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How Natural Style Types Do Sexy

6/3/2019

Romantic is the style type that's most flattered by traditionally "sexy" clothes and details, such as cleavage emphasis, skirt slits, cinched waists, red lips, et cetera.

On a woman without a lot of Romantic, these elements will read as awkward or unharmonious, not sexy.

But many of us want to appear "sexy" at some point.

How does a woman who's strongly Natural -- a woman like me, whose beauty has a rough-hewn, masculine quality -- create a sexy impression?

Not like a Romantic would, with pouty lips, smoky eyes, an abundance of jewelry, and butt & bust emphasis. Those tend to make us Natural women look mannish.

Instead, Naturals do sexy with bare arms and legs, mussy hair, very open necklines, little makeup, tank tops, oversized sweaters, and cowboy hats.

You might be thinking, "Those are elements Naturals always look great in."

You're right!

If a Natural simply turns up the intensity on an already Natural element, it tends to look sexy.

Go with even barer arms and legs. Make that hair even more messy. Go with an even bigger sweater, perhaps falling off one shoulder.

Below, see Sheryl Crow, Jennifer Aniston, Sandra Oh, and Elisabeth Shue. These are strongly Natural women who look sexier and more confident when they don't try so hard. In looks with bust emphasis, jewels, shiny finishes, careful curls, and lots of makeup, they appear awkward.

If you're a strongly Natural woman, one of your gifts is the ability to look your best with almost no effort. (Typically, the more effort you put in, the less good you look!)

This is why Natural beauty is often described as "confident"; the viewer assumes you must have a lot of courage to present yourself so casually.

40 Comments

Lilac

6/3/2019 04:26:47 pm

Great post, thank you! :)
Also, I would love to read similar advice about the other masculine types.

Trish

6/3/2019 04:49:24 pm

Thank you for this! I’m not terribly interested in being sexy at this point in my life but the principles are very helpful.

Similarly, it would be helpful if you could also address how a Natural does a ‘polished’ or business look and evening and/or formal looks. It is hard for me to reconcile the looser, less buttoned-up look of a Natural in these cases. How does an N remain true to the naturally more casual identity when the setting calls for all business or very formal?

I believe I have some classic and dramatic which are easier looks for business and formal settings, but I’m predominately N and can quickly look like I’m trying too hard if I veer too far in these other directions.

I appreciate your website and find your tools very helpful. Keep up the good work!

Danielle

6/4/2019 06:30:29 am

Trish, a Natural can do a business look if she choose more textured and casual fabrics. You can wear suits and blazers if the fabrics are Natural.
For evening wear you can wear simple, bare dresses or a jumpsuit. If you have some Classic and Dramatic you can use that when it comes to evening wear. That allows you to go more formal. But the amount of detail should be minimal.

6/4/2019 09:09:07 am

Danielle, thank you for these helpful suggestions.

Another Rachel

6/3/2019 05:05:47 pm

Love this! It makes so much sense. The things that us make look most like ourselves, are the things that make us look most attractive.

Mina

6/3/2019 05:26:53 pm

Actually, I think it's even harder for women with a lot of "classic" to be sexy. When searching for sexy-elegant on google the pictures seem old-fashioned and therefore not very sexy. How can we imagine Kate Middleton or Zhang Ziyi in sexy? Even thinking about it feels wrong. How can a woman with a lot of classic be appealing when her style expresses aloofness?

Charity

6/3/2019 11:07:07 pm

Same.

I know it's a slightly different system (Kibbe) but there's a lovely "Soft Classic" video on YouTube that talks about some different sexy styles you can do. In a nutshell, the suggestion is to keep it symmetrical (a mesh top over a dark, clingy shirt, for example). I think you, if you have nice legs, could do short sailor shorts, too. Strapless, shorter dresses in your best / darkest color and a minimalist necklace.) She says a classic woman's beauty shines through with minimal detail, so choose sexy pieces that don't distract from you.

6/4/2019 05:07:52 am

Mina, how about the "sexy secretary look" for a Classic?

Leilani

6/4/2019 12:30:44 pm

Same here. I'm a DC and I simply do not want to do the sexy secretary look *sigh* I would love to see more ideas.

6/4/2019 04:22:15 pm

Thanks for your ideas.
Short sailor skirts and sexy secretary are of course a possibility. Maybe you could also add uniform-looks. However, I find that all these variants are too reminiscent of fetish.
Meanwhile, I have the following thoughts and suggestions:
Classics shine by reducing any distraction. Exaggerating this would mean that they look best naked. For that reason I could imagine classic clothes but in nude tones (or very delicate colors). This evokes the IDEA of nudity, while still being perfectly conservative.
Also extremely reduced garments, which consist of only one piece, so that they look more like the packaging of a high-end product, than an actual garment could work. Such a dress seems almost superfluous and only to serve the purpose of veiling.
Another picture: The elegant woman after a long day at home again. While still wearing her classic clothes, she takes off her jewelry and stockings and walks barefoot... Reduction, that implies sexiness.

From my point of view, classic women, to be sexy, have to create the fantasy of nudity without actually being naked. (However, transparent pieces may also be worth a try.)

