I'm such a big fan of women like you coming up with practical, mathematical systems that we can use when we get sick of the illusive, breaks-his-own-rues, avoids-fat-women, male-gaze one.
Wow Ellie, this is genuinely so helpful! I am that 5"8, curvy girl who has spent more time than I would like to admit agonising about whether I am Soft Dramatic or Flamboyant Natural. I feel so seen! Reframing my body type as Wide, Long and Curvy takes away all of the confusion - straightforward, simple and easy to implement. Thank you!
I am exactly the same and it's so frustrating because I just cannot figure out which one I am - 5'8 with wide shoulders, long, and very curvy and hourglass shape (though personally I prefer the SD styles (I have a big fire style root)) so idk at this point haha
This is a great framework, Ellie Jean! I’m a taller Dramatic Classic and my Body Matrix results are spot on! I got a lot of Medium mixed with Narrow, Long and Straight: Medium(Narrow), Long(Medium), Straight(Medium)
I like that you included that the shape CAN change when one looses or gains weight! I think it's very true and in the kibbe system it causes confusion.
So true man. I’m a SG but since having two kids in the last two years I’ve changed SO much and looking at pictures of myself when I was a teen I feel like I was a flamboyant gamine and now I genuinely feel like I’m the “not real” true gamine 😂 I’ve done the quiz so many times and there’s just some things that are not accounted for in his system and that’s my only conclusion. I often wonder if he ever considered how women’s bodies change after childbirth. Cause, wow do they ever 😂
That's kinda true but not really. I've gained and lost up to a 100 lbs in my life and find that I remain a Kibbe natural and apple shape throughout the losses and gains. I don't stop having a broad back, big hands and feet and long limbs just because I gain weight. I tend to gain weight in my belly, back and upper thighs. I notice that pear shapes like my mom gain it primarily in their lower body. Of course, once you gain over 100 lbs the fat has nowhere to go but everywhere, so people's shapes start to look alike, but it takes time for that to develop.
You should patent this system because it makes perfect sense. It reminds me of the way David Zyla uses the natural colours that show up in our skin/eyes/hair to find our most flattering colours. It makes sense that we'd look to the lines of our bodies to find the perfect shapes! There's a book by Nancy Nix-Rice called Looking good everyday that touches a bit on this concept of matching body lines in our clothing, but with your attention to detail and creative imagination, you could flesh out the 27 possible combinations with tips on best items to dress them. This is an exciting concept and has so much potential. Great job!👍
I wish a system would mention side-view of body shapes as well… some people have a lot of roundness that isn’t visible from a perfectly straight straight angle in front of them
@@desireemensah I am 5’11” but in pictures, no one guesses I’m that tall! I’ve got “short” legs, proportionally, and a long torso. Also, equal hip and shoulder width from the front, but a “rear” that must be accommodated!
I have to buy Tall Curvy pants or they will NOT fit in rise and will have a huge gap in the back due to rear-side curve. That VERY necessary curve allowance would never be noticed in front-facing-only assessment systems.
Girl, you have cracked the system! This is, at least for me, the most useful body typing system I have ever encountered! Incredible! Patent it! I am mind blown right now 🤯
I’m wide, medium, and round, and I have struggled so much with the Kibbe types because I have the roundness and waspish waist of romantic/TR, but not the delicate bones. I’m too wide! And I have so much width that I’d consider Soft Natural, but I don’t have that boyish frame with the tapered waist. But this matrix system is so much easier to follow.
This is much simpler than the Kibbe body types. I am definitely short and round, but I have some parts of me that are wide and others narrow. I realise now why I look my best when I mix up both wide and narrow lines, especially when adding accessories and jewellery.
This! I just posted something similar. I am definitely narrow and straight, but I have to contrast short up top with length below. So I look my best when I have cropped tops and longer skirts/trousers. I need both at once.
Spot on. I'm narrow in frame but have relatively big hands and feet. I need to accommodate this in jewellery and footwear. So I can't say I'm either narrow or wide. I'm both.
This is my biggest gripe about the kibbe gamine family right here. If it’s a mix of yin and yang elements , gamine shouldn’t be limited to only petite people.
Same for me! I've struggled so hard trying to figure if i'm a soft classic or soft gamine. I don't have a classic face, and i do have a somewhat Gamine face but i lack the round big eyes and i'm always confused. Íbamos tried the soft natural lines and they complete overpowered me (which makes sense since i'm Narrow framed). Finally some sense
This is actually the best body typing system I have come across, you must have had a flash of genius! I don’t fit any of the Kibbe body types and actively dislike that system. I knew immediately that I am short, narrow and curvy after years of trying wide silhouettes, chunky jewellery etc and always discarding them. It’s incredibly easy to remember and the bonus is there is still plenty of room to experiment with colours and styles within the general guidelines 🎉😊
I really like how this lets you see the overall picture but also identify areas that might be an exception, for example someone might mostly be short but have a long torso they need to account for. Or be mostly narrow but have width in the shoulders that they might want to accommodate with their necklines. I feel very confused about what I am (other than round) but I think that’s mostly because of residual confusion caused by other systems and the difficulties of viewing myself objectively
Exactly. Unfortunately my body type is quite contrasted and I don't get clear results. I am mostly short and narrow, but I have long torso and wide hips which are my more prominent features. But I guess it's useful to know what kind of features I have to accomodate when shopping for pants or tops for example. Short skirts, small details, sharp tops without cleavage.
I'm mostly narrow but have very wide shoulders. And big breasts with a narrow ribcage. Trying to find my body type was super confusing because based on my measurements I was pear shaped, but I never looked pear shaped 😅 so I've just followed the advice for an hourglass and tried to hide my shoulder width as much as possible. Still have no idea what Kibbe type I am either, I settled for "dramatic classic with extra shoulder" based mainly on wishful thinking x) trying to see yourself objectively is super duper hard. Atleast my colour season was easy to find, because other than that I'm stumped.
@@melialaa I swear big breasts narrow ribcage is such a confusing combo, I’m the same. I relate to your confusion! My measurements are hourglass. In Kibbe’s system I have to be a tall type even though where I’m from I’m actually a little below average height. I gave up on the categories and looked at the components. I definitely have to accommodate curve or everything looks off. But I don’t suit contrast like a gamine, I’m certainly not balanced or petite, I don’t have to accommodate width or vertical and I look silly if I try. But if my only accommodation is curve then I’m a romantic, but I can’t be since I’m too tall! Also don’t ask me about whether I have double curve, I kind of get it but it’s difficult to judge on myself and once again I’m too tall anyway. It’s so confusing!
I reached this same conclusion six months ago when I couldn't work out SN or SG! I realised I could take from each as long as my words were "short, wide, wobbly"
It probably comes down to your height (which if you're quite average in height that may not help) and your overall essence. I think this new method may help a lot of people that are struggling to get the kibbe system, and to be fair even when celebrities are used as examples they are usually the most obvious examples. The average person is probably going to be even harder to place! For me when I'm confused between a couple different kibbe types I tend to go back to specific clothing that I know I look good in and working backwards, and pin pointing some hacks that really seem to make the difference between what clothes suit us. Chances are SN and SG are going to have at least some clothes that work for both, or a lot of clothes are going to have features that could arguably suit either, you have to pin point what would work for one but not the other. For SN I'm imagining long, almost cascading hems and dresses and cardigans, very flowy items and potentially a lot of neutral colours and either a very boho aesthetic, athletic aesthetic or even more of a mushroom inspired kind of corporate look. SG I'm thinking the opposite of neutrals, probably colours, more bold and vibrant and contrasting. Short, somewhat structured somewhat soft but definitely not flowy. Either a kind of cute, sun inspired, bold and quirky vibe or a cute, soft and dainty vibe.
