Kibbe type and overweight - how do you figure it out? (pics) - YouLookFab Forum

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Kibbe type and overweight - how do you figure it out? (pics)

rosee

Veteran

Hello all.

Happy new year. It has been a very long time since I have posted anything but I have been lurking every so often (reading but not having much to say myself).

The topic of Kibbe types interests me and I have gone down the rabbit hole on youtube and different web sites for the past couple of days. I am extremely overweight (but working on losing it - gained over 100 pounds from my "regular" weight over a period of 10 years). I tried a few Kibbe tests but I don't really know how to answer them. There was a youtube by merriamstyle that addressed this topic but I still have more questions.

Usually (at my normal weight), I have a small frame but I am still fleshy. I am 5'6" tall with long arms and legs, but a slight pear shape. My legs are stronger than my arms. Smaller chest and bust. My face has some gamine features (big almond eyes, small pouty mouth and fleshy cheeks but strong cheekbones, pointy chin). But that was then and this is now. Now I am large all over but still bottom heavy. My face is much rounder and all my features seem smaller by comparison, except my nose which is larger. My hair is now gray but it used to be a darker brown. It is fine-textured but full and wavy, and currently in a layered shoulder-length bob.

Any ideas or input would be appreciated.

I have a few pics below. I am in the chambray dress in 1. I am wearing the white top /gray skirt in 3. Pics 1 through 3 are from 2017. Pic 4 is from 1995. Pic 5 is my only recent head shot and it is from 2014.

Thank you in advance for your input and comments.

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Body Type

19 replies

Latest reply was from rosee

rachylou

Veteran

I can’t answer re Kibbe, but I really like what you’re doing in 1 & 2. Beautiful is the word that comes to mind.

jussie

Veteran

I don’t know much about kibbe but I think you have a dramatic look. Dark hair, pale skin and red lips gives me this impression. There’s a forum member here called Katerina with similar coloring who dresses beautifully in a dramatic fashion. You may want to check out her wiws.

kkards

Veteran

not a kibbe person, but l love your travel photo's (or maybe they're not travel photo and you live in Grecce?/Italy??)...l especially like #2 and #3, sort of a structured boho...

Alexandra

(website)

Veteran

Considering how much Kibbe left out, you may be better off using Rachel’s Style ID Calculator: https://www.truth-is-beauty.co.....lysis.html (scroll down for the calculator). It offers a quick and inexpensive way to narrow down your main essences. Then, once you find out which sandbox is yours, you can play with all the toys in it to find your favorites.

ClaraT

Veteran

Chiming in to be unhelpful re: kibbe but just to say that your style is great! You said you are working on losing weight, but you look fantastic in 1 and 2. I love your style.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I’m not a Kibbe aficionado either, but welcome! And you are pretty.

I like what you’ve doing in #1 and #2 too.

As far as maintaining a fabulous style on your weight loss journey goes, there is a forum member called Toban who did a magnificent job last year. She documented her thoughts and strategies here and those threads are well worth a read. I’m on my phone so I can’t provide links, but perhaps someone else will. Or I can later.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

FWIW, I like your shorter hair, and think that the silver coming through is lovely.

Anonymous

You look romantic to me. You have lovely curved eyebrows and full lips. You don’t seem to have the sharpness of a gamine, but you are short, so you meet the height requirements. I think the photo of you at a lower weight might be a bit deceptive because you are dressed in gamine clothes. I think you might look better in waist-cinching clothes.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

First, welcome! And secondly, I agree with Angie and Rachylou -- I like what you are doing in 1 and 2 -- you look great!

You're so pretty with your smile and high contrast colouring. Like Angie, I like your hair short with the grey coming through in pic 2.

In terms of body type, I'd say you look like an hourglass or maybe a slight pear and you seem nicely proportioned at any weight. Lucky you!

I also incline towards Romantic on the Kibbe categorization. Or some version of that.

Jenni NZ

Veteran

Hi there! I see you've been signed up a long time but not active while I've been here. I'm also a pear who gained weight of about 20 kg over 10 years. I did the Kibbe questionnaire on-line and found I had a lot of D answers which were then not categorised as any particular thing. The questionnaire did seem to talk about what happened as you gained weight, did you see that?
I found the site Style Syntax very helpful. I ended up deciding I was a Theatrical Romantic even although someone on this forum originally suggested I may be some sort of gamine. It hasn't made much difference in how I like to dress really, it was just recognising some things about what I am drawn to. TRs are supposed to have long flowing romantic curls- well I used to have those, but not since age 35 when I got a pixie and have had variations of short hair ever since. So knowing what I am, I'm most drawn to your pic 3. You look Romantic in that outfit for sure.

rosee

Veteran

Thank you all for your replies and compliments. I don't take a lot of photos as I tend not to be photogenic but these are admittedly some of my best pics that I have taken.

kkards: these pics were taken in Israel a year ago. I live in Canada. Ooooh... to only think of living in Italy or Greece.... or Croatia (where my family is from)... one day ... !