6/4/2019 07:46:01 pm

Taking a stab at this but...

I would guess that 'sexy' for a classic is to take the sophistication to the extreme. In other words, the untouchable quality of the classic IS this appeal.

I'm thinking of, say Bond girls, who often have a good dose of classic IMO. The somewhat cool, confident, aloof image is appealing. Or consider the goofy Charlie's Angels remake. You have sexy, free-love romantic Drew Barrymore, sexy, friendly natural Cameron Diaz, and then the aloof, aristocratic Lucy Liu.

I think the calm, confident, utterly self-assured, old Hollywood glamour, etc. is the classic's key to "sexy". It's that "lady in the streets..." half of that old adage.

My 2 cents anyhow.

.... And also, I think Grecian inspired dresses often work well for classic. They don't work for all classic blends, but they manage a bit of shown skin while harkening back to Classic antiquity.

Caren

6/3/2019 05:46:03 pm

aha! This explains why, when I caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror Saturday night at an event for which I put on a face (and not high drag unnatural face, but an eye, smokier than usual, with actual mascara, and a lip) I thought, jeez I look like a man in drag, (and not even good drag!) but a man trying to pass as a regular woman. Thank you this explains a lot, I am more natural than I thought! Also explains why I do very well with off the shoulder looks even when I have narrow shoulders. ... also, will plan to cut some layers, too, that long straight hair didnt do anything for me either. thank you!

Marissa

6/3/2019 11:13:47 pm

Another great post! Could you write about how to make Romantic-Ethereal-Ingenue wearable for everyday? I am a homebody so formal wear seems too formal for everyday. Sometimes I cheat and wear Romantic Natural looks but I'd like some casual Romantic-Ethereal-Ingenue ideas.

Mary

6/4/2019 02:34:01 am

Same!! I hate how my best looks reside in my formal wear- though it does make last minute events easier to prepare for. I am an REG who was dressing as REN/REIN for years. Thanks to these guides I’ve been able to gradually make myself look as great and “at home” as I used to only look in my formal wear!

I agree- Rachel could you PLEASE do a post about EIs/EGs? I don’t think I’ve seen an individual post about these type... ever! (Which is interesting since you created E and I essence..) And we can use the help- supernatural combined with youth really is a lesson common type!

Also- thank you for creating EG category! I thought I was the only person on the planet who knew how to eye those items. It was literally like a sign of relief when I came across your EG board :)

6/4/2019 08:03:12 am

E and I essence have been around. Ingenue has been around for quite a long time, under Northrup, McJimsey, etc. way back when. Ethereal as Angelic with John Kitchener (and he continues to use ingenue as Youthful, as well, in modern times, the term Ingenue by some others, the original term). But they would make good posts, EG/EI!

6/4/2019 08:02:26 am

Marissa, maybe you could wear tunics with empire cuts and leggings with floral or some ethereal prints? Cardigans and sweaters with ruffles?
I have some pinterest boards if you want to check them out:https://fi.pinterest.com/aboutstyling/boards
I don't have any ERI board yet, but there will be eventually. Maybe you could have a look at my EI board? Not so much casual wear there, but maybe you will get some inspiration...

6/4/2019 03:39:35 pm

Danielle, thank you for the advice. I'll have to check out your pinterest boards. I'm glad to see that others also want a post about casual wear for REI.

Oasis

6/6/2019 03:50:34 am

Hi Danielle, maybe you know where extra large hoop earings belong? R, RCD, D, N?

Miranda

6/4/2019 04:07:53 pm

I'm still working on this for REG. So far I have skinny jeans and draped/ruched/ruffled jersey tops with EG. I just ordered some leggings so I can layer them with a handkerchief jersey skirt with simpler tops. I have some silver peep-toe sandals, but I really need boots. Also, hats. I do newsboy caps since I have G, but I bet you could do some really cute I hats.
I did get a denim jacket (too N, but I'm from Wyoming and it's practically hardwired into my brain), but it's the EG-est denim jacket that I could find. It's a medium wash that's just a little greyer than a regular jeans color, uniform color throughout (no distressing), crisply fitted shape, and a little metallic thread so that the fabric has a sheen to it.

6/4/2019 06:35:31 pm

Those clothes sound really cute, Miranda.

6/6/2019 08:28:50 am

Hi Oasis, DRN is the style category that comes to mind. And maybe EDN too, but in that case I think the hoops should be more oval than round.

Kim

6/4/2019 12:02:15 am

Thank you for these great posts. You are incredibly insightful and your content is original.

6/6/2019 08:45:31 am

Leilani, DC women look classy and confident and confidence is sexy. Don't think so much about clothes, looking sexy is more in the attitude. For evening wear you could wear a mainly Classic dress with a slit, for instance or a dress with a low cut back. That's sexy. You have Dramatic, so use it when you want to be extra sexy!

Mariana

6/8/2019 01:53:33 am

Wow! excellent examples, super helpful! But when I see myself is not easy for me to know what I am...