You're definitely onto something with this conception. When I learned about Kibbe, I went to stores, tried on a lot of random stuff, took pictures, then compared those pictures until I found the things that consistently worked or didn't work. It doesn't seem to mesh with any type from Kibbe's system. I need structured/tailored pieces, closely fitted, with stiffer fabric. That sounds like a dramatic, but I'm short and definitely have petite. I also seem to have some vertical. That would indicate FG, but prints and contrasting an oversized top versus bottom (or vis versa) does not look good on me, which is kind of the whole point of FG dressing. But dramatic and DC lines are too long for me (I start to resemble one of those inflatable floppy balloon stick figures and/or I look like a kid playing dress up in grown up clothes) and color blocking works well on me. I've been thinking of myself more as a petite dramatic (like some other FG women in the same boat). My one criticism I'd have with your conception is that I think my issue is that my petite comes from my top half and my slight vertical comes from my bottom half. Adult hats, collars, lapels, and sleeve lengths are too big for me and generate that kid in grown up clothes look. On the other hand, I have a lot elongation in my rise, so I need a rise of 11" for jeans to hit me at my belly button (mid-rise). I'm 5' 3.5". That's... extreme. At the same time, my hips are so straight (upper and lower hip are the same measurement), so that also generates the teenagery/childish look to my frame, especially when paired with shorter arms. I look great in shorter shorts, but cropped jeans or trousers are not great on me. I've been looking at my FG contrast as cropped up top (short) paired with longer lengths below (long). As someone with Mountain - Mushroom - Stone roots, one of my most casual and relaxed looks is a cropped sleeveless stiff/thick t-shirt (short) paired with a thick pencil skirt (with a bit of stretch) that hits me around knee length (long) and narrow tennis shoes (like vans or adidas sambas). I've also found shirt dresses that are above the knee make my torso look very wide and my arms and legs look stick-like. But if I go for a maxi length shirt dress (long) and the waist and sleeve length hits me properly (short), gravity pulls down the fabric to fit me narrowly. So I'm cropped at the top half and have length in the lower half. It's just something I'm finding that consistently solves problems because it's just a function my how my frame is put together. Things look better when I mirror short up top and long below and narrow all over in my outfits. I'm not sure how your system accounts for needing both, short and long, in different parts of your silhouette. It's something to think about because I think a lot of shorter women struggle with this, and I don't think it's as simple as "choose one". Choosing one would not work for me. I need to honor both.
Thank you!! I'm short too (5'2) and I'm a TR and I find the exact same issues. My torso is short and my legs are long, my bone structure is narrow but I have big boobs/hips. I find the same thing as you to balance these contrasting features.
But maybe it is as simple as this: Just go with what your body offers you. Mimic exactly those lines and shapes, no matter where they occur. I've read about people who are narrow and straight up top but have a VERY curvy hip and can't just go with straight lines. So they might be best of with going with straight lines up top and curved lines on the bottom. I think what does make Kibbe's system more complicated is the fact that it DOES include essence too. And if you give off a certain vibe this might draw him to give you another ID than your body's proportions might suggest. This is just a vague thought of mine, I for sure don't actually KNOW this. I remember how I thought about myself "I am kind of medium all the way" and that was when I was only 17 years old. Everything about me was about average besides having a smaller bust and a bit of a wider lower hip. When I grew older (I'm 36 now) I started to loose baby fat and shift my shape a bit. My bust is still small but my shoulders balance out my hips very nicely now. Nothing really sticks out, but I have slightly longer legs. Not enough to call for obvious vertical, but enough to say it's a tad bit more than "medium" or "moderate". What I do struggle with is when garments are constructed for tapered shoulders as mine are super straight and rather squared than rounded, they've always been that way, even when I was a tiny little kid. All these features made me go for DC lines in Kibbe and they work perfectly for me. It took me 8 years to figure that out though because I was VERY biased about my own body AND typed incorrectly by someone else. Ellie-Jean's system is more simple to understand and does give you an overall outline for what works best for your frame. It leads me to the same silhouettes and lines that Kibbe's system would suggest for me personally. I would say, if your upper body is short and your lower body is long, just mimic it as you already do. You don't have to stick to a system that doesn't work for you imho. But you can still learn from it to help you out in understanding your body's lines and silhouette. In the end it is all about accomodations for your body to make clothes fit right on you and fall down nicely on your body while going with its own individual features instead of trying to make you look "more hourglass". That's my overall take on this and maybe it helps to hear another perspective. Maybe we think kinda alike, maybe we don't.
The technique of taking a photo and breaking up the body helped SO much. The way I perceived myself was wide, long, round - after taking a photo and outlining/circling, I turned out to be narrow/long/straight. Huge surprise. It looks like I'm a 5'8" Kibbe Dramatic with some roundness in the hips and a smallish waist, but straight and narrow everywhere else. My first clue should have been the fact that I dress like a Dramatic (with some flowy fabric here and there, but in classic Dramatic cuts), and get lots of compliments on it. This system you've come up with accounts for the natural variation in every body, and provides really good tips for accenting those features. Seriously. Thank you.
I love this. I’m SG for sure but I very often find myself gravitating towards TR recs, so framing it as just “narrow, short, round” gives so much room to play!!
To be perfectly honest: I find it quite hard to differentiate between SG and TR anyways. They both have opposing features and both have petite + curve. They can wear similar lines and clothes, the differences are in the very details imho. And I think you CAN wear TR lines as a SG but maybe accessorize differently and create a slightly different overall feel. And this difference would come down to "vibe" rather than "shape", at least imho. Correct me if I'm on the wrong track here, that's just my recent perspective which is not set in stone.
@@Just_Kirsty in kibbe terms I think they are still different - I know I’m SG because, even though I have petite and double curve, my bone structure is more angular and sharp than TR. But I still think I look good in a lot of TR recs and they can rock SG recs. The differences aren’t obvious to most people
Hi Ellie-Jean! I'm Kibbe soft dramatic and have found focusing on lines much more helpful than focusing on his archetype recommendations (dislike "diva"), so I think the main concept of the matrix does it job well, especially for those that struggle to find their place in Kibbe types. In your matrix I think I am narrow, long and round, which works. However I find that both narrow and wide necklines and pants can suit me (wide pants but not skirts, boat necklines as well as V necks, wide sleeves definitely, etc.). I also need bigger accessories, especially rings (no dainty ones for me despite being narrow, since I am "large"). Although it's easier to find the type in the matrix, there's more confusion in implementation in my experience, than from Kibbe that has more specific recommendation like V necks and boatneck, but not crewnecks. Now, this could be fixed if I say I'm actually not narrow but medium in the matrix. Or if I say that certain wide elements fit me because I am round and long, despite being narrow. Or the matrix could be further improved by more nuance in the implementation part, esp. if you are in some ways bigger (like length) and in some ways smaller (like width). Just a limitation I wanted to share from one of the types, that you could think about :) all the best!
So I *think* boatnecks are actually considered narrow, because they come up high. V-necks work with long. It was very very briefly mentioned that if you're long you would choose larger shapes/patterns. This may help with some of the confusion. I'm also SD and fall into Long-Narrow-Round, leaning medium in some areas, and I was giving this all a lot of thought. But I definitely think you're right in that more specifics would be good. For instance off the shoulder usually looks smashing on SD, but perhaps that's coming from "round" rather than "wide". There are likely crossover elements at play. Curious about the wide leg pants - do they suit you only if the width falls within the frame of your hips and shoulders? I find if the pants are wider than my shoulders/hips they look *very* not flattering, and a skinny leg looks better in comparison. I think I only get away with it a *little* more in dresses, because there's automatic elongation in a one piece outfit.
Wide medium and round here, always felt between soft natural and soft classic, this is so helpful. Love that you admit bodies change as well, much more realistic & approachable
This seems somewhat intuitive for me as I do line drawings everyday, but yes I can see that this would need further explanation! It's worth saying you could leave some of the boxes blank; yes, length for shoulders is not as important as width and shape for shoulders. The further explanation: - length of hips would be from the waist to just above the knee - length of chest would be length from armpit point to the waist - length of shoulders - from top of the shoulder to the top of the armpit point (some people this space is minute, others very long)
This seems really interesting ! I’ll be honest, when you first announced that you’d been working on your own body typing system & mentioned concepts like width, I was concerned about the potential for it to seem somewhat .. plagiarised ? But hearing you talk about it now I don’t think that’ll be an issue. I appreciate you recognising the value in Kibbe while offering a different approach - not to replace it, but to complement it. It seems you’ve taken care to go about it respectfully & not purely motivated by financial gain (as evidenced also by your style scholars pricing & your clear genuine enthusiasm for fashion & helping others). It’s very refreshing 💜
As a flamboyant natural with curves and huge hips who has been struggling on how to both compliment my shoulder and hips without looking frumpy- this has changed my life lol
Literally you saved my life! I've always got so confused with kibbe, this was just so much easier to understand and analyse. Thank you so much Ellie-Jean, you are an angel of the fashion girlies.
Something I’d like to add about width because it’s something that took me a long time to understand: I’m fairly petite by most people’s standards (but not petite in Kibbe’s system) so outside of these style systems, no one would look at me and describe me as wide. However, when I go shopping for clothes, I have to look for open necklines and forgiving fabrics or I need to size up in tops because I have wide shoulders for someone who wears my clothing size. Sometimes you have to ignore the word’s typical meaning and think of it in terms of how clothing fits you.
