. The gamine skirt outfits do not appeal but I<br /> do love Audrey Hepburns black dress outfits. &nbsp;<br /> You are probably right about me being more a natural as far as &nbsp;features<br /> go and style. My personality wouldn’t go with the<br /> gamine look as much as I am not bubbly but I am friendly and laid back.&nbsp;</p> <p><b>La Pedestrienne</b>..good point about the pants and shoes being<br /> a gamine feature but I changed it by wearing a pintuck top. I couldn’t wear those tight fitting tops<br /> shown in the pictures and that is where I’d probably alter it and I would wear<br /> a loose v neck top even if it was striped. &nbsp;</p> <p>Love your outfit <b>Texstyle</b>.<br /> I would wear that in a heartbeat.<br /> I identify with the more outdoorsy California style too..more than<br /> gentlewoman which seems a bit more polished to me. I don’t do polished very well. </p> <p><b>Aziraphale </b> …you<br /> penned a good distinction between tomboy style and gamine style. </p> <p><b>Ummlila</b> That books look interesting…I like the term New<br /> Garconne </p> <p><b>Smittie</b> - Yes you are<br /> probably right….My outfit doesn’t look gamine but that’s ok. I was just interested in the distinction as<br /> the clothes I would wear would be defined as gamine but not on me and I would<br /> probably alter them in some way. </p> <p><b>Rachylou</b>- you made me laugh when you said “personality wise I<br /> don’t know whether you’d want to go there. “ </p> <p>Thanks<b> everyone</b> for your comments. I was happy with my outfit but just thought<br /> it was interesting that the body and the appearance often defines the style but<br /> as I said I know people who look gamine but choose to not dress that way. I think it would be fun to try these outfits<br /> and see how they changed with the wearer. </p> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/when-is-it-gamine-and-when-is-it-something-else/page/2#post-1742514 Fri, 21 Oct 2016 08:50:00 +0000 anne 1742514@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>This has turned into one of those really interesting topics... (You look great in the outfit Sally, whatever it's called!) </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/when-is-it-gamine-and-when-is-it-something-else/page/2#post-1742494 Fri, 21 Oct 2016 06:36:00 +0000 rachylou 1742494@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I don't know. Apparently they *are* less healthy at the population level (meaning there are more people with health problems at .5, not that people at .5 are less robust)... but perhaps healthy has a wider range than .7... which would explain why as an Asian I'm supposed to weigh less than a Caucasian woman at my height to protect my health as a diabetic... </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/when-is-it-gamine-and-when-is-it-something-else/page/2#post-1742491 Fri, 21 Oct 2016 05:33:08 +0000 Aziraphale 1742491@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I'd read that all cultures prefer women with a roughly 0.7 waist-to-hip ratio, but the actual preferred size varies enormously.</p> <p>I'm not so sure about the correlation of waist-to-hip ratio and health -- not for young women at least. If they're counting all the menopausal women then it makes more sense. As we age, our waists do tend to thicken, and our health and fertility <i>does</i> decline -- but young women with boyish figures are no less healthy or fertile than their curvy-hipped friends. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/when-is-it-gamine-and-when-is-it-something-else/page/2#post-1742486 Fri, 21 Oct 2016 05:15:04 +0000 rachylou 1742486@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Re. the science - waist to hip ratio has a strong correlation with health and fertility. But this doesn't tell you about yourself or any individual.</p> <p>Attractiveness, fascinatingly, of various WHRs <i>does </i>vary by culture.</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/when-is-it-gamine-and-when-is-it-something-else/page/2#post-1742484 Fri, 21 Oct 2016 04:59:53 +0000 Aziraphale 1742484@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>*just to add my two cents to the Suz/bj1111 side conversation about gamine being an "immature" figure with undeveloped secondary sex characteristics -- bj, I know what you're getting at, the gamine figure does look immature/undeveloped. I actually have this body type (short, fine-boned, narrow hips and undeveloped waist), and I've always thought I looked like I didn't make it all the way through puberty, lol. I do not look capable of making babies! But Suz, you're quite right, all that means nothing. I was able to conceive immediately (both times I tried), had easy pregnancies and deliveries, and made ridiculous quantities of milk. Goes to show -- you just never can tell. An "immature" figure with incompletely developed secondary sex characteristics is not the most reliable markers of maturity, fertility or any of that.