What is in this article?
Styling ourselves
David Kibbe's 'Metamorphosis'
Dwyn Larson's 'All Types of Beauty'
'Body Type Style Analysis' with me
David Kitchener's 'Essences'
Horizontal and Vertical Body Shapes
An artistic approach to body shapes
Styling ourselves
Most of us have an understanding of our body proportions and how these do or do not align with our own personal physical ideals. We are usually aware of how different clothing styles flatter us and are often skilled at concealing the parts of us we perceive as 'out of proportion.'
David Kibbe's 'Metamorphosis'
Numerous body type enthusiasts are familiar with David Kibbe's body typing system from his 1987 book 'Metamorphosis' and have tried to determine their own 'type.' Many, myself included, have explored the Kibbe system in depth, examining various possibilities, searching and perhaps finding, their body type of best fit or perhaps have given up, feeling perplexed by the ambiguous results.
Dwyn Larson's 'All Types of Beauty'
Around 2016, I discovered Dwyn Larson's website '20 Types of Beauty,' later renamed 'All Types of Beauty.' Larson expanded the Kibbe types in a way I found interesting, logical and straightforward. The system is beautifully simple, yet the types can mix in almost endless combinations of features and body shapes. I corresponded with Dwyn about her system, who asked me to help edit her style guides for the types, which I did. She also determined my type.
'Body Type Style Analysis' with me
Over time, after examining both Kibbe and Larson's systems and exploring other body type systems, I wanted to implement a more objective and systematic approach to the analysis, if possible. By carefully distributing percentage points between face and body and between bone structure and face and body features, I have classified as many individuals as possible, to create a methodology that is both consistent and precise. I differ slightly from Kibbe and Larson's approaches in the following ways:
I believe David Kibbe now focuses on body type and silhouette ('David Kibbe's Power of Style,' 2025), rather than facial bone structure and features in his typing. However, in working with clients, I've found that overall style aligns better with our physical appearance if it reflects the bone structure and features of our faces and I now use the results of facial analysis as well as body type analysis, to create an overall 'Style ID.' This result guides the artistry of our appearance: hair, makeup, jewellery and accessories as well as the 'inside' styling lines of our outfits.
I now separate out your 'Body ID' from your 'Style ID.' In many cases the two are strongly correlated and often, the same. However, some people's 'Style ID' is slightly different from the 'Body ID.' For example, one client's 'Style ID' is Classic-Romantic ('Elegant') but their 'Body ID' is Romantic ('Feminine'). The clothing shapes need to be primarily feminine, soft and rounded, but the finish of the clothing, accessories, make-up and hairstyles need to be elegant, clean and slightly rounded. This will suit the client perfectly. In contrast, if the client is styled as a Romantic only, based on her body type, the styling effects will be too 'fussy' looking for her face and she will not be able to radiate her natural elegance through her style.
David Kitchener's 'Essences'
Some body type stylists use Kitchener's 'Essences' (which David Kitchener attributes mostly to the face) to help determine overall style. 'Essences' plus 'Kibbe body type' is roughly similar to my 'Style ID' plus 'Body ID.' Points are awarded for different features, calculated and checked against type templates.
In combination with our physicality, we are also emotional, rational, spiritual and psychological beings. A dominantly intuitive person may relate strongly to the idea of 'Ethereal,' but this manifestation through style can take different forms. It seems that by accepting too readily what 'Ethereal' looks like, we deny ourselves the rich exploration of our natural self-expression. All the personalities and archetypes are fascinating, unique and beautiful and can be expressed through style, in their own way. For more information on style and psychology, please read https://www.stylemap.com/article/what-is-psychological-style-analysis or book a Psychological Style Analysis.
Horizontal and Vertical Body Shapes
In addition, there are at least two different viewpoints on personal styling for bodies. One focuses on correcting imbalances to achieve a perfectly balanced or hourglass figure. Stylists who use this method tend to create looks that help clients feel less self-conscious about perceived body flaws. This approach, (learned from Ferial Youakim ('ByFerial Image Consulting'), which centres on 'fixing a problem,' can help reduce self-consciousness about body image and clothing, but doesn't necessarily showcase the client's unique beauty - how their bone structure, face and body shapes interact.
Using measurements provided by the client, I identify both vertical and horizontal body shapes and provide a checklist of styling techniques that can visually minimise or accentuate certain features to create more balance. These techniques can be used if the client feels they look 'out of proportion' or if they want to create more 'visual balance,' using their own 'Style ID' and 'Body ID' guidelines.
An artistic approach to body shapes
Alternatively, David Kibbe's philosophy of style suggests that we are beautiful in our unique way and can use the recommendations of our style type to showcase or exaggerate our physical lines and features, regardless of whether the resulting look fits conventional or notional stereotypes of beauty.
With an emphasis on artistry, Carla Mason Mathis and Helen Villa Connor, in their book, 'Timeless Beauty' (1993), show techniques for both exaggerating or downplaying different body shapes to create a variety of desired effects, with none considered perfect or ideal. Interestingly, over the decades and centuries, many different body shapes have been considered desirable and fashionable. For some examples, please read my article: https://www.stylemap.com/article/style-refections-ii-body-shapes-in-fashion