Ellie.. I love this! It's so much more straightforward! In Kibbe, I'm lost between SN, SG, SC.. so mix of yin/yang basically. With your system I'm realizing my body is very narrow and rounded but with possible/ probable width in my upper back shoulders. This is why I'm loving this system because for people like me (and a lot of people) we don't fit neatly into one type. Can't wait to see more about this!
This is brilliant!!! You made it so easy to self analyze your body. I'd love to see videos or pintrest boards with examples for all the combinations in the body matrix.
Wow, I feel so seen by this video! I was just talking last night about how I don't really fit into the Kibbe system because I have unmistakable width and vertical but also an obvious hourglass curve that persists regardless of weight gain or loss, meaning that I probably fit nicely into the first "wide, long, round" category you described. The "loose, straight, flowing" lines typically recommended for flamboyant naturals don't work on me at all. The wide necklines and chunky jewelry are must-haves, but I suffer massively without waist emphasis and consider it essential for a good look. I have found A-line skirts and bootcut trousers to be the most flattering cuts on the bottom half and do much better with open, angular necklines (cowl necks, boat necks, square, sweetheart, V-neck, etc.). Not only do I look awful in crewneck, mock turtleneck, and turtleneck styles, but they are never cut with sufficient width to fit my shoulders anyway. Buying long sleeves with long-enough sleeves is a perpetual struggle. Really looking forward to you exploring this concept further in the future! Thanks for thinking of us tall, curvy girls with broad shoulders!
What if I have contrasting features in the same category? For me, I have width in my shoulders and chest, but my limbs are all narrow? My hands and feet are medium. My hips are medium. Am I medium in the width category? I don’t feel medium. I feel conflicted 😂
Wide, Short, and Straight (LOL)! I do have to be careful about going too cropped with tops and pants, because they can accentuate my boxy shape (with a full bosom). I can end up looking like a barrel instead of a rectangle body. But, this is overall good advice when searching for clothing shapes that will actually fit my body without having to do extensive alterations. Also softer fabrics that drape and shape to my body in straighter silhouettes (reducing width instead of adding to it) along with chunkier jewelry and geometric patterns really do work for me. Great job!
While I love your approach and your system I would say there is an argument that you wouldn't always want to mimic your features. For instance, I have short legs and a long torso. I wear outfits that counter these features to elongate me, not to mimic them. Love the scientific approach to clothing!
I love the streamlined matrix! I’m 5’10 and always had a defined waist and wider hips even as an athlete but I’m heavier than I used to be and struggled with kibble since my legs can sometimes look shorter than my torso, love the inclusion of simple details!!
This is very helpful because I think I’m wide long and round and people always used to say not to wear off the shoulder tops or wide trousers because of my broad shoulders and fatter body but I actually think it’s more harmonious that way!
I'm a 5'2 Romantic, and look good in sleeves and cuffs that go in at the wrists and ankles, but I got a lot of wide answers 🤔😅. I also like elongating my lines to feel more elegant. Guess I'm just difficult 😂
You know what. I love this. Need to digest for some time. I figured out something while making my body matrix. I thought why doesn't it suit to my whole body? - I got my body type short, but short skirts and shorts look bad on me. But then cropped and boxy tops look very good on me! - Also I got my body type narrow, but my hips and legs are nothing but narrow. Again my upper body and hands are narrow! So then I understood that my upper and lower body needs to have their own matrixes! I think it makes sense. My upper body is narrow, short, medium while my lower body is wide, medium, round. What a wicked thing! 😁❤️
this helped me so much to type me in the kibbe system! i’m a “wide, medium, straight” with long limbs and hands and a shorter torso (i’m 5’2), and i also have a boxy appearance with some curve to it (like a small waist and wide but straighter hips). describing the features by themselves and then looking at the whole frame made me figure out I’m a flamboyant gamine. thanks ellie!
I think I'm medium - short - medium 🤔 and with this video I got a general idea what that means for my silhouette, but I'm looking forward to more videos with examples for your Body Matrix system and what medium means 🥰
There was another RUclipsr who put forth a similar theory to use, if people were confused using body typing systems. I tried tracking down the video, but all I have are some screen shots of her recommendations on a Pinterest board. She had Short vs. Tall, Narrow vs. Wide (but she just used shoulders to determine this), and Curve dominate (Round) vs. Frame dominate (Straight). I've been using Short, Narrow, Curve (Round) to pick out clothing items for a while, and have improved my style so much! I'm so happy you are bringing this to the mainstream! :) I love using your style root system to further personalize my style (I gravitate towards a combination of flower, earth, and mushroom). If I am missing one of the style roots in my outfit, it feels like something is missing. The same goes for the silhouette system. If I don't follow it in my outfits, something feels a bit off. I admit, it does take some playing around with it to get it right. Usually, I can have pieces which don't follow all the rules, if the rest of the outfit follows most of them. That way, I can shop my existing wardrobe to create different looks which follow most of the rules, without completely replacing my wardrobe.
Definitely need an in depth tutorial ! line drawing picture side by side with the chart Q: Compared to what are you determining width , length & shape Ex. How do you determine length of chest and hips ???
WOW! I have been so confused by kibbe, and this makes so much more sense. I just did the quiz and checked out your Pinterest board - sure enough medium, long, & straight contains exactly the kind of outfits I gravitate towards. I no longer feel like I’m going crazy!
I’m wide-ish, short and round. I consider myself a romantic in kibbe. My shoulders are very rounded and medium size but closed neck are not a good for me. My bust looks very constricted and it creates a heaviness vs an open neckline. Thanks Ellie! I think this is great for people who feel in between kibbe types. It takes away the headache of trying to figure your overall “vibe” and more focus on finding clothes that actually fit.
This is really brilliant. Thank you for sharing your gift! I’m a soft gamine and Kibbe has been useful for me. In the Body Matrix System I’m narrow long round. It’s new for me to think of myself as long, I’m just 5’4” but as I look at my different parts they do look elongated. It’ll be interesting to bring this is my style. Maybe I am more etheric than I noticed before. Love how you get us thinking for ourselves and teach us how to SEE and FEEL. We used to think someone had a “sense of style” or they didn’t but you are teaching us that it’s an intuitive sense that can be developed. I just love what you’re doing and you’re really helping me understand what style even means. Thank you!
this breakdown helped me understand sooo much clearer than other videos/people. there is just so much on the internet about these things ans a lot of it can be wrong or misleading. this is a wonderful video and i especially appreciate the comment about weight gain near the end, i found it very comforting ❤
Love this concept, but I've always struggled with width categorisation, I have narrow shoulders & torso, hands & feet, but wide hips and limbs, and it's hard to tell what comes across as more dominant. What would you put more emphasis on?
Hmmm, I appreciate that this is trying to simplify things but this is basically like going back to how we used to think BEFORE more sophisticated typing sytems like Kibbe (not that it's perfect but it's a more sophisticated and elaborate system). So it feels like regressing to a simplistic way of looking at body types. I do agree with the weight comments. And I do like this channel!
This is actually something I thought about before when trying to work out how Kibbe works. I felt there should be more like, scales you work out and then that gives you a matrix of outcomes, and that's exactly what you've done here. I think I'm wide-ish, short and round, and I'm romantic kibbe type.
This was so helpful! I had the exact issue you described -- I am very tall but definitely have width but are a bit more curvy than most pictures I see of flamboyant naturals, but definitely not as curvy as the soft dramatics I see. You are a genius and I love your content
I'm also one of those "FN or SD" girls and this really helped me make sense of it it my own head 😅 It finally clicked for me that the number one baseline to this is "everything should be proportionate", ie thick banded rings for big hands will make them look proportionate while a thin band would showcase their size.... I feel silly right now honestly, but thanks to this, body typing is much easier for me to get my head around.
Glad to be one of the examples BUT what does length in shoulders mean? Some of these aren’t making sense as i’d never think to describe certain things as short or long or round or straight? Hope im making sense!
I interpreted it as if the vertical line between the top of my shoulders to the beggining of my armpits feels long or short in contrast to the rest of my body shapes/lines
I can’t wait till you put more out on the topic because… for one, I Love graphs and i want to know what else you have to say on mine.. narrow, long, straight.
Question then - how do we go about the Mediums? I am Narrow, Short and then Medium for Round/Sharp. Do you go rounder on body areas that are rounder and then sharper/medium on body areas that are more sharp/medium?
You should do a full video on styling a wide, long, curvy. Since we have all been confused for so long on what to wear 😂 and could you also mention what swimsuits would look bets on us as well/ what kind of shorts we ought to wear in summer? Those are always tough for me!!