I want to look in harmony but maybe I'm wrong but I think I have a lot of yang because of my very thick and black eyebrows contrasting with my blonde hair (is naturally dirty blonde but now is bleached) at the same time I have big brown eyes and a small nose which suggest me gamine or ingenue. I want to look good and harmonius but I don't know if I'm natural or dramatic or ingenue because of my big black eyebrows.

Janelle

6/8/2019 02:35:44 pm

Mariana,
It’s pretty difficult to go off of facial features alone when trying to find your style identity, or at least I’ve found. I would try to focus on the overall impression you give off... I know, easier said than done! :) compare yourself in certain outfits perhaps rather than focusing on specific features. And if you wanted to, you could post some pictures of yourself here, but if not I understand.

6/9/2019 02:52:49 am

I agree with Janelle. If you post some pictures maybe we can help you.

Sonia

6/8/2019 05:44:40 pm

I would like to know how an Ingenue does "professional"! I'm lucky I can get away with very youthful styles at work, since I'm a preschool teacher, but sometimes I want to be taken more seriously.

6/9/2019 03:28:21 am

Peplum jackets/blazers are good for Ingenues. You can wear them with a pencil skirt or pants. A bow-tie blouse can look professional and very Ingenue.at the same time.

6/9/2019 04:45:18 pm

Thank you!

6/13/2019 02:51:35 am

Sonia, maybe you can find some inspiration in my Ingenue board ? https://fi.pinterest.com/aboutstyling/ingenue-style
I don't know what your other essences are, but if you have Classic you can take a look at this CI board : https://fi.pinterest.com/aboutstyling/classic-ingenue-style

Catherine

6/10/2019 09:35:47 pm

Very interesting. I'd love to be part natural, but I digress. My question is, how would a Natural look best on occasions when the super causal look would be inappropriate such weddings, funerals or job interviews?

Meg

9/3/2019 04:01:16 pm

Hi Rachel,

Could you do a blog post on lingerie and sleepwear for the different style types and what makes each type look sexiest?

Tracey

3/3/2020 11:19:14 pm

Thank you for this great post. I really appreciate the comparison photos. I’m curious what other style type Elisabeth Shue might be, assuming she is not Natural only.

Miyako

4/7/2020 12:45:50 pm

This hasn't been my experience at all. I know I'm a Natural, since I've always gotten compared to dudes and my face doesn't have enough Dramatic or Gamine. But I don't look anything remotely resembling sexy in these clothes. I look like a broke sloppy college girl who is too depressed to look after herself. What's going on???

Elise

2/17/2021 01:37:01 pm

Miyako, I think that means you're not a Natural at all. If you've been compared to a man, that may mean you were just dressing wrong for your style. Think of when Rachel has said that context matters; e.g. a Gamine in too feminine clothes will look more manly by contrast, as will a Romantic in too masculine clothes. I suspect you may have some Classic in you if you look sloppy in loose/baggy Natural clothes. Classic needs to look put-together with clean lines.

I think I have some C because I have a pixie and it looks amazing when it is exactly the right length, but when it gets a bit too long it looks shaggy and gross. My best jeans are a more tailored straight-leg look that show ankle. I think my other types are Ingenue and maybe some Gamine. Not sure how to look sexy as an IC(G) and a Soft Summer - I do eyebrows and blush, but any eye makeup usually makes me look less beautiful! I'm thinking of what others have said above regarding exaggerating your best lines. So if my best lines are sweet and clean, I should just add... even more sweetness and cleanliness? IDK! On the other hand, "youthful" beauty completely contrasts with "sexy" in the first place, so maybe I just shouldn't try to look sexy at all and look sweet and flirty instead. Which is usually where I have the most success.

4/4/2022 06:00:36 am

Oh snap, I nearly forgot I had left this comment! If I do have Classic in me, I don’t think it’s enough to make a difference. Head too big, face too wide… and when I am required to dress that way, I just look like a boring girl in a boring work outfit. Boring girl in boring pearls.

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2/17/2021 03:02:01 pm

It would be interesting to see a post on necklines. I'm thinking each type of neckline can read as only a couple different Style IDs:

Round neck: Gamine or Ingenue or Classic
Scoop neck: Romantic or Ingenue
Sweetheart: Romantic or Ingenue
Cowl/drape neck: Romantic or Ethereal or Natural
Square: Romantic or Classic
Off shoulder: Romantic or Natural
V-neck: Natural or Classic
Straight/strapless: Classic
Boatneck: Ethereal or Ingenue
Deep V: Dramatic or Romantic or Ethereal
Asymmetrical: Dramatic or Ethereal
Turtleneck: Dramatic or Classic or Natural

Many of these can look different depending on the size of the cut or depending on the body, e.g. a sweetheart neckline can either show cleavage or just show collarbone.

I'm expecting someone to question the square neck (straight lines) being suited for Romantic. I just always notice that square necklines seem to draw attention to the bust and/or make it look bigger. Maybe it's the two corners that draw the eye down.

Comments/modifications welcome!

Anne

10/5/2022 07:05:25 am

Thank you for this post, very helpful!

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How Natural Style Types Do Sexy

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