Please note that I originally wrote this blog post in 2015 on my previous website, GET the LOOK. Some of the information below may be outdated. Currently, I work mainly with Ethereal Typology, created by me.
Outfits pinned on my Pinterest and my Instagram are the most current sources of information.
Just like pure Gamine type, Flamboyant Gamine combines extreme masculine and feminine qualities. However, the influence of androgenic features prevails. The male Yang element clearly marks its presence, translating into a simple, angular, often wider bone structure, muscular body structure, and specific personality traits. Yang’s vital energy builds the image of a spontaneous, temperamental woman with a wild sense of humor. The female Yin element is present in a particular youthful appearance and short stature.
Other distinguishing features of Yin are childishly large eyes and full lips. However, we should remember that short stature and the mentioned facial features do not describe every Flamboyant Gamine woman. The eyes can be of medium size, the lips less full, and the height limit set by David Kibbe is as high as 170 cm (5’7”). Type classification is determined primarily by bone structure and a particular physique. Pure Gamine type is defined by the answers from groups A and E (see David Kibbe’s Beauty Type Test). In the Flamboyant Gamine type, there are also answers from group B, which means a mixture of features typical of the Natural type. The Flamboyant Gamine woman is generally more strongly built, with broader, straight arms and long, muscular, slightly sinewy arms and legs.
The Flamboyant Gamine icon is Liza Minnelli. She represents all the qualities assigned to this type. One can get the impression that David Kibbe, when establishing the image and wardrobe of Flamboyant Gamine, only considered extravagant Liza and women very similar to her. And the truth is, not all women of this type look like Liza. Each Flamboyant Gamine representative will have a comparable figure (although the height measure may show a difference of up to 15 cm – e.g., 155 cm and 170 cm, or 5’1” and 5’7”), but not everyone will have Lisa’s face or color type. Choosing the right clothes becomes extra complicated when dealing with much lighter color types and more delicate features. And these features are not excluded and can often be seen in combination with the androgenic FG body shape.
The Flamboyant Gamine style is Sassy Chic. We can only guess that the author meant more extravagance than elegance. The description of the proper Flamboyant Gamine wardrobe and styling draws a highly eccentric and playful image. The leading graphic symbol of the Flamboyant Gamine type is a diamond. Will every woman of this type look favorably in the spiciest of all styles? Not necessarily. Would the jacket’s sharp lapels, tie, and boyish asymmetrical hairstyle add to the beauty of Audrey Hepburn or Vanessa Paradis? Definitely not. