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    • Blends of 2 types
      • ⚥ ♂ Classic Gamine -- The Prep Schooler
      • ⚥ ♀ Classic Ingenue -- The Class President
      • ⚥ ♂ Dramatic Classic -- The Art Critic
      • ♂ ♂ Dramatic Gamine -- The Punk Rocker
      • ♀ ♂ Dramatic Ingenue -- The Childlike Czarina
      • ♂ ♂ Dramatic Natural -- The Amazon Queen
      • ⚥ ♀ Ethereal Classic -- The Delicate Sophisticate
      • ♀ ♂ Ethereal Dramatic -- The Sorceress
      • ♀ ♂ Ethereal Gamine -- The Sprite
      • ♀ ♀ Ethereal Ingenue -- The Fairy
      • ♀ ♂ Ethereal Natural -- The Earth Goddess
      • ♀ ♂ Gamine Ingenue -- The Girlish Mod
      • ⚥ ♂ Natural Classic -- The Prep
      • ♂ ♂ Natural Gamine -- The Tomboy
      • ♀ ♂ Natural Ingenue -- The Outdoorsy Sweetheart
      • ⚥ ♀ Romantic Classic -- The Sexy Sophisticate
      • ♀ ♂ Romantic Dramatic -- The Vamp
      • ♀ ♀ Romantic Ethereal -- Aphrodite
      • ♀ ♂ Romantic Gamine -- The Firecracker
      • ♀ ♀ Romantic Ingenue -- The Demure Seductress
      • ♀ ♂ Romantic Natural -- The Babe Next Door
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      • ⚥ ♀ ♀ Ethereal-Classic-Ingenue
      • ⚥ ♀ ♂ Ethereal-Dramatic-Classic
      • ♂ ♂ ♀ Ethereal-Dramatic-Gamine
      • ♀ ♂ ♂ Ethereal-Dramatic-Natural
      • ♀ ♀ ♂ Ethereal-Dramatic-Ingenue
      • ♀ ♀ ♂ Ethereal-Gamine-Ingenue
      • ⚥ ♀ ♂ Ethereal-Natural-Classic
      • ♂ ♂ ♀ Ethereal-Natural-Gamine
      • ♀ ♀ ♂ Ethereal-Natural-Ingenue
      • ⚥ ♂ ♂ Natural-Classic-Gamine
      • ⚥ ♀ ♂ Natural-Classic-Ingenue
      • ♂ ♂ ♀ Natural-Gamine-Ingenue
      • ⚥ ♀ ♂ Romantic-Classic-Gamine
      • ⚥ ♀ ♀ Romantic-Classic-Ingenue
      • ⚥ ♀ ♂ Romantic-Dramatic-Classic
      • ♂ ♂ ♀ Romantic-Dramatic-Gamine
      • ♀ ♀ ♂ Romantic-Dramatic-Ingenue
      • ♂ ♂ ♀ Romantic-Dramatic-Natural
      • ⚥ ♀ ♀ Romantic-Ethereal-Classic
      • ♀ ♀ ♂ Romantic-Ethereal-Dramatic
      • ♀ ♀ ♂ Romantic-Ethereal-Gamine
      • ♀ ♀ ♀ Romantic-Ethereal-Ingenue
      • ♀ ♀ ♂ Romantic-Ethereal-Natural
      • ♀ ♀ ♂ Romantic-Gamine-Ingenue
      • ⚥ ♀ ♂ Romantic-Natural-Classic
      • ♂ ♂ ♀ Romantic-Natural-Gamine
      • ♀ ♀ ♂ Romantic-Natural-Ingenue
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    • Blends of 2 types
      • ⚥ ♂ Classic Gamine -- The Prep Schooler
      • ⚥ ♀ Classic Ingenue -- The Class President
      • ⚥ ♂ Dramatic Classic -- The Art Critic
      • ♂ ♂ Dramatic Gamine -- The Punk Rocker
      • ♀ ♂ Dramatic Ingenue -- The Childlike Czarina
      • ♂ ♂ Dramatic Natural -- The Amazon Queen
      • ⚥ ♀ Ethereal Classic -- The Delicate Sophisticate
      • ♀ ♂ Ethereal Dramatic -- The Sorceress
      • ♀ ♂ Ethereal Gamine -- The Sprite
      • ♀ ♀ Ethereal Ingenue -- The Fairy
      • ♀ ♂ Ethereal Natural -- The Earth Goddess
      • ♀ ♂ Gamine Ingenue -- The Girlish Mod
      • ⚥ ♂ Natural Classic -- The Prep
      • ♂ ♂ Natural Gamine -- The Tomboy
      • ♀ ♂ Natural Ingenue -- The Outdoorsy Sweetheart
      • ⚥ ♀ Romantic Classic -- The Sexy Sophisticate
      • ♀ ♂ Romantic Dramatic -- The Vamp
      • ♀ ♀ Romantic Ethereal -- Aphrodite
      • ♀ ♂ Romantic Gamine -- The Firecracker
      • ♀ ♀ Romantic Ingenue -- The Demure Seductress
      • ♀ ♂ Romantic Natural -- The Babe Next Door
    • Blends of 3 Types
      • ⚥ ♀ ♂ Classic-Gamine-Ingenue
      • ⚥ ♂ ♂ Dramatic-Classic-Gamine
      • ⚥ ♀ ♂ Dramatic-Classic-Ingenue
      • ♂ ♂ ♀ Dramatic-Gamine-Ingenue
      • ⚥ ♂ ♂ Dramatic-Natural-Classic
      • ♂ ♂ ♂ Dramatic-Natural-Gamine
      • ♂ ♂ ♀ Dramatic-Natural-Ingenue
      • ⚥ ♀ ♂ Ethereal-Classic-Gamine
      • ⚥ ♀ ♀ Ethereal-Classic-Ingenue
      • ⚥ ♀ ♂ Ethereal-Dramatic-Classic
      • ♂ ♂ ♀ Ethereal-Dramatic-Gamine
      • ♀ ♂ ♂ Ethereal-Dramatic-Natural
      • ♀ ♀ ♂ Ethereal-Dramatic-Ingenue
      • ♀ ♀ ♂ Ethereal-Gamine-Ingenue
      • ⚥ ♀ ♂ Ethereal-Natural-Classic
      • ♂ ♂ ♀ Ethereal-Natural-Gamine
      • ♀ ♀ ♂ Ethereal-Natural-Ingenue
      • ⚥ ♂ ♂ Natural-Classic-Gamine
      • ⚥ ♀ ♂ Natural-Classic-Ingenue
      • ♂ ♂ ♀ Natural-Gamine-Ingenue
      • ⚥ ♀ ♂ Romantic-Classic-Gamine
      • ⚥ ♀ ♀ Romantic-Classic-Ingenue
      • ⚥ ♀ ♂ Romantic-Dramatic-Classic
      • ♂ ♂ ♀ Romantic-Dramatic-Gamine
      • ♀ ♀ ♂ Romantic-Dramatic-Ingenue
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      • ♀ ♀ ♂ Romantic-Gamine-Ingenue
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      • ♀ ♀ ♂ Romantic-Natural-Ingenue
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Truth is Beauty 

DRAMATIC Style Word Inspiration

4/8/2019

30 Comments

 
Dramatic is a style type I am always delighted to encounter in a virtual analysis.
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Javeonna Gordon
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Agatha Mougin
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Liu Wen
Women with a lot of Dramatic tend to have strong jaws, strong brows, strong cheekbones, intense, narrow eyes, and an overall powerful energy.

These women can pull off avant-garde clothes that most of us can't; in fact, they require extreme minimalism, sharp corners, and straight lines in their ensembles in order to appear as the gorgeous women they are.  Clothes that are unstructured, very detailed, or noticeably feminine tend to exaggerate the masculine aspects of Dramatic features in an unlovely way.

To wrap my head around style types, I find it helpful to use visual thesauri and word association tools.
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"Striking" is already a word I use when I think about Dramatic types, but "spectacular' is new. I love "spectacular" for Dramatics in its literal sense -- having the quality of a spectacle.  Dramatic clothes beg to be looked at.  (What's ironic is that when a Dramatic wears them, we're more likely to notice her and not her face,  because her face is exactly as spectacular as the clothes are.)
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"Large" and "big" are definitely important for Dramatics. In a Dramatic look, everything gets turned up to 11.
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Dramatic clothes are thrilling on the runway or on the hanger.  And, of course, they are merely correct on a Dramatic woman. (This is an interesting corollary to Classic clothes, which can be boring on a hanger but sensational on a Classic woman. There's a version of this for every style type: On a Natural, sloppy clothes aren't sloppy; on a Gamine, weird clothes aren't weird; etc.)
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"Striking" leads us to "strike," which is fitting, because Dramatic energy feels like it's hitting you. Dramatics and Ethereals can be easily confused, because they both have sculpted, unusual-looking features, but one way to distinguish them is that Dramatic energy "strikes" you with its forward-moving, aggressive energy, whereas Ethereal energy feels like it's floating away. 