&nbsp;</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/when-is-it-gamine-and-when-is-it-something-else/page/2#post-1742458 Fri, 21 Oct 2016 03:34:17 +0000 rachylou 1742458@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Yes, I think maybe gamine is an impression. You can get there through physique, carriage and/or clothes. It can be more or less sophisticated. I believe your features could easily lend themselves to a gamine look, Sally, but I don't know if personality wise you'd want to go there. And as your pictures show, the same items can perform different tricks.</p> <p>I do think there's a childlike aspect of gamine, but that you can ironically get there through roundness or straightness. It's all in bendiness, really. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/when-is-it-gamine-and-when-is-it-something-else/page/2#post-1742455 Fri, 21 Oct 2016 03:27:14 +0000 Carla 1742455@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Ummlila, I'd be interested in paging through that book. I haven't managed comfort with any style moniker yet, but the descriptors and pics are a lot like my aspirational,style. The Kibbe 'natural' comes up a lot as well. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/when-is-it-gamine-and-when-is-it-something-else/page/2#post-1742444 Fri, 21 Oct 2016 02:54:28 +0000 Jaime 1742444@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p><i></i>Interesting distinctions. I have to say that I have always resisted the gamine title a bit, for reasons that have been mentioned. I am not tall, but I am not girlish either and I don't like the idea that my personality can be reduced to my height. But the androgynous, off kilter aspect of gamine does resonate. In terms of Kibbe I have come to think I am a short, round Dramatic .</p> <p>Regardless of what you call it Sally, your outfit looks terrific. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/when-is-it-gamine-and-when-is-it-something-else/page/2#post-1742443 Fri, 21 Oct 2016 02:45:37 +0000 Janet 1742443@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Ah, the personality aspect makes sense. I am friendly but sooooo not bubbly! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/when-is-it-gamine-and-when-is-it-something-else/page/2#post-1742438 Fri, 21 Oct 2016 02:18:55 +0000 Alexandra 1742438@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>As someone with a strong gamine essence, I really like the "lively charm" description. I think gamine is part body type and part personality. A gamine outfit just doesn't look the same on a non-gamine person. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/when-is-it-gamine-and-when-is-it-something-else#post-1742354 Thu, 20 Oct 2016 22:44:28 +0000 Suz 1742354@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p><b>Sally,</b> agree -- gamine has largely to do with a kind of lively or dynamic charm.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/when-is-it-gamine-and-when-is-it-something-else#post-1742352 Thu, 20 Oct 2016 22:43:05 +0000 Suz 1742352@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thanks, <b>Bj.</b> But ... um...those scientists are wrong. &nbsp;You can reproduce just fine without the obvious secondary characteristics. Not that I did, mind you. Kind of funny, when you think of it.&nbsp;</p> <p>But, um, Audrey Hepburn did.&nbsp;</p> <p>Anyway, I take your point and gratefully accept your clarification. :)&nbsp;</p> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/when-is-it-gamine-and-when-is-it-something-else#post-1742315 Thu, 20 Oct 2016 21:14:28 +0000 Sal 1742315@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Wow this thread exploded.</p> <p>You can all be Sally's (or Sallies) too....It is not a terribly popular name here, I do know others but it has never been very common. &nbsp;But of course a great name;)</p> <p>I do see gamine as ageless, you can be a gamine teenager or a gamine 80 year old. &nbsp; &nbsp;Here is the definition from googling it:</p> <p><div><div><div>gamine</div><div><div>ɡaˈmiːn/</div><div><div><i>noun</i></div><div><b></b><b></b></div> <ol> <li><div><div><div><strong>1</strong>.</div><div><div><div>a girl with a mischievous, boyish charm.</div></div></div></div></div></li> <li><div><div><div><strong>2</strong>.</div><div><div><div>dated</div><div>a female street urchin.</div><div>"I left school and fell in with some gamines"</div></div></div></div></div></li> </ol> </div><div><div><i>adjective</i></div><div><b></b></div> <ol> <li><div><div><div><strong>1</strong>.</div><div><div><div>(of a girl) attractively boyish.</div><div>"a short, gamine haircut"</div></div></div></div></div></li> </ol> </div></div><div><div></div><div></div><div><i></i><a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.google.co.nz/search?rlz=1C1GGGE_enNZ454NZ454&amp;espv=2&amp;biw=1440&amp;bih=770&amp;q=define+gamin&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjGzYCGpurPAhVor1QKHd8YAncQgCsIHjAA"></a></div></div></div><div></div><div>I do see gamine has having a lively charm - so a mixture of style, personality and to a degree body type. &nbsp;</p> <p>I have loved reading the responses on the thread.