I’m sure it was someone effortlessly stylish who said ‘fashions change, but style never does’. I imagine they were tall, thin, rich, and beautiful – and any advice they had didn’t apply to someone like me. I’m a skosh over 5’2″ and I’ve struggled with my weight since my mid-twenties. I have tried so many ‘looks’ but until recently, I’ve never been able to determine what works best for me. This has meant a lot of wasted money on all sorts of things that didn’t suit me.
The fashion and beauty industry is weird, and its nomenclature is bizarre. Am I an apple? A pear? Is my face an oval or a diamond? What colour season am I? Should I wear all black to hide my roundness? Statement jewellery? Balayage?
So much to consider and all of it confusing, at least for me, but I recently discovered something that clicked everything into place and I am so sad I didn’t come across it 30 years ago – long before I spent loads money on clothes that didn’t flatter; ridiculous, trendy makeup; and hair colours I should have left on the drugstore shelf. The miraculous secret? David Kibbe’s body types.
Once I discovered mine, everything made sense, and I’d even go so far as to say that I have been able to accept things about myself that I used to not like – all because I now understand why I’m built the way I am and how all of these features – hair, face, and body – fit together. Armed with this information and by following the rules, I should never make another bad purchase or look like I’m trying on someone else’s look.
Kibbe’s book is called Metamorphosis, and while I’ve not been able to find it in print, I have found a wealth of information about it on the internet. The premise is that there are 13 body types, and by taking a fairly simple test and evaluating the answers, you can easily find out your body type. Once you know this, there are certain rules that apply to you – and as long as you stay within them, you’ll always look your best. Please bear in mind that the book was written in the late 80’s, so the fashions featured are rather dated, but the style advice isn’t.
There is a copy of the test here, and once you know your type there are loads of websites out there on how to style yourself accordingly. It took me a couple of tries and some help from my daughter to get the answers just right (we don’t often see ourselves the way we truly are), but now I’m confident I know what I’m doing, and having put this newly-found information into place, I honestly feel I’m looking and feeling my best. And I also know I’m no longer wasting money on things that won’t ever work for me.
If you do take the test, please let me know your result and how you feel about it. I must admit I wasn’t delighted with mine at first, but now I’m quite happy. Also, bear in mind this works very well for both men and women.
Fig and Pen 