Here are some more fun words associated with "dramatic":
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Of course, there are many associated with the theater; Dramatic clothes, by themselves, are performances. I like here also "decisive" (nothing about Dramatics is wishy-washy!) and "sharp."

​Here are some additional adjectives I commonly use for Dramatic looks:
  • avant-garde
  • striking
  • edgy
  • provocative
  • strong
  • intense
  • powerful
  • majestic
  • commanding

You might be a Dramatic blend with a gentle, peaceful nature. Rest assured that your sharp, intense, attention-getting clothes will look at home on you, and you'll stand out less than if you wear the clothes that are all wrong for you.
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The lines on the right are much more extreme than the traditionally feminine lines on the left, but in which picture does model Hailey Baldwin look most like herself? For me, it's the one on the right. I'm not thinking about that edgy red top; I'm just looking at her face.  :-)  Whereas on the left, I keep getting distracted by that ostrich trim and those hair. She doesn't have enough Ethereal to look normal in those delicate feathers, and her beauty is not feminine enough to be really flattered by those waves.  She has a lot of Dramatic, and looks her best in strong, straight lines and little detail.

(I've said before, but should probably mention again, that masculine beauty and feminine beauty are both wonderful, and it's no slight to a woman to notice that her beauty is masculine rather than feminine. Most supermodels have strongly masculine beauty.)




Not sure of your style type? Try the Style Identity Calculator, or consider investing in a Virtual Analysis.
30 Comments
Annie
4/8/2019 01:43:31 pm

I seem to be a typical dramatic, but I'm working on becoming a therapist, and will need to be super gentle and soft around people, I need them to be open to me, to see me as "safe" and definitely not aggressive. Do you think I have any chance of staying dramatic and getting that impression of me across?.. I noticed many times that wearing softer clothes just makes me look somewhat sickly. :(

Reply
KC
4/8/2019 06:02:59 pm

A couple ideas I brainstormed:

You could focus on the minimalist interpretation of Dramatic and wear sleek, fitted, but basic ensembles in neutral colors. Or perhaps you could cheat a bit and wear Dramatic cuts in softer colors? Definitely avoid red. This way, you still look attractive and *authentic* (which is probably important for gaining a patient's trust!) but less overtly aggressive than you might in avante-garde outfits.

Alternatively, you could try to use your powerful Dramatic looks to your advantage. Alternate words I sometimes think of for Dramatics include "alpha" and "jovial" (derived from Jove, an alternate name for the king of the Greco-Roman gods)--these people look like they were born to be in charge, and others may not want to cross them, but others do want to please them. You can try establishing with your clients that you are a powerful authority figure, but your are on *their* side, and therefore they are safe and protected with you.

Lastly, Rachel has mentioned in a previous post that you can use fragrance to convey a message that you have difficulty communicating through physical appearance. This certainly makes sense to me, as research has repeatedly shown that smell is the sense most strongly tied to memory and emotion. You could try dressing authentically Dramatic but wearing a soft, comforting scent to put clients at ease--a cozy vanilla, perhaps? Scented candles in your office would probably do the trick too :).

Reply
Megan
4/10/2019 05:33:10 pm

I think about this a lot. I'm an RDE, so a lot of the time, I'm asking myself, "How can I make myself look less formal/less strange/etc?"

One answer to your dilemma is to just dress how you look--dramatic, intimidating--and complement your appearance with a warm personality. I think most of us have met people who look intimidating but then turn out to be kind and easy-going. Patients might be wary of you at first but might eventually notice how kind/affirming you are MORE because you have an intimidating appearance (because of the principle that contrast makes something more salient, you know? Like if a really tall, really muscular, hard-jawed guy has a really sweet personality, we might actually notice his sweetness more for the fact that he looks conventionally aggressive).