Really interesting! Makes really a lot of sense to me. I have long arms and legs, wide shoulders and a full bosom and a bit of a tummy, so I'd think I was long-wide-round? My facial features are prominent but not angular. Very tailored clothes look too strict on me; I need some softness in the details, like a puffed sleeve, a boat neck or scoop neck under a blazer in stead of a classic shirt, or softer rounding in the lapels etc. I tend to accentuate my legs with either quite long or short bottoms, maybe even something above the ankle, but mid-calf, knee-length or just above is a no-go 😅. So short shorts or longer trousers. Thanks for great content! 😊
This is brilliant! I’m so happy a woman is reclaiming this work!! Since not included, I’m assuming that torso to limb proportion doesn’t matter, or bust to waist to hips?
Amazing system. I'm taking the quiz now! I love how you simplify and analyse things, from the style roots (I'm mountain, sun, mushroom) , you've got a great brain!
A few of them are hard to understand. What would short/long shoulders, bust (would that be the torso?) and hips look like? Also, I have the typical gamine feature of soft upper arms/thighs and sharp (straight, I guess?) lower arms/wrists and calves/ankles. Would arms and legs be considered medium then? They really aren’t…
I have tapered limbs so I relate to this struggle. The upper parts of my limbs are larger and much more round than my wrists and ankles which are very dainty
mmm i’m wondering if it’s the difference between having a strong shoulder line across which would be longer vs. sloped shoulders which would be shorter. both can be wide or narrow over all. but idk
This was very helpful. I’m wide, long and round and I I agreed with everything in your example exempt for two things. I don’t like the harsh rounded necklines, probably because my chest is already round and large. BUT I love those cottage style dresses that round the chest and have soft square shape. So it still makes sense!! The other thing was large accessories. But that might just be a preference as I don’t like them on anyone 😂. This was a great video. Thank you!!
Excellent, Excellent video. This is so much more accessible than Kibbe and especially helpful for people in between body types. Ellie Jean, you are about to become the 21st century's "Kibbe". Well done🎉
I love this matrix so much, thank you!! Been obsessed with your videos lately 💖 I’m medium-medium-medium 😆 Can you share or recommend what to wear for my type?? ❤❤
As I was watching this video I thought to myself that my matrix would be Wide-Long-Round. Lo and behold your first outfit example was exactly that, and I'd have to say you really hit the nail on the head with those outfit choices😂 They are all in my wardrobe and my go to's for wearing and shopping for! I especially can't go wrong with coats and long flares, and sundresses with waist definition!
In other words, you have something here! Your system is very straightforward and more importantly, very adaptful for change as well! Consider patenting it or developing more content surrounding it 😊
I filled this out but I don’t think it works for gamines. My arms and legs are literally short versus long at different parts. (I am short from shoulder to elbow, long from elbow to fingertip - so I went with medium) We have an insane mix of opposites - short and long, round and straight, wide and narrow lol. I ended up with medium, medium, straight but I have everything scattered in the matrix
I've been anxiously awaiting this video, I really love this! Thank you so much for putting together this video and I look forward to seeing more examples and content based on this system!
The Kibbe Body typing system is the only body typing system ,that finally made sense for my Soft dramatic frame . Now it is no longer an ongoing maze .Amystery to be solved . Every detail from fabric type to shape/ size /scale of glasses , scale of patterns on fabrics ,size of jewelry is covered . My llife long clothing struggles were validated . Kibbe helped me embrace my sharp masculine edges , soft voluptuous curves and exotic features . It validated what I already knew deep down .That simple ,everyday clothing was a most definitely a challenge versus looking like a Mardi Gras Queen ..It made sense why I could identify with a drag queen more than say a kibble classic body type . Suddenly it all made sense . All the confusion fell away .The truth truly set me free.
What if you think you’re mainly medium for width and length? Should I force myself into one option or the other? I did the line drawing but I feel like I’m quite proportional overall so I find it hard to pick one extreme or the other!
This is fantastic! I thought of something similar, but your version is way better! Question: I have width in my shoulders, chest, and hips but I look TERRIBLE in wide necklines. I find that what I need is substantial instead. For instance, spaghetti straps are a no-go but a thick strap tank is better. Also things like buttons and waist bands should be large, wide, or substantial. I would love for you to do a video on width in your system, maybe going into more detail on the different aspects of each descriptor! By the way, I am medium wide, medium long, and medium straight. I always put myself halfway between a natural and a dramatic classic in Kibbe
I really like the simple logic behind this, but I have 3 problems with the application. First would be.. some parts are very unintuitive to put on this chart (how can feet be round? How can shoulders be long? xD). Second would be, everything seems to count equal? But I just don't see how your hand lenght can/should count the same as your actual height for example - I have quite long hands for my own proportions, they won't suddenly make long lines ok on my 5'1 body with size 10 years old inseam.. Third, it doesn't seem to account for diametrically opposite answers. I would have narrow shoulders wide bust wide hips narrow legs wide hands narrow feet..How am I supposed to decide between the 2 extremes when I have equal number of both?
This is so helpful! Thank you! Much easier than other body typing methods. Where do you shop for clothes? I like many of your items. I can't wait to use your features analysis!
I'm medium, long, and I was tied for straight and round but just from observations sake for my clothing I think rounded shapes look better on me! I love this matrix and it supports what I think I am Kibbe Wise- Classic leaning slightly dramatic I was thinking about how long could be incorporated in summer months and I was considering things like heels/platforms/shorts with longer socks.
Yes to kibbe not accommodating everyone. I’m just shy of 5’8” and obviously narrow, which in kibbe makes me a d or sd. I’m a medium shaped girl but for some reason too tall to be a dramatic classic - which is what I go with since it fits closest.
I read this email and.. ye honestly it does fit me! It fits Exactly with what i've noticed fits me in the past year. I want to try it with my friends to see what we can do with it !!
I would love to see a video about wide + short + straight! There is only one celebrity example on your pinterest board, so it would be nice to get more examples
![Twenty One Pilots - The Line (from Arcane Season 2) [Official Audio]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/XCz7WUotXs8/mqdefault.jpg)
I'm such a big fan of women like you coming up with practical, mathematical systems that we can use when we get sick of the illusive, breaks-his-own-rues, avoids-fat-women, male-gaze one.
Oooh the shade
Wow Ellie, this is genuinely so helpful! I am that 5"8, curvy girl who has spent more time than I would like to admit agonising about whether I am Soft Dramatic or Flamboyant Natural. I feel so seen! Reframing my body type as Wide, Long and Curvy takes away all of the confusion - straightforward, simple and easy to implement. Thank you!
I am so so pleased to read this comment! I am so excited that you have found your place in this framework
Just started the video, but I literally have those exact proportions and can’t wait to hear the explanation on types like us ❤😊
I am exactly the same and it's so frustrating because I just cannot figure out which one I am - 5'8 with wide shoulders, long, and very curvy and hourglass shape (though personally I prefer the SD styles (I have a big fire style root)) so idk at this point haha
Same for me, too! Wide/long/round describes my 5'10" curvy body so much better than any other system ever has.
This is a great framework, Ellie Jean!
I’m a taller Dramatic Classic and my Body Matrix results are spot on! I got a lot of Medium mixed with Narrow, Long and Straight:
Medium(Narrow), Long(Medium), Straight(Medium)
I like that you included that the shape CAN change when one looses or gains weight! I think it's very true and in the kibbe system it causes confusion.
So true man. I’m a SG but since having two kids in the last two years I’ve changed SO much and looking at pictures of myself when I was a teen I feel like I was a flamboyant gamine and now I genuinely feel like I’m the “not real” true gamine 😂 I’ve done the quiz so many times and there’s just some things that are not accounted for in his system and that’s my only conclusion. I often wonder if he ever considered how women’s bodies change after childbirth. Cause, wow do they ever 😂
That's kinda true but not really. I've gained and lost up to a 100 lbs in my life and find that I remain a Kibbe natural and apple shape throughout the losses and gains. I don't stop having a broad back, big hands and feet and long limbs just because I gain weight. I tend to gain weight in my belly, back and upper thighs. I notice that pear shapes like my mom gain it primarily in their lower body. Of course, once you gain over 100 lbs the fat has nowhere to go but everywhere, so people's shapes start to look alike, but it takes time for that to develop.
You should patent this system because it makes perfect sense. It reminds me of the way David Zyla uses the natural colours that show up in our skin/eyes/hair to find our most flattering colours. It makes sense that we'd look to the lines of our bodies to find the perfect shapes! There's a book by Nancy Nix-Rice called Looking good everyday that touches a bit on this concept of matching body lines in our clothing, but with your attention to detail and creative imagination, you could flesh out the 27 possible combinations with tips on best items to dress them. This is an exciting concept and has so much potential. Great job!👍
You might also like Doris Pooser’s body types (Straight, Straight Soft, Soft Straight, and Curved….) although I think the Body Matrix tops even that!