It's interesting that a few of you said Romantic. I was wondering if that fit but the style they prescribe does not fit me really - they focus on sexy and I am really not focusing on that. My style is more simple with a bit of a boyish influence sometimes. My body and face have more angles when I am slimmer too.

Alexandra and JenniNZ: thank you for the links. Lots more to look at.

I am starting to think that maybe I should not worry about it too much. Angie has great style and she says she's not a "Kibbe afficionado". If Angie does not need it, maybe I don't either.

p.s. I am thinking of going short hair again soon but right now I like that I can avoid the salon for several months at a time. Still gray though. That decision, not to dye my hair anymore, has been very liberating - another post for another day.

Now to catch up on some more YLF reading.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Fun that the pictures are from Israel! Caesarea? Random guess, I am terrible with that sort of thing. My favorite picture of you is #2. I will therefore backward diagnose you as a soft gamine, even though you are taller than classic gamines. I am not actually into Kibbe, and have no expertise, but do find it interesting as a sort of thought experiment. I think you look best with shorter hair with a bit of movement and curl. You have beautiful skin!
You seem to have brought out the chatty in me, hope that's ok!

rosee

Veteran

Hi Shevia, thank you for your comments. I like the chatty in you.
The first pic is in Capharnaum and the second is in Jerusalem. The others were taken in my hometown in Canada.
Soft Gamine - thanks. I was wondering if I was too tall for that. I like that style more than Romantic, but I didn't want to be biased.
I appreciate all the help from everyone. Like Shevia said it is an interesting though experiment but I am not going to worry about it too much. I went down the rabbit hole the other day watching youtube videos on the subject and wanted to figure out what I was as I honestly could not figure it out. I then remembered the excellent style advice and support on YLF and knew I needed to return here.

Thank you Angie - I did check out one of Toban's posts (and resurrected an old thread - oops) but it is really well written and helpful.
I will check some more out later.

Anonymous

I'm glad you resurrected Toban's old post. It is certainly relevant to me right now. Thank you.

lyn67

Veteran

Welcome, I am not good at Kibbe, but YLF and love your laced up shoes- seems like a signiture look for you!

rosee

Veteran

thank you again!

natalie

Hello! I'm not the best at kibble because it's really confusing for me as well.
But my guess for you would be classic. Because even when overweight you seem to have kept the symmetry and proportions of your body. I'd say you used to have a soft hourglass figure. And your face has slighlty more soft edges and features than angular. But you do have some angular features. Maybe a soft classic?

I agree with everyone else, I love your first picture outfit and the third one as well.
Hope I helped!

Ket

Veteran

I somehow stumbled across this post and just want to comment on how beautiful you are, Rosee! You have such beautiful skin and coloring. With your hair short you remind me of Isabella Rossini! Sooo gorgeous!!

I am most drawn to photo 1 and 2. I think 1 especially because you just look so beautiful in that dress!

Kibbe... that’s a black hole for me! I tried figuring out my Kibbe type and it just became very limiting and anxiety producing. What if I wear the wrong lines? Or I don’t have x right? I was always second guessing which category I was. (A lot of the online Pinterest kibbe boards make the types into specific styles and miss it’s all about the lines—more confusion!) The thing is, I think it is very much his own system and is really in the end his interpretation. I’m in his Facebook group and his clients’ reveals are really stunning. But for me just so headache inducing figuring it all out by myself. I would probably do a consultation if I really needed to be Kibbe-ified. I think Merriam Style is very good. Also love Aly Art and Style Syntax blog.

I do think you have some romantic to you. Anything you do with softness, drapey fabrics, waist emphasis, etc. is going to be beautiful on you. Everyone makes Romantic into sexy. But it doesn’t have to be sexy in the least! It’s really about enjoying softness, waist emphasis, and soft, round and curving lines. Photo 1 you did a lot of that with the soft scarf, belt around waist, rounded toes of your shoes, the curving lines of the shoe straps.

Also, that red in photo 4 makes you glow! I would definitely consider more jeweltones, cool colors etc.

Finally... I shed over 120 lbs many years ago. (In high school I weighed over 300 lbs and wore a plus size 26/28, this after being incredibly slender as a child.) It was very liberating to shed the weight and feel good in my skin again. It took me about 2 years, and has stayed off for many years now, with the short exceptions of pregnancy weight gain and a small rebound after a life event. It took me several years though to find my style footing. So I think you’re really a step ahead of the curve being here! Finding clothes you look and feel good in will really help as you go along. It did for me. I just wanted to encourage you along your journey <3 xo

rosee

Veteran

Sorry for the late response. Thank you Natalie and Keturah for your comments. I am finding the Kibbe system confusing but maybe I could just take some basic elements from it (like the soft lines you mentioned) and not worry about the type. I think I have most of my style figured out and I will likely keep it as the weight loss progresses. I plan on keeping the top and skirt in pic 2 as it will also work at a lower weight. I hope I keep my shoes (after weight loss). I really like my shoes right now and don't want to replace them if I don't need to.