That's kind of a hypocritical answer, though, because as I said, I'm often thinking, "How can I make myself look more normal/less dressed-up/less intense" whatever.

I think I should probably do this less, though, because the fact is that I look how I look, and we all, myself included, need to learn that the way people look doesn't reflect their personality.

Reply
Christy
4/8/2019 01:55:42 pm

This is such a good post for me to see! I am 50% Dramatic, and periodically revert to suppressing that in order to conform. Great to be reminded that I am actually more myself in clothes with a lot of D. I see D and E in my daughter, as well, but as a teenager NOTHING will convince her not to conform. Any advice on how to help her accept herself?

Reply
Lizzie
4/8/2019 02:13:37 pm

Hey again you guys! I hope I’m not bothering y’all :) I will make this my last post asking for help with my newly discovered Style ID. I want to say I’m so appreciative of those of you who have responded to me with kindness and amazing insights! You guys are such a good bunch! So glad I found this blog!!

So, as many of you know I was asking about REG last month, but thanks to your guys responses and tips, I realized that I am REI. To be honest, I feel kinda silly/embarrassed that I didn’t realize or notice it before. Looking back, everyone has always indicated this to me. Anyways, I’m trying to accept that I’m more traditionally cute rather than fun Gamine cute (which I am on the inside). I’m finally on the journey to accepting myself, REI, and all of the stereotypes that might come with being garishly feminine or borderline kitschy. I think I’ll simply always admire other essences more than my own.. especially Dramatic! Dramatic ladies- I don’t even think you understand how gorg you are!!! I’m a right brained, creative person and all of my outfit ideas and outfit inspirations are always hindered by that fact that I don’t have Dramatic to pull off the outfit and send message I want to send. You guys are so lucky! Whether someone sends us nicer comment or passive aggressive comments about my style/appearance.... we ought to do what works and looks best on us (if we desire to), CONFIDENTLY, without worrying about what others want to say about it. I encourage everyone to take that approach!!

That being said- I’m so tired of not fully honoring my features, my heritage, and ultimately.... myself. So, after determining I am REI, I scoured this blog in search of info about REI celebs and stores etc. The only celeb that has came up is Christina Hendricks as an REI (I’m SO grateful for the blogger, Katja, who commented this. A godsend comment!) After commenting about the celebs that look most similar to me, someone informed me that Kirby Griffin is probably EI, possibly with a dash of Romantic. Which again, is on track for me, because I look like alot like her except my eyes are more upturned and my cheeks are fuller. I’m currently checking out Sade Adu for REI (she’s on Romantic ID page). I was also considering Sasha Pieterse and Haley Bennett(Classic?) but I’m not 100% about them. I spotted Sasha Pieterse modeling one of the outfits on REG board. Lastly, I found Madeline Mantock, Tashi Rodriguez, & Mýa Harrison, and Brandi Quinones all so very intriguing but I’m still seeing some C, G, N and such going on.

To be honest I’m REALLY struggling to find other REI celebs and it’s a bit frustrating and isolating all at once. If any fellow Truth is Beauty readers or the TIB bloggers themselves would be willing to share any REI knowledge, I would be soooo grateful. The style guide I just purchased is extremely insight (it’s perfect!) but I know the comment section holds a great wealth of knowledge too!!

Reply
Lizzie
4/8/2019 02:21:52 pm

Small typo! Meant to say: “Whether someone sends us nicer comments or passive aggressive comments about OUR style/appearance... we ought to do what works and looks best on us (if we desire to), CONFIDENTLY, without worrying about what others want to say about it.”

ALSO: Rachel I really appreciate you including minorities in all your posts, like this one! Things like this are what make your system the best and it is a testament to your system’s accuracy!

Reply
Kellie link
4/8/2019 09:06:18 pm

I hope the other styles will follow. This is so interesting!

Reply
Melina
4/9/2019 04:00:29 am

This is very interesting to me, as I've recently begun to think I may have some D in me, though I never get any in the calculator... From it, I always get a clear REI (plus 10% something else), but - and I don't mean this as a bad criticism - I do think D is represented a little bit strangely in the calculator collages... E.g. ultra-high heels (just can't do those physically), huge bows at the back of dresses & open backs; I'm sure there are many other ways to create or represent D..? (Those elements one gets at least in the collages with both R and D present, which would apply to me.) Has anyone else had the same issue..?