I wish a system would mention side-view of body shapes as well… some people have a lot of roundness that isn’t visible from a perfectly straight straight angle in front of them
Yesss!!!! And maybe also something to do with torso or bottom lengths
@@desireemensah I am 5’11” but in pictures, no one guesses I’m that tall! I’ve got “short” legs, proportionally, and a long torso.
Also, equal hip and shoulder width from the front, but a “rear” that must be accommodated!
I have to buy Tall Curvy pants or they will NOT fit in rise and will have a huge gap in the back due to rear-side curve. That VERY necessary curve allowance would never be noticed in front-facing-only assessment systems.
@@elizabethgaldamez1729 dear peachie has a video on body proportions that considers the side profile
Yep
Girl, you have cracked the system! This is, at least for me, the most useful body typing system I have ever encountered! Incredible! Patent it! I am mind blown right now 🤯
Oh I am the 'wide, long, round' woman who is never sure if I am soft dramatic or flamboyant natural 😂. Love this, thankyou ❤
I’m wide, medium, and round, and I have struggled so much with the Kibbe types because I have the roundness and waspish waist of romantic/TR, but not the delicate bones. I’m too wide! And I have so much width that I’d consider Soft Natural, but I don’t have that boyish frame with the tapered waist. But this matrix system is so much easier to follow.
FN
This is much simpler than the Kibbe body types. I am definitely short and round, but I have some parts of me that are wide and others narrow. I realise now why I look my best when I mix up both wide and narrow lines, especially when adding accessories and jewellery.
This! I just posted something similar. I am definitely narrow and straight, but I have to contrast short up top with length below. So I look my best when I have cropped tops and longer skirts/trousers. I need both at once.
I came to this same conclusion as well when I actually measured my limb lengths! We are very mixed line so the aesthetic should mimic that 🥰
Spot on. I'm narrow in frame but have relatively big hands and feet. I need to accommodate this in jewellery and footwear. So I can't say I'm either narrow or wide. I'm both.
This is my biggest gripe about the kibbe gamine family right here. If it’s a mix of yin and yang elements , gamine shouldn’t be limited to only petite people.
Please make combinations with medium, I love your concept it seems to make a lot of sense, so far I figured out I may be narrow, medium and rounded.
Same for me! I've struggled so hard trying to figure if i'm a soft classic or soft gamine. I don't have a classic face, and i do have a somewhat Gamine face but i lack the round big eyes and i'm always confused. Íbamos tried the soft natural lines and they complete overpowered me (which makes sense since i'm Narrow framed). Finally some sense
I can see this system working for men too! Especially when deciding the cut of shirts & jeans 🙂 Probably even suit!
This is actually the best body typing system I have come across, you must have had a flash of genius! I don’t fit any of the Kibbe body types and actively dislike that system. I knew immediately that I am short, narrow and curvy after years of trying wide silhouettes, chunky jewellery etc and always discarding them. It’s incredibly easy to remember and the bonus is there is still plenty of room to experiment with colours and styles within the general guidelines 🎉😊
This is so much simpler, more user-friendly, and more inclusive than Kibbe! I love it! Nicely done, Ellie Jean!
I really like how this lets you see the overall picture but also identify areas that might be an exception, for example someone might mostly be short but have a long torso they need to account for. Or be mostly narrow but have width in the shoulders that they might want to accommodate with their necklines. I feel very confused about what I am (other than round) but I think that’s mostly because of residual confusion caused by other systems and the difficulties of viewing myself objectively
Exactly. Unfortunately my body type is quite contrasted and I don't get clear results. I am mostly short and narrow, but I have long torso and wide hips which are my more prominent features. But I guess it's useful to know what kind of features I have to accomodate when shopping for pants or tops for example. Short skirts, small details, sharp tops without cleavage.
I'm mostly narrow but have very wide shoulders. And big breasts with a narrow ribcage. Trying to find my body type was super confusing because based on my measurements I was pear shaped, but I never looked pear shaped 😅 so I've just followed the advice for an hourglass and tried to hide my shoulder width as much as possible. Still have no idea what Kibbe type I am either, I settled for "dramatic classic with extra shoulder" based mainly on wishful thinking x) trying to see yourself objectively is super duper hard. Atleast my colour season was easy to find, because other than that I'm stumped.
@@melialaa I swear big breasts narrow ribcage is such a confusing combo, I’m the same. I relate to your confusion! My measurements are hourglass. In Kibbe’s system I have to be a tall type even though where I’m from I’m actually a little below average height. I gave up on the categories and looked at the components. I definitely have to accommodate curve or everything looks off. But I don’t suit contrast like a gamine, I’m certainly not balanced or petite, I don’t have to accommodate width or vertical and I look silly if I try. But if my only accommodation is curve then I’m a romantic, but I can’t be since I’m too tall! Also don’t ask me about whether I have double curve, I kind of get it but it’s difficult to judge on myself and once again I’m too tall anyway. It’s so confusing!
I reached this same conclusion six months ago when I couldn't work out SN or SG! I realised I could take from each as long as my words were "short, wide, wobbly"
😂😂😂
This speaks to me as a petite wide girl 😍
It probably comes down to your height (which if you're quite average in height that may not help) and your overall essence. I think this new method may help a lot of people that are struggling to get the kibbe system, and to be fair even when celebrities are used as examples they are usually the most obvious examples. The average person is probably going to be even harder to place! For me when I'm confused between a couple different kibbe types I tend to go back to specific clothing that I know I look good in and working backwards, and pin pointing some hacks that really seem to make the difference between what clothes suit us. Chances are SN and SG are going to have at least some clothes that work for both, or a lot of clothes are going to have features that could arguably suit either, you have to pin point what would work for one but not the other. For SN I'm imagining long, almost cascading hems and dresses and cardigans, very flowy items and potentially a lot of neutral colours and either a very boho aesthetic, athletic aesthetic or even more of a mushroom inspired kind of corporate look. SG I'm thinking the opposite of neutrals, probably colours, more bold and vibrant and contrasting. Short, somewhat structured somewhat soft but definitely not flowy. Either a kind of cute, sun inspired, bold and quirky vibe or a cute, soft and dainty vibe.
I totally get what you are saying! I am short, wide, and square (but with the softness that comes with age).
@@shelleygoodwin6371 and since I’m a cross of both I look good I the vibey boho some short some long some soft some texture some structure
Wobbly?
You're definitely onto something with this conception. When I learned about Kibbe, I went to stores, tried on a lot of random stuff, took pictures, then compared those pictures until I found the things that consistently worked or didn't work. It doesn't seem to mesh with any type from Kibbe's system. I need structured/tailored pieces, closely fitted, with stiffer fabric. That sounds like a dramatic, but I'm short and definitely have petite. I also seem to have some vertical. That would indicate FG, but prints and contrasting an oversized top versus bottom (or vis versa) does not look good on me, which is kind of the whole point of FG dressing. But dramatic and DC lines are too long for me (I start to resemble one of those inflatable floppy balloon stick figures and/or I look like a kid playing dress up in grown up clothes) and color blocking works well on me. I've been thinking of myself more as a petite dramatic (like some other FG women in the same boat).
My one criticism I'd have with your conception is that I think my issue is that my petite comes from my top half and my slight vertical comes from my bottom half. Adult hats, collars, lapels, and sleeve lengths are too big for me and generate that kid in grown up clothes look. On the other hand, I have a lot elongation in my rise, so I need a rise of 11" for jeans to hit me at my belly button (mid-rise). I'm 5' 3.5". That's... extreme. At the same time, my hips are so straight (upper and lower hip are the same measurement), so that also generates the teenagery/childish look to my frame, especially when paired with shorter arms. I look great in shorter shorts, but cropped jeans or trousers are not great on me. I've been looking at my FG contrast as cropped up top (short) paired with longer lengths below (long). As someone with Mountain - Mushroom - Stone roots, one of my most casual and relaxed looks is a cropped sleeveless stiff/thick t-shirt (short) paired with a thick pencil skirt (with a bit of stretch) that hits me around knee length (long) and narrow tennis shoes (like vans or adidas sambas). I've also found shirt dresses that are above the knee make my torso look very wide and my arms and legs look stick-like. But if I go for a maxi length shirt dress (long) and the waist and sleeve length hits me properly (short), gravity pulls down the fabric to fit me narrowly. So I'm cropped at the top half and have length in the lower half. It's just something I'm finding that consistently solves problems because it's just a function my how my frame is put together. Things look better when I mirror short up top and long below and narrow all over in my outfits.