</div></div></p> <p> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/when-is-it-gamine-and-when-is-it-something-else#post-1742294 Thu, 20 Oct 2016 20:16:28 +0000 bj1111 1742294@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>@suz...that's why i stressed the more science-y way reproductive scientists talk about secondary sex characteristics as markers of reproductive maturity. &nbsp;there is no value judgment. &nbsp;</p> <p></p> <p>we could just as easily go down the rabbit hole of feminine vs female-presenting in the androgeny continuum.</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/when-is-it-gamine-and-when-is-it-something-else#post-1742283 Thu, 20 Oct 2016 20:00:11 +0000 Anonymous 1742283@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I really like the outfits you posted and I think you can definitely wear them, even though i dont think you look gamine.</p> <p>I think as long as there is a feminine element, it will not read too man-ish. The dainty footwear helps a lot. I think also a girly purse of some sort will help to take it over to feminine land.</p> <p>I just bought some high top sneakers and I feel I need to style them carefully in order not to look too tomboy. I wear them with tigh jeans and form-skimming tops. I also like to wear them with my moto jacket, which Is a very feminine piece.</p> <p>If I looked more gamine, I Wouldn't have to think so hard about styling them. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/when-is-it-gamine-and-when-is-it-something-else#post-1742196 Thu, 20 Oct 2016 17:22:55 +0000 Sally 1742196@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Wow I fell asleep last night and woke up to such thought provoking response. I have read everyone's thoughts but have to go to work soon. When I come home tonight I'm going to get on my laptop and word a much longer response. Heaps to think about but think yes it is the body / shape as well as the clothes after reading this. Gentle woman is a term I don't like but I do like that style and I do think it is more mature than tomboy which might have an age limit. I'm going to think about it all today when I'm supposed to be teaching... </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/when-is-it-gamine-and-when-is-it-something-else#post-1742179 Thu, 20 Oct 2016 16:25:45 +0000 UmmLila (Lisa) 1742179@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>This book is coming out soon. Sounds like a lot of people on the thread might want to check it out! &lt;<a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.amazon.com/New-Garconne-How-Modern-Gentlewoman/dp/1780678584">https://www.amazon.com/New-Gar.....1780678584</a>&gt;</p> <p>The New Garconne: How to Be a Modern Gentlewoman</p> <p>The New Garconne is a non-prescriptive guide for today's modern, independent, and stylish woman. It espouses a grown-up style and attitude with a masculine-feminine aesthetic, where culture, history, beauty, intelligence, feminism, quality, and taste are celebrated. </p> <p>Women who embody the look include Katharine Hepburn, Andree Putman, Lauren Hutton, Janelle Monae, Phoebe Philo, Ines de la Fressange, Tilda Swinton, Stella Tennant, and Jenna Lyons.</p> <p>This visually inspiring book explores the look, history, and essence of gentlewoman style. It features profiles of women who typify the style, alongside beautifully photographed and curated imagery and how-to-get-the-look information. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/when-is-it-gamine-and-when-is-it-something-else#post-1742177 Thu, 20 Oct 2016 16:06:14 +0000 texstyle 1742177@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I looked up Katherine Hepburn on pinterest just to see. But she is so "buttoned up" and "manly" in so many images. Maybe that's where the term "gentlewoman" comes from? I don't care for the term either.&nbsp; I think I relate to a more outdoorsy, california jeans style - "natural" is a good term Suz. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/when-is-it-gamine-and-when-is-it-something-else#post-1742175 Thu, 20 Oct 2016 16:03:23 +0000 Aziraphale 1742175@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Hmmm. Good question. And some very good points made already. To me, <i>gamine</i>&nbsp;means small and feminine, yet with a boyish veneer, and an overall youthful vibe. "Small" in this case doesn't necessarily mean short -- Audrey Hepburn epitomizes the style, and she was tiny but not short. Pixie haircut and large eyes help, but are not crucial to the style. One key point: don't think gamine can be buxom or bombshell in any way.&nbsp;</p> <p>So to answer you directly, yes, <i>gamine</i> is partly the person and partly the style. You have an element of tomboy carefree-ness to your style, and it overlaps with gamine to some degree, but isn't precisely gamine. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/when-is-it-gamine-and-when-is-it-something-else#post-1742170 Thu, 20 Oct 2016 15:49:20 +0000 Suz 1742170@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p><b>Tex,</b> yes, you have a lot of yang -- I think you're probably a Kibbe "natural" too. Maybe that is what "Gentlewomen" are? Those who see themselves as Gentlewomen can probably explain better than I, but I do think it's a legitimate style persona that describes something quite different from "tomboy," "gamine," or any of the others. Think Kate Hepburn.