Just a few examples of what I mean with possibly having some D, I do well with a fair amount of minimalism & clear lines, no small prints etc, and am drawn to dark & dramatic colors (which are probably not in my color season), and yes, I have been called striking looking at times. Also, I recently found out that in Kibbe, I'm Theatrical Romantic, which is a combination of Romantic and Dramatic in that system.
OTOH, I certainly can't wear avant-garde or edgy clothes, but the D would be a minority essence for me, anyway, not a majority one.

Reply
JRB
4/13/2019 10:51:16 am

Melina, I'm in a similar camp thinking I probably have a small amount of D. When I've done the style calculator, the result I've gotten most often is ECI, 30% of each. However, something is always missing from it, like it looks really good but just a bit stiff on me. I finally noticed there's an unaccounted for 10%! So I go back to the calculator, or to the bazillion collages I made of various style IDs with my face (I got a little obsessed lol), thinking I may have done it wrong. It's hard to self-diagnose this! I could see though that I need more flourish, or energy, than strictly ECI-- it's hard to describe. I was pretty swayed towards REI, but I don't have enough R to pull it off, and N and G blends are not my best. I totally disregarded D blends, thinking there's no way I have D, but when I tested the DI blends with the calculator it was like a missing piece fell into place and in one case got 10% D. Interestingly, you wouldn't think Dramatic when looking at me, but I've been told I have an intensity or stillness in my expression. I agree that D can often be avant garde or intimidatingly high fashion, but I think it can also be theatrical and almost whimsically or dramatically lush when paired with Ingenue. Maybe that's what you're seeing for yourself? I now believe D is the elusive influence I need in small doses, and then I really feel and look like "me." I must admit, however, as a Clear Spring who can wear black really well, that might also be why DI blends work surprisingly well for me, particularly EDI and DCI, in that they have a lot more vibrant, intense colors as well as black, which work great on me when balanced by the lighter colors of my palette. So even wearing my ECI outfits within my Clear Spring palette can tip the scale a bit towards EDI just by virtue of the colors, and then it's pretty much perfect. So I also think seasonal colors factor in to what ultimately works best. Just my two cents!

Reply
Melina
4/16/2019 03:32:23 am

JRB, I've felt the same about the calculator result, i.e. something is always missing, a small bit ;) And I also believe myself to be a Bright (Clear) Spring, or possibly another type of Spring, but I can also do black really well, that's one thing that keeps confusing me; but I agree it may be partly due to style ID and partly to the season! :)

Shawna
5/30/2019 08:22:45 pm

I initially thought D was an essence I had none of and at this point, after a year, I am now thinking I could even be all D. The final resting place I got to with the style ID calculator was EDG but in experimenting I found Ethereal difficult to incorporate and Gamine too busy. I think D is my best Kibbe choice too. But I do have difficulty with the D recommendations for a variety of reasons. I have a casual lifestyle, not much money and little to no access to avant guard or high fashion clothing. I'm aiming for sleek and minimal and tending to favour black but the degree of sharpness and pointiness or over the top as represented in the pinterest board is just not feasible. I'm slowly integrating more of it into my wardrobe but sometimes comfort, price and the need for something to wear right now, definitely effect my ability to do it 'right'. Possibly I am overthinking it. The Pinterest board is meant to represent shapes and colours, and overall vibe more than to be fully prescriptive and so if you are a D blend I think the main idea is to get something sharp, crisp or bold into your overall look. I suspect getting hair and makeup correct might be a very significant aspect and then the clothing can be more approximate.

Reply
W.
4/9/2019 04:36:37 pm

This is so interesting! For some reason, I find myself understanding the style types so much more from these word clouds than I do from pinterest boards. When I look at a garment or outfit, I tend to notice level of detail and color first. Then I notice lines and fit. I had struggled to "see" the IDEA or concept behind a particular garment. It's more... Well, I *guess* that face could pull off that outfit? Maybe? Sure, that will work... And then I get really weird results on the style calculator.