I'm not sure how your system accounts for needing both, short and long, in different parts of your silhouette. It's something to think about because I think a lot of shorter women struggle with this, and I don't think it's as simple as "choose one". Choosing one would not work for me. I need to honor both.
Thank you!! I'm short too (5'2) and I'm a TR and I find the exact same issues. My torso is short and my legs are long, my bone structure is narrow but I have big boobs/hips. I find the same thing as you to balance these contrasting features.
But maybe it is as simple as this: Just go with what your body offers you. Mimic exactly those lines and shapes, no matter where they occur. I've read about people who are narrow and straight up top but have a VERY curvy hip and can't just go with straight lines. So they might be best of with going with straight lines up top and curved lines on the bottom.
I think what does make Kibbe's system more complicated is the fact that it DOES include essence too. And if you give off a certain vibe this might draw him to give you another ID than your body's proportions might suggest. This is just a vague thought of mine, I for sure don't actually KNOW this.
I remember how I thought about myself "I am kind of medium all the way" and that was when I was only 17 years old. Everything about me was about average besides having a smaller bust and a bit of a wider lower hip. When I grew older (I'm 36 now) I started to loose baby fat and shift my shape a bit. My bust is still small but my shoulders balance out my hips very nicely now. Nothing really sticks out, but I have slightly longer legs. Not enough to call for obvious vertical, but enough to say it's a tad bit more than "medium" or "moderate". What I do struggle with is when garments are constructed for tapered shoulders as mine are super straight and rather squared than rounded, they've always been that way, even when I was a tiny little kid. All these features made me go for DC lines in Kibbe and they work perfectly for me. It took me 8 years to figure that out though because I was VERY biased about my own body AND typed incorrectly by someone else.
Ellie-Jean's system is more simple to understand and does give you an overall outline for what works best for your frame. It leads me to the same silhouettes and lines that Kibbe's system would suggest for me personally.
I would say, if your upper body is short and your lower body is long, just mimic it as you already do. You don't have to stick to a system that doesn't work for you imho. But you can still learn from it to help you out in understanding your body's lines and silhouette. In the end it is all about accomodations for your body to make clothes fit right on you and fall down nicely on your body while going with its own individual features instead of trying to make you look "more hourglass". That's my overall take on this and maybe it helps to hear another perspective. Maybe we think kinda alike, maybe we don't.
The technique of taking a photo and breaking up the body helped SO much.
The way I perceived myself was wide, long, round - after taking a photo and outlining/circling, I turned out to be narrow/long/straight. Huge surprise.
It looks like I'm a 5'8" Kibbe Dramatic with some roundness in the hips and a smallish waist, but straight and narrow everywhere else.
My first clue should have been the fact that I dress like a Dramatic (with some flowy fabric here and there, but in classic Dramatic cuts), and get lots of compliments on it. This system you've come up with accounts for the natural variation in every body, and provides really good tips for accenting those features.
Seriously. Thank you.
So excited to try this out! Seems so much more straightforward and customisable compared to other systems.
I wish you would also talk about what to do of you are medium in these categories
She will. It's a new system she just came up with. She'll get there in time!
I love this. I’m SG for sure but I very often find myself gravitating towards TR recs, so framing it as just “narrow, short, round” gives so much room to play!!
And no gatekeeping this way! LOL
Yes same!!
To be perfectly honest: I find it quite hard to differentiate between SG and TR anyways. They both have opposing features and both have petite + curve. They can wear similar lines and clothes, the differences are in the very details imho. And I think you CAN wear TR lines as a SG but maybe accessorize differently and create a slightly different overall feel. And this difference would come down to "vibe" rather than "shape", at least imho. Correct me if I'm on the wrong track here, that's just my recent perspective which is not set in stone.
@@Carina_Rose yes!! Like the idea that TR can’t be “cute and playful” or SG can’t be “sexy femme fatale” 🙄🥴
@@Just_Kirsty in kibbe terms I think they are still different - I know I’m SG because, even though I have petite and double curve, my bone structure is more angular and sharp than TR. But I still think I look good in a lot of TR recs and they can rock SG recs. The differences aren’t obvious to most people
ELLIE JEAN GURL ! Youre killin it out here. Leaving the style world way better than when you found it. I will buy your book one day!!!
Hi Ellie-Jean! I'm Kibbe soft dramatic and have found focusing on lines much more helpful than focusing on his archetype recommendations (dislike "diva"), so I think the main concept of the matrix does it job well, especially for those that struggle to find their place in Kibbe types. In your matrix I think I am narrow, long and round, which works. However I find that both narrow and wide necklines and pants can suit me (wide pants but not skirts, boat necklines as well as V necks, wide sleeves definitely, etc.). I also need bigger accessories, especially rings (no dainty ones for me despite being narrow, since I am "large"). Although it's easier to find the type in the matrix, there's more confusion in implementation in my experience, than from Kibbe that has more specific recommendation like V necks and boatneck, but not crewnecks. Now, this could be fixed if I say I'm actually not narrow but medium in the matrix. Or if I say that certain wide elements fit me because I am round and long, despite being narrow. Or the matrix could be further improved by more nuance in the implementation part, esp. if you are in some ways bigger (like length) and in some ways smaller (like width). Just a limitation I wanted to share from one of the types, that you could think about :) all the best!
So I *think* boatnecks are actually considered narrow, because they come up high. V-necks work with long. It was very very briefly mentioned that if you're long you would choose larger shapes/patterns. This may help with some of the confusion. I'm also SD and fall into Long-Narrow-Round, leaning medium in some areas, and I was giving this all a lot of thought. But I definitely think you're right in that more specifics would be good. For instance off the shoulder usually looks smashing on SD, but perhaps that's coming from "round" rather than "wide". There are likely crossover elements at play.
Curious about the wide leg pants - do they suit you only if the width falls within the frame of your hips and shoulders? I find if the pants are wider than my shoulders/hips they look *very* not flattering, and a skinny leg looks better in comparison. I think I only get away with it a *little* more in dresses, because there's automatic elongation in a one piece outfit.
Wide medium and round here, always felt between soft natural and soft classic, this is so helpful. Love that you admit bodies change as well, much more realistic & approachable
Wide-medium-rounds unite!! Same situation with not feeling fully SN/SN and then a minute when I thought 100% I was a Romantic (the Kate Winslet kind)
Kinda don’t understand the length column for some of the body parts. Can you explain how length would correspond to the hips, chest, and shoulders?
This seems somewhat intuitive for me as I do line drawings everyday, but yes I can see that this would need further explanation! It's worth saying you could leave some of the boxes blank; yes, length for shoulders is not as important as width and shape for shoulders.
The further explanation:
- length of hips would be from the waist to just above the knee
- length of chest would be length from armpit point to the waist
- length of shoulders - from top of the shoulder to the top of the armpit point (some people this space is minute, others very long)
This seems really interesting ! I’ll be honest, when you first announced that you’d been working on your own body typing system & mentioned concepts like width, I was concerned about the potential for it to seem somewhat .. plagiarised ? But hearing you talk about it now I don’t think that’ll be an issue. I appreciate you recognising the value in Kibbe while offering a different approach - not to replace it, but to complement it. It seems you’ve taken care to go about it respectfully & not purely motivated by financial gain (as evidenced also by your style scholars pricing & your clear genuine enthusiasm for fashion & helping others). It’s very refreshing 💜
My body matrix would be wide, medium length, round (soft natural kibbe, height 167 cm/5"5) 😊🌼
I love how simple and straightforward your system is!
Same! Only that I am a few cm shorter 😊
If you also have 32DD boobies we can be soft natural twins ❤ lol
This is just BRILLIANT! I was waiting for someone to create such a clear, practical and inclusive systems. ❤
Thank you so much, I am so pleased to see that this framework can be helpful!
As a flamboyant natural with curves and huge hips who has been struggling on how to both compliment my shoulder and hips without looking frumpy- this has changed my life lol
Michelle Obama has your exact same features and she has great style. I say check out her fashion as a possible inspiration.
Literally you saved my life! I've always got so confused with kibbe, this was just so much easier to understand and analyse. Thank you so much Ellie-Jean, you are an angel of the fashion girlies.
Something I’d like to add about width because it’s something that took me a long time to understand: I’m fairly petite by most people’s standards (but not petite in Kibbe’s system) so outside of these style systems, no one would look at me and describe me as wide. However, when I go shopping for clothes, I have to look for open necklines and forgiving fabrics or I need to size up in tops because I have wide shoulders for someone who wears my clothing size. Sometimes you have to ignore the word’s typical meaning and think of it in terms of how clothing fits you.