&nbsp;</p> <p><b>Vix</b>, I don't agree that gamine is all about getting a reaction of "isn't she darling," etc. I certainly don't hope for that reaction. Au contraire.&nbsp;</p> <p>Also, may I just say a word on behalf of the straighter bodied among us. This is not an "<b>immature</b>" form!!!!! At over 50 I am mature, all right. Just less <b>rounded</b> than some.&nbsp;</p> <p>(Also, just because we have fewer curves does not mean we are not "real" women, any more than being petite means we are "less than.")&nbsp;</p> <p>Going back to my earlier point - - and thanks, <b>La Pedestrienne</b> -- I'm rethinking whether there's a time limit on zany. Not for some (see Advanced Style). I think there's a time limit on zany for <b>me</b>. But that's different, LOL. I still think "cute" "sweet" etc. wear out their welcome on an older person.&nbsp;</p> <p>ETA, also agreeing, <b>LaP</b>, that details that might flatter a differently shaped woman will tend to look "little girlish" or simply "overly fussy" on a gamine body type. It varies depending on the person of course.&nbsp;</p> <p>I agree with <b>Vix</b> also that "bombshell" looks will fall flat (uh, literally!) on this type of figure.&nbsp;</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/when-is-it-gamine-and-when-is-it-something-else#post-1742140 Thu, 20 Oct 2016 14:31:43 +0000 texstyle 1742140@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I wanted to add, when I wear this top with skinny jeans and flats, it looks gamine to me. The top is rather large and sort of an a-line fit on me. I don't have a pixie but I am rather boyish in shape. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/when-is-it-gamine-and-when-is-it-something-else#post-1742138 Thu, 20 Oct 2016 14:29:30 +0000 bj1111 1742138@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>ps...let's all be sally</p> <p>sally forth<br />silly sally<br />shilly shally<br />shall i pour your lunch? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/when-is-it-gamine-and-when-is-it-something-else#post-1742137 Thu, 20 Oct 2016 14:29:03 +0000 texstyle 1742137@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Traci - I totally agree with what you said:<br /><i>"<br /> but if you took the clothes off the girl and put them on a man you would<br /> immediately note all the feminine details that are there, the rounded<br /> collars, the waist definition in the trousers, etc. I think this is<br /> where gamine differs from tomboy. If you took a tomboy's clothes off<br /> and put them on a man it would look perfectly natural."</i></p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/when-is-it-gamine-and-when-is-it-something-else#post-1742133 Thu, 20 Oct 2016 14:27:11 +0000 Vix 1742133@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Hi Sally --</p> <p>Lots of great points above but Traci's last post really nails if for me...thankfully as I was struggling to frame it up! </p> <p>To me, gamine/waif is all about getting a reaction of "ooooh, isn't she darling and the tinest tiny that every tinied" whether the clothes are tailored and sleek or oversized and waft-y.</p> <p>Doesn't mean other body types can't wear it, but it won't resonate the same. I think tailored gamine just evolves into Euro chic or something on we bustier types. </p> <p>[Just like if you take a super-slender frame and try the standard bombshell look something looks off -- one has to get to what look sexy on the wearer's body, not a generic "sexy."] </p> <p>ps Not a fan of gentlewoman either. Very to the manor born ;)</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/when-is-it-gamine-and-when-is-it-something-else#post-1742128 Thu, 20 Oct 2016 14:21:00 +0000 LaPed 1742128@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Suz, this is so insightful: <i>"What there </i><b><i>is</i></b><i>&nbsp;a time limit on is "ingenue" There's a time limit on "cute" and "sweet." There might be a time limit on "zany." There is not a time limit on "crisp," "sharp," "dynamic" or even "playful."</p> <p></i>I'm not going to tackle defining gamine here because others have done a great job and there are soo many different interpretations and connotations built into that term.<br /><i><br /></i>I think the bottom half of your outfit -- cropped pants and simple flats -- could easily serve as a base for a very gamine outfit. The departures from typical gamine are in the top: the slight tunic length, the pintucking, the empire waist. All of these features are very flattering on many women but do not necessarily work well on a Kibbe-gamine physique. In my own experience, as someone with a shortish 32A torso, wearing an empire waist top or dress makes me look too much like an elementary school child for my own preferences/comfort. </p> <p>I'd venture that the menswear bent of gamine style is hugely helpful, when you're an androgynous-leaning female (as bj111 says "with minimal secondary sex characteristics), in <i>avoiding</i> the babydoll/Lolita look. That is, certain crisp/dynamic elements are necessary to avoid looking/feeling too much like a little girl.&nbsp;<br /><i><br /></i><i><br /></i> </p>