It's that IDEA insp that has eluded me, and I think some people (like Rachel) can identify it right off, and some folks (like me) can only sense if something is wrong, but can't for the life of them put their finger on it. Like, I'm not sure I could make a strong distinction between Dramatic Classic and Gamine Classic if I was trying to sort a shirt. But I get that the IDEA of the one is quite different than the idea of the other. I've long toyed with the idea that I might be dramatic, but in comparing this wod cloud and the one Rachel did for Gamine a while back, I can definitely see that I've been mixing up gamine with dramatic. There is some overlap, for sure. I have the strong bone structure, but lack the overall striking impression. For me, solid bones + big eyes, big forehead, small nose = Gamine Natural, and I think there's a measure of classic in there, too, as I can tolerate a massive amount of 'boring.' But I can tolerate a massive amount of 'weird' as well.

I was at first a bit thrown by the idea that Gamine clothes are "Weird" but then I was like... Accurate. That's completely true. I constantly pick out things that look sort of odd on the rack (patchwork bomber jacket, a vintage men's striped shirt that looks like it came from Charlie Brown's closet). But then on, they're adorable. Go fig. By contrast, I have completely given up on dresses and skirts. I kept thinking I had to wear them to be pretty. And they do not work. I am SO much happier in patterned jeans, a band t shirt and a cropped blazer if I have to dress up.

This is one thing I LOVE about this style system: it really does point out that in the right clothes, you just look like YOU. It's a fantastic metric.

All that is to say, I love these inspo clouds. I think they could be really useful if included in the links on each style IDs page, because they really get at some helpful info here.

Oh, and one more thing: Thank you again for including the caveat about masculine/feminine beauty. This has caught me up SO much in the past. On the style calculator, because it says "This face looks beautiful" -- I realize I immediately started picking more feminine clothes by default. And that's because I associate anything highly feminine with beauty. That metric is so internalized. That's not to say feminine beauty isn't gorgeous! It completely is! I've just had to really, REALLY change my way of thinking to accept my own, mostly masculine appearance. Everyone I know tells me 'you don't look masculine/boyish/etc." But... I do. I really do. I often thought I'd do well as Viola from Twelfth Night or something - that Shakespearian convention of the girl pretending to be a boy. It's not a bad thing to be more masculine-looking. It's just how things work for me. I feel like I'm shedding a lot of excess cultural baggage by realizing it, and it's incredibly liberating!

Reply
Melina
4/10/2019 04:20:47 am

W, it's funny, I've done the opposite from what you said, but for the same reasons - completely given up on jeans (and most other trousers), they just do not work for me ;D People keep thinking they "have" to wear them to appear normal in today's (Western) society, but if they don't work and you don't like them, why on earth should one? All that Natural & sporty style is the one seen as the norm nowadays, but it IS very liberating to rid oneself of this cultural baggage, as you said! ;)

And I agree that a word cloud might work better in identifying how a style / essence suits one than the boards / collages used in the calculator (actually similar to what I wrote in my comment above, yesterday); the clothes assembled in the boards may well represent the view / tastes of the maker of the boards, more than he actual essence itself...

Reply
W.
4/10/2019 04:03:38 pm

Hi M. I hear you. I find sometimes that the boards that are not part of the style calculator are sometimes more to my taste and/or give me a clearer picture of the style ID than the ones that are part of the style calculator. But I think a lot of that comes from the fact that makeup and hairstyles don't make much of an appearance on the style calculator boards. I found that hair/makeup seems to be more helpful in finding my style than any other aspect of the style ID. I think it's because it's right next to your face and there is no room for error.

For example, it seems a tell-tale sign of the dramatic is to slick your hair back/cut it really short and see if that looks good. Or romantics and ingenues look good in curls. Ethereals seem amazing in cascading waves or wispy halos. Naturals get 'messy' bed-head looks with layers, classics get perfect coifs, and gamines have the short styles. And then makeup: is shimmer better than matte? Or strong brows better than lips?

I feel like I ended up finding my best hair, makeup, clothes after a massive amount of trial and error and reading Rachel's style guides to try out a bazillion things that didn't work. Then what was left was a sort of K-pop Street style meets Stranger Things inspired throwback. Then I'm asking: What is this craziness? And I think it's mostly NG with some C (and maybe E. I think my palette gives off that vibe, but I don't try to reach for it with styling).

Anyhow, I Totally applaud the giving up on jeans if they don't work for you. I know some folks who wear nothing but dresses and skirts year round and it is SO lovely. Me, I'm the wear jeans with everything type now, and I'm digging it. I'm thankful it's socially acceptable to do it, too, or I'd be hunting for alternative pants!