Ellie.. I love this! It's so much more straightforward! In Kibbe, I'm lost between SN, SG, SC.. so mix of yin/yang basically. With your system I'm realizing my body is very narrow and rounded but with possible/ probable width in my upper back shoulders. This is why I'm loving this system because for people like me (and a lot of people) we don't fit neatly into one type. Can't wait to see more about this!
This is brilliant!!! You made it so easy to self analyze your body. I'd love to see videos or pintrest boards with examples for all the combinations in the body matrix.
Yes yes yes
Wow, I feel so seen by this video! I was just talking last night about how I don't really fit into the Kibbe system because I have unmistakable width and vertical but also an obvious hourglass curve that persists regardless of weight gain or loss, meaning that I probably fit nicely into the first "wide, long, round" category you described. The "loose, straight, flowing" lines typically recommended for flamboyant naturals don't work on me at all. The wide necklines and chunky jewelry are must-haves, but I suffer massively without waist emphasis and consider it essential for a good look. I have found A-line skirts and bootcut trousers to be the most flattering cuts on the bottom half and do much better with open, angular necklines (cowl necks, boat necks, square, sweetheart, V-neck, etc.). Not only do I look awful in crewneck, mock turtleneck, and turtleneck styles, but they are never cut with sufficient width to fit my shoulders anyway. Buying long sleeves with long-enough sleeves is a perpetual struggle.
Really looking forward to you exploring this concept further in the future! Thanks for thinking of us tall, curvy girls with broad shoulders!
I’m only at 3:59 and this makes so much more sense! I have a hard time to judge met overall shape, and breaking it down helps a lot.
Nice!!! I ‘m wide-short-straight and you are spot on with what I think look nice on me !
This is the video I've been waiting for! And I'm happy it's coming from a source that's reasonable and non-judgmental like you 💕
Speaking as a 5'7.5" lady who's clung onto soft natural, I think this system is so simple and easy to get! I love your application
What if I have contrasting features in the same category? For me, I have width in my shoulders and chest, but my limbs are all narrow? My hands and feet are medium. My hips are medium. Am I medium in the width category? I don’t feel medium. I feel conflicted 😂
You and I having the same measurements ✋🏾😭
Wow, Ellie, I reckon this is an upgrade from the fashion masters (Kibbie and Kitchener), like the apprentice has become the máster.I
Wide, Short, and Straight (LOL)! I do have to be careful about going too cropped with tops and pants, because they can accentuate my boxy shape (with a full bosom). I can end up looking like a barrel instead of a rectangle body. But, this is overall good advice when searching for clothing shapes that will actually fit my body without having to do extensive alterations. Also softer fabrics that drape and shape to my body in straighter silhouettes (reducing width instead of adding to it) along with chunkier jewelry and geometric patterns really do work for me. Great job!
While I love your approach and your system I would say there is an argument that you wouldn't always want to mimic your features. For instance, I have short legs and a long torso. I wear outfits that counter these features to elongate me, not to mimic them. Love the scientific approach to clothing!
I love the streamlined matrix! I’m 5’10 and always had a defined waist and wider hips even as an athlete but I’m heavier than I used to be and struggled with kibble since my legs can sometimes look shorter than my torso, love the inclusion of simple details!!
This is very helpful because I think I’m wide long and round and people always used to say not to wear off the shoulder tops or wide trousers because of my broad shoulders and fatter body but I actually think it’s more harmonious that way!
I'm a 5'2 Romantic, and look good in sleeves and cuffs that go in at the wrists and ankles, but I got a lot of wide answers 🤔😅. I also like elongating my lines to feel more elegant. Guess I'm just difficult 😂
You know what. I love this. Need to digest for some time.
I figured out something while making my body matrix.
I thought why doesn't it suit to my whole body?
- I got my body type short, but short skirts and shorts look bad on me. But then cropped and boxy tops look very good on me!
- Also I got my body type narrow, but my hips and legs are nothing but narrow. Again my upper body and hands are narrow!
So then I understood that my upper and lower body needs to have their own matrixes! I think it makes sense. My upper body is narrow, short, medium while my lower body is wide, medium, round.
What a wicked thing! 😁❤️
Same here! I Guess that's why i also resonated with Gamine lines, a mixture of ying and yang all over My body
This makes a lot of sense! I couldn’t really explain why I disliked long cardigans on me, but now I know it has to do with my short lines!
this helped me so much to type me in the kibbe system! i’m a “wide, medium, straight” with long limbs and hands and a shorter torso (i’m 5’2), and i also have a boxy appearance with some curve to it (like a small waist and wide but straighter hips). describing the features by themselves and then looking at the whole frame made me figure out I’m a flamboyant gamine. thanks ellie!
I love this body matrix system. I hope you make more videos on this topic. 😊❤
Love it! I'm waiting for the variations for short frames 🤩
I think I'm medium - short - medium 🤔 and with this video I got a general idea what that means for my silhouette, but I'm looking forward to more videos with examples for your Body Matrix system and what medium means 🥰
OH GOD !! I loved kibbe's model but I thought it could be represented differently and your matrix is exactly about that ! So helpful !
There was another RUclipsr who put forth a similar theory to use, if people were confused using body typing systems. I tried tracking down the video, but all I have are some screen shots of her recommendations on a Pinterest board. She had Short vs. Tall, Narrow vs. Wide (but she just used shoulders to determine this), and Curve dominate (Round) vs. Frame dominate (Straight).
I've been using Short, Narrow, Curve (Round) to pick out clothing items for a while, and have improved my style so much! I'm so happy you are bringing this to the mainstream! :)
I love using your style root system to further personalize my style (I gravitate towards a combination of flower, earth, and mushroom). If I am missing one of the style roots in my outfit, it feels like something is missing. The same goes for the silhouette system. If I don't follow it in my outfits, something feels a bit off.
I admit, it does take some playing around with it to get it right. Usually, I can have pieces which don't follow all the rules, if the rest of the outfit follows most of them. That way, I can shop my existing wardrobe to create different looks which follow most of the rules, without completely replacing my wardrobe.
Definitely need an in depth tutorial !
line drawing picture side by side with the chart
Q: Compared to what are you determining width , length & shape
Ex. How do you determine length of chest and hips ???
WOW! I have been so confused by kibbe, and this makes so much more sense. I just did the quiz and checked out your Pinterest board - sure enough medium, long, & straight contains exactly the kind of outfits I gravitate towards. I no longer feel like I’m going crazy!
I’m wide-ish, short and round. I consider myself a romantic in kibbe. My shoulders are very rounded and medium size but closed neck are not a good for me. My bust looks very constricted and it creates a heaviness vs an open neckline.
Thanks Ellie! I think this is great for people who feel in between kibbe types. It takes away the headache of trying to figure your overall “vibe” and more focus on finding clothes that actually fit.
So helpful! Bridging the gap that Kibbe leaves out!
This is really brilliant. Thank you for sharing your gift! I’m a soft gamine and Kibbe has been useful for me. In the Body Matrix System I’m narrow long round. It’s new for me to think of myself as long, I’m just 5’4” but as I look at my different parts they do look elongated. It’ll be interesting to bring this is my style. Maybe I am more etheric than I noticed before.
Love how you get us thinking for ourselves and teach us how to SEE and FEEL. We used to think someone had a “sense of style” or they didn’t but you are teaching us that it’s an intuitive sense that can be developed.
I just love what you’re doing and you’re really helping me understand what style even means. Thank you!
this breakdown helped me understand sooo much clearer than other videos/people. there is just so much on the internet about these things ans a lot of it can be wrong or misleading. this is a wonderful video and i especially appreciate the comment about weight gain near the end, i found it very comforting ❤
You’re incredibly talented at what you do. You have an eye for fashion like I’ve never seen before :)
Love this concept, but I've always struggled with width categorisation, I have narrow shoulders & torso, hands & feet, but wide hips and limbs, and it's hard to tell what comes across as more dominant. What would you put more emphasis on?
I would put it on frame features like shoulders, hips and chest, them limbs (arms and legs) and lastly hands and feet.
Hmmm, I appreciate that this is trying to simplify things but this is basically like going back to how we used to think BEFORE more sophisticated typing sytems like Kibbe (not that it's perfect but it's a more sophisticated and elaborate system). So it feels like regressing to a simplistic way of looking at body types.
I do agree with the weight comments.
And I do like this channel!
