Ethereal Elements, Explained

First published May 2016.

Elements of the Ethereal style identity haven't been clearly and fully articulated before.

Here, I'll identify several of them, and -- more importantly -- explain the logic behind them.

​My hope is that you’ll be able to extrapolate from this this logic to predict other Ethereal elements .

Braids are Ethereal because they are visually busy and they involve S curves.

Let's start with braids. I love braids.

​Braids are Ethereal because
a
1) they are visually busy -- there's a lot of detail --
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​and

2) they involve S curves.

For Ethereality, put that shape -- the S curve -- in your head.

The S curve is crucial to Ethereality.

​That’s because it's a line that's elongated, but that also curves. (Elongation is Ethereal.)

The S curve is essential to the Ethereal because it's a line that's elongated, but that also curves.

​Braid detail is, of course, also Ethereal then. This includes braided metal in jewelry.

Braid detail is Ethereal.

In jewelry, braided metal is Ethereal.

​Spaced beads -- like those you see on a rosary  -- are Ethereal, again because of the S curves created.

Spaced beads are Ethereal because of the sinuous line created.

See the S curves?

A reader in a previous post asked about handkerchief hemlines. They are Ethereal (when they are gradual, not excited) because of the diagonal lines.

Diagonal lines, as long as they're not sharp or geometric appearing, are Ethereal.

This is because, as lines, they're elongated, but they're also in motion, and movement is Ethereal.

​(Diagonality suggests movement; the diagonality is a way of  a line traveling from one point to another.)

Handkerchief hems are also Ethereal because they flutter, and fluttery movement is Ethereal in part because it suggests birds and flight. 

​For that same reason, flutter sleeves are Ethereal, winged shapes are Ethereal, feathers are Ethereal, and birds and winged motifs in prints are Ethereal  -- as long as they're abstracted or stylized, not realistic. If they're realistic, they can be Ethereal plus a more literal style ID, such as Gamine, Ingenue or Classic.

Abstracted prints of winged creatures are Ethereal.

Flutter sleeves are Ethereal.

Feathers are Ethereal.

Wing and feather motifs are Ethereal.

Abstracted bird and butterfly motifs are Ethereal.

Winged-style tops are Ethereal.

Abstract prints are Ethereal, because Ethereality transcends literal reality.

​Abstract prints and motifs are Ethereal because ethereality is about transcending physical reality and the literal.

Realistic prints and motifs are not Ethereal; they're good for Classics, Gamines, and Ingenues. 

​Shimmer, shine and sparkle are Ethereal, in part because light itself is Ethereal, and in part because a shiny or sparkly finish reads as feminine. 

A shimmery or gently sparkly finish is more Ethereal than a hard shininess because Ethereality is a gentle energy, not an aggressive energy.
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Iridescence, which has a very gentle quality and  suggests the sea, is particularly Ethereal.

Iridescence and opalescence are Ethereal because they are gentler forms of shimmer and they evoke the sea.

Abstract prints and motifs that suggest the heavens or the cosmos, or that you'd describe as celestial, are Ethereal. Prints that suggest the sea are also Ethereal. (Think of the sea and the heavens as other worlds, and this will make sense.)

If the prints are realistic, they're Ethereal plus another, more literal style ID, such as Gamine.

Abstract celestial prints are Ethereal...

...as are abstract prints that suggest the sea.

​Godet skirts are Ethereal because they create sinuous lines and because they evoke mermaids, which are Ethereal. For the same reason, flares are Ethereal. (If they're flared jeans, that's Ethereal Natural.)

Godet skirts are Ethereal because they create S curves and they evoke mermaids.

Flares are Ethereal because of the S curve/mermaid tail effect. (Flared denim is Ethereal Natural.)

Hi-lo hemlines are Ethereal because of their fluttery movement, their diagonal lines, and the way their shape suggests a mermaid's tail. 

Hi-lo hemlines are Ethereal because of the diagonal lines and because they suggest a mermaid's tail.

Layeres, especially if cascading and translucent, can be Ethereal.

​Layers can be Ethereal, if they create a waterfall or cascading effect, or if some of the layers are translucent.

Translucence is Ethereal, of course.

Speaking of which, waterfall effects, cascading effects and tiers are Ethereal, partly because they create the impression of gently diagonal downward movement, and partly because they evoke waterfalls, which we associate with infinity, beauty, and the ephemeral and intangible.

Cascading effects are Ethereal because of the gently diagonal movement and the suggestion of a waterfall.

Waterfalls are Ethereal because they represent infinity, beauty, and the ephemeral and intangible.

Cut-outs and mesh, if they're delicate but not sexy, can be Ethereal, because they're airy and light, because they suggest a world behind the current world, and because the very open weave generally creates S curves.

Delicate cut-outs can be Ethereal because they're airy and sinuous and they suggest layers of reality.

A fish-scale effect can be Ethereal if it's not too literal.

​A fish-scale effect, if it's not too literal, can be Ethereal, because of its association with mermaids, because it's extremely detailed, and because it evokes the sea. 

​A very textured finish can also be Ethereal, if it's delicate, because it has the effect of being very visually busy -- i.e., highly detailed. Profusion of detail always reads as feminine, and Ethereality is highly feminine.  ​

Extreme texture, if delicate, can be Ethereal because it's highly detailed.

Art Nouveau designs, if rather abstract, are often Ethereal, because they consist of narrow, elongated lines, they're very detailed, and the edges are generally rounded.

Abstract Art Nouveau designs are often Ethereal because of the narrow, elongated lines, profuse detail, and rounded edges.

(I know David Kibbe assigns Art Nouveau jewelry to Soft Natural.

But realize that Kibbe groups all feminine identities -- Romantic, Ethereal, and Ingenue -- into one descriptor: Soft.

As a result, his recs for Soft types are sometimes more accurately assigned to Ethereal types and Ingenue types.

​For example, Art Nouveau jewelry is really better for Ethereal Natural than it is for Romantic Natural. Romantic Natural needs more sexiness in her accessories; Art Nouveau design is generally rather chaste.)

​Long hair is Ethereal because elongation is Ethereal. And of course S curves in long hair are particularly Ethereal.

S curves in long hair are particularly Ethereal.

Wispy, floaty hair is Ethereal because it feels insubstantial and suggests a halo.

Wispy and floaty hair is more Ethereal than smooth or slick hair, because it feels more insubstantial, and because it suggests a halo. 

Sandals are Ethereal because their open, airy nature suggests that the foot is only partially connected to the earth.

Sandals are Ethereal because they suggest a tenuous connection between earth and body.

Delicate period looks are Ethereal because they suggest agelessness.

"Period" looks, if delicate, are Ethereal because they suggest agelessness, which is Ethereal.

​(Distinguish "retro" and "vintage" from "period"; the first two terms imply decades of age, while the last one implies centuries. Vintage and retro aren't great for Ethereal, but can be good for Ingenue.)

This isn't an exhaustive list of Ethereal elements, but I hope it helps you think more clearly about the Ethereal style identity.  

If you think you might be Ethereal, please check out my tools for identifying your own style identity!
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And if you know you're Ethereal, please check out my Visual Style Guides and What Not To Wear guides.