Melina
4/11/2019 03:32:55 am

W, I totally agree that hair / makeup can be more helpful in finding one's style than any other aspect of the style ID! Same goes for color season, I've found - lipstick and hair color are the best "litmus tests" for that, IMO, though many dislike the idea, but I've found there's much less leeway in them than in e.g. clothes as for the colors & finishes etc. that one can pull off - that's how I've discovered I'm a very likely Spring.

Although, I know I can't pull off slicked back or short hair, do you think that would discount any D..? As for me it would be a minor essence, anyway, not a major one. I'm long, wavy/curly cascading hair all the way... REI being my main essences (at least according to the calculator).

Melina
4/11/2019 03:37:14 am

Although, FWIW, long hair is often seen as quite dramatic in and of itself ;)

W.
4/11/2019 11:43:09 am

Hi M.

I feel like it took me years to get to NGprobablyalsoC. So, I don't know if I can make any sort of useful observations to other people. Especially through the internet!

But I guess I feel like some essences dovetail nicely with others - and some do not. If a person were highly R as well as D, I would imagine that a slicked back style might not work. I'm thinking Viviene Leigh -- she's got her hair off her face, but it's that high winged pulled back style?

It's where styles start to overlap that it gets murky. Like, if you need simplicity -- does that come from classic or dramatic or natural? If you need waist emphasis -- are you getting that from romantic or classic or ingenue? If you need an unemphasized waist, is that coming from natural or gamine or dramatic or ethereal? I think many of us can name a piece of the puzzle, but maybe not the whole thing? And then, you can also be wrong. I've been told my whole life to make sure my tops show off my waist - now I'm realizing a straightish light through the waist is best -- contrary to typical advice.

So for hair? I don't know. I don't know if 'can't do slicked back' is a dealbreaker for D as a minor essence. I wouldn't think so. I just think slicked back hair is a hallmark of D. It's a sufficient but not necessary indicator, that's my thought.

But I do think finding a best hairstyle and working back from that is not a bad way to confirm one's own ID. I was convinced I could do ED (and it looks so cool!) until I tried a very ED hairstyle. And it was NOT a good look. Took me a while to grow it back out, too. :/ Ah well. But in the grow-out process, I got to looking at old pics of my best hairstyles. I realized my best styles, layered pixie bobs, are quite NCG. My best shoes are very NCG as well. And was it Michael Kors who said "If your hair and shoes look good, you can get away with pretty much anything?" I don't remember, but that sounds right. Anyhow, I find shoes 'bookend' the look, so they're pretty important, too.

I find the 10% essences the hardest to understand, that's what I'm saying. :)

Melina
4/12/2019 03:24:03 am

W, I get what you say, or I think so at least ;) Yes, overlap sure is murky, and it does get complicated; What I'm sure I have is quite a lot of of R, I and a fair amount of E, though possibly some of what I thought is E could be replaced with D... As they do have some similarities. And my face is actually more angular than elongated, but in a soft way (and still within the limits of the classic oval, according to one calculator at least).

As for hairstyles, yes, looking at the old article here about suitable styles for each type, RD hair is not slicked back but long & wavy. :) And I actually need to get back to that post to check what a very ED hairstyle looks like, now that you mentioned it ;)

Anonymous
4/18/2019 11:11:00 am

W,

This is a late comment, but I totally agree with your point about the hair (can't reply to your comment below, sorry about that!). I don't know what essences I have, many people have identified Ethereal though, so I'm the most certain that I have some of that. One thing that might have been a sign was that straight hair is a big no for me. I look best in hair that has some movement, either a controlled and loose wave or slightly frizzy, bushy waves (my natural hair texture).

Some people think I also have some Dramatic, but I don't think I have enough to pull off a D hairstyle--anything too slicked back, flat, or sleek is not a good look for me, because it ends up looking too severe. I think hairstyles can really help with finding your dominant essence. As for 10% essences, I have trouble with those too--since they're so subtle, it's hard to detect them. Other proposed minor essences people have suggested--Gamine--has hairstyles that are probably my worst. Short hair and bangs are both my worst looks. I have quite a long face, but if I cut my hair to try to even out the length, it actually makes my face look much broader and wider than it actually is and the effect is strange.

If it helps, I have found that I can only wear what is probably my dominant essence (Ethereal) near my face--so hair, earrings, etc. For essences that I have less of, like Dramatic, I prefer wearing D shoes, something farther from my face.

Reply
W.
4/18/2019 07:42:39 pm

Hi Nonny!

What you say sounds a lot like natural -- with that ethereal you worked out. Needs movement, good with a 'bushy' texture (looks so good on naturals, I'm thinking Ally Sheedy). You say short hair is bad, you have a wide face that looks good with longer hair... That sounds very N to me. But as I can't see you, II can' know for sure.

I personally ran from Natural for a long time. I liked the comfort of it, but thought natural was a euphemism in the style ID biz for 'not lovely'. I am very happy to be finding myself wrong about that. Natural is great. :)

W.
4/18/2019 07:45:39 pm

To be clear (I fear I wasn't):. Natural is lovely. I think it's a stunning look. I also think there's a bias against it, and I know I had that bias. But now that I'm realizing I'm mostly NG -- so, super masculine look -- I'm finding the beauty in it -- not just the ''funky girl style' but the genuine beauty in a less feminine ID.

Anonymous
4/19/2019 11:05:06 pm

Hi W!

About your speculation about Natural, sadly, I don't think I have much, if any :(. I agree with you, N is a stunning essence that I would love to have. My face isn't very broad or wide, actually, but there are some Gamine hair styles that actually make my face look wider than it actually is, and everyone I've asked have agreed it's not that flattering for me.

I have considered it, though, but I find that shaggy, completely unstructured hair doesn't suit me either. It's very confusing for me, lol, because my hair can't be *too* structured--super dramatic, straight, sleek, etc, but it also can't be too unstructured, or else it overwhelms me. I do not look good in any N detail. Maybe EN, but it's still not *right*, if that makes sense. I look better if I'm not dressed casually, which makes me think I probably don't have Gamine or Natural.

Reply
Anonymous
4/19/2019 11:11:25 pm

W,

Also, don't worry, I didn't think you were implying that N wasn't lovely! I agree with you, I think it's a unique essence to have, and every natural I know has a stunning, unforgettable smile (sadly for me, my face looks weird when I'm smiling, and I've actually considered that I have a bit of Classic, since I look off if I have a smile). NG sounds like a great combo to have. Natural clothes are very boho and comfortable, while Gamine clothes are quirky and retro, it's a style combination that allows for a lot of experimentation, and of course, you can pull off a lot of unique looks!

Adriana
4/13/2019 12:39:51 pm

This is a great post! I wonder if Liya Kibede is a type of Dramatic? DE... with R or C? At the same time, I can’t tell if she has youth essence or not. Natural is the only essence I see does not work well for her, but she still seems very sweet- maybe Ingenue type?

Reply
Janelle
4/14/2019 10:41:30 am

Adriana,
I haven’t heard of Liya before reading your comment, but after looking at lots of her pictures, I definitely agree that she’s got lots of dramatic. Personally, I’m not seeing any ingenuity, so I would rule that out...But I think classic is a good possibility. DC and maybe some N? I know you didn’t like natural on her particularly, but I think a little bit woodwork in addition to the structure of D and C.

Reply
Janelle
4/14/2019 10:45:20 am

Ingenuity? Woodwork? Thanks, voice texting! 😂

Adriana
4/14/2019 02:01:09 pm

That make sense! I am DRI and I can see the D and N in her, though I do think she has some R. Thanks!

Actually, I just found out I’m DRI (Hedy Lamarr is such a big inspiration)! Actually, I’m wondering if there are any current day DRIs? I’m not sure I know of any

Adriana
4/14/2019 03:28:41 pm

Sorry, I meant I wonder of any RGC celebrities. I was referring to Hedy Lamarr as RDI. Sorry for the confusion

Adriana
4/14/2019 03:32:15 pm

Meaning I quickly spotted the C in her because I’m RGC. Sorry haha I’m running off 4 hours of sleep today! I should really just log off until tomorrow LOL

Adriana
4/14/2019 03:32:23 pm

Meaning I quickly spotted the C in her because I’m RGC. Sorry haha I’m running off 4 hours of sleep today! I should really just log off until tomorrow LOL




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