Hmm 🤔 I think you are onto something here. You might just have cracked the system. That was ridiculously easy and helpful well done
I did this with a line drawing and zoomed wayyyy out to see the lines only vs my body and... it was so helpful! 😆😊
I saw your stories when you came up with this and I love that you've got it nailed down! This is so exciting. I love it.
This is actually something I thought about before when trying to work out how Kibbe works. I felt there should be more like, scales you work out and then that gives you a matrix of outcomes, and that's exactly what you've done here. I think I'm wide-ish, short and round, and I'm romantic kibbe type.
This was so helpful! I had the exact issue you described -- I am very tall but definitely have width but are a bit more curvy than most pictures I see of flamboyant naturals, but definitely not as curvy as the soft dramatics I see. You are a genius and I love your content
I'm also one of those "FN or SD" girls and this really helped me make sense of it it my own head 😅 It finally clicked for me that the number one baseline to this is "everything should be proportionate", ie thick banded rings for big hands will make them look proportionate while a thin band would showcase their size.... I feel silly right now honestly, but thanks to this, body typing is much easier for me to get my head around.
Glad to be one of the examples BUT what does length in shoulders mean? Some of these aren’t making sense as i’d never think to describe certain things as short or long or round or straight?
Hope im making sense!
I interpreted it as if the vertical line between the top of my shoulders to the beggining of my armpits feels long or short in contrast to the rest of my body shapes/lines
I can’t wait till you put more out on the topic because… for one, I Love graphs and i want to know what else you have to say on mine.. narrow, long, straight.
Question then - how do we go about the Mediums? I am Narrow, Short and then Medium for Round/Sharp.
Do you go rounder on body areas that are rounder and then sharper/medium on body areas that are more sharp/medium?
You should do a full video on styling a wide, long, curvy. Since we have all been confused for so long on what to wear 😂 and could you also mention what swimsuits would look bets on us as well/ what kind of shorts we ought to wear in summer? Those are always tough for me!!
Thanks for the breakdown, Ellie-Jean. Leaning towards wide medium round... I am never sure how wide it has to be to be called wide.
Really interesting! Makes really a lot of sense to me. I have long arms and legs, wide shoulders and a full bosom and a bit of a tummy, so I'd think I was long-wide-round? My facial features are prominent but not angular. Very tailored clothes look too strict on me; I need some softness in the details, like a puffed sleeve, a boat neck or scoop neck under a blazer in stead of a classic shirt, or softer rounding in the lapels etc. I tend to accentuate my legs with either quite long or short bottoms, maybe even something above the ankle, but mid-calf, knee-length or just above is a no-go 😅. So short shorts or longer trousers. Thanks for great content! 😊
This is brilliant! I’m so happy a woman is reclaiming this work!! Since not included, I’m assuming that torso to limb proportion doesn’t matter, or bust to waist to hips?
Amazing system. I'm taking the quiz now! I love how you simplify and analyse things, from the style roots (I'm mountain, sun, mushroom) , you've got a great brain!
And now I'm a medium long medium! Can't wait to find out what suits me.
A few of them are hard to understand. What would short/long shoulders, bust (would that be the torso?) and hips look like? Also, I have the typical gamine feature of soft upper arms/thighs and sharp (straight, I guess?) lower arms/wrists and calves/ankles. Would arms and legs be considered medium then? They really aren’t…
I have tapered limbs so I relate to this struggle. The upper parts of my limbs are larger and much more round than my wrists and ankles which are very dainty
mmm i’m wondering if it’s the difference between having a strong shoulder line across which would be longer vs. sloped shoulders which would be shorter. both can be wide or narrow over all. but idk
@@christinevanpatten1278 Right, tapered limbs is the phrase I'm looking for! That's what I have, too.
This was very helpful. I’m wide, long and round and I I agreed with everything in your example exempt for two things. I don’t like the harsh rounded necklines, probably because my chest is already round and large. BUT I love those cottage style dresses that round the chest and have soft square shape. So it still makes sense!!
The other thing was large accessories. But that might just be a preference as I don’t like them on anyone 😂. This was a great video. Thank you!!
Excellent, Excellent video. This is so much more accessible than Kibbe and especially helpful for people in between body types. Ellie Jean, you are about to become the 21st century's "Kibbe". Well done🎉
I love this matrix so much, thank you!! Been obsessed with your videos lately 💖
I’m medium-medium-medium 😆 Can you share or recommend what to wear for my type?? ❤❤
I'm pretty sure I'm a wide medium round. Love this system!
As I was watching this video I thought to myself that my matrix would be Wide-Long-Round. Lo and behold your first outfit example was exactly that, and I'd have to say you really hit the nail on the head with those outfit choices😂 They are all in my wardrobe and my go to's for wearing and shopping for! I especially can't go wrong with coats and long flares, and sundresses with waist definition!
In other words, you have something here! Your system is very straightforward and more importantly, very adaptful for change as well! Consider patenting it or developing more content surrounding it 😊
How does this work for mismatched/gamine people?
I filled this out but I don’t think it works for gamines. My arms and legs are literally short versus long at different parts. (I am short from shoulder to elbow, long from elbow to fingertip - so I went with medium) We have an insane mix of opposites - short and long, round and straight, wide and narrow lol. I ended up with medium, medium, straight but I have everything scattered in the matrix
I've been anxiously awaiting this video, I really love this! Thank you so much for putting together this video and I look forward to seeing more examples and content based on this system!
Man I am overwhelmed
Ellie.... this is the answer .... to all! Wow!!
I'm basically narrow-medium-medium! Which probably explains why I'm so confused with Kibbe and have been going between TR and SC!
Great categorization, easy to follow and very useful
The Kibbe Body typing system is the only body typing system ,that finally made sense for my Soft dramatic frame . Now it is no longer an ongoing maze .Amystery to be solved . Every detail from fabric type to shape/ size /scale of glasses , scale of patterns on fabrics ,size of jewelry is covered . My llife long clothing struggles were validated . Kibbe helped me embrace my sharp masculine edges , soft voluptuous curves and exotic features . It validated what I already knew deep down .That simple ,everyday clothing was a most definitely a challenge versus looking like a Mardi Gras Queen ..It made sense why I could identify with a drag queen more than say a kibble classic body type . Suddenly it all made sense . All the confusion fell away .The truth truly set me free.
What if you think you’re mainly medium for width and length? Should I force myself into one option or the other? I did the line drawing but I feel like I’m quite proportional overall so I find it hard to pick one extreme or the other!
Same issue! How in the world do you dress for medium? 😅
This is fantastic! I thought of something similar, but your version is way better! Question: I have width in my shoulders, chest, and hips but I look TERRIBLE in wide necklines. I find that what I need is substantial instead. For instance, spaghetti straps are a no-go but a thick strap tank is better. Also things like buttons and waist bands should be large, wide, or substantial. I would love for you to do a video on width in your system, maybe going into more detail on the different aspects of each descriptor! By the way, I am medium wide, medium long, and medium straight. I always put myself halfway between a natural and a dramatic classic in Kibbe
This is so good and so simple! Thank youuu
I really like the simple logic behind this, but I have 3 problems with the application. First would be.. some parts are very unintuitive to put on this chart (how can feet be round? How can shoulders be long? xD). Second would be, everything seems to count equal? But I just don't see how your hand lenght can/should count the same as your actual height for example - I have quite long hands for my own proportions, they won't suddenly make long lines ok on my 5'1 body with size 10 years old inseam.. Third, it doesn't seem to account for diametrically opposite answers. I would have narrow shoulders wide bust wide hips narrow legs wide hands narrow feet..How am I supposed to decide between the 2 extremes when I have equal number of both?
I love this! I finally found out I am narrow long and round! ♡
This is so helpful! Thank you! Much easier than other body typing methods. Where do you shop for clothes? I like many of your items. I can't wait to use your features analysis!
Ooh exciting! I think I'd be narrow, long, and round 🤔
Me too I was like is this possible haha how tall are you? I'm 5'8
I'm medium, long, and I was tied for straight and round but just from observations sake for my clothing I think rounded shapes look better on me! I love this matrix and it supports what I think I am Kibbe Wise- Classic leaning slightly dramatic
I was thinking about how long could be incorporated in summer months and I was considering things like heels/platforms/shorts with longer socks.
Yes to kibbe not accommodating everyone. I’m just shy of 5’8” and obviously narrow, which in kibbe makes me a d or sd. I’m a medium shaped girl but for some reason too tall to be a dramatic classic - which is what I go with since it fits closest.
I read this email and.. ye honestly it does fit me! It fits Exactly with what i've noticed fits me in the past year. I want to try it with my friends to see what we can do with it !!
I would love to see a video about wide + short + straight! There is only one celebrity example on your pinterest board, so it would be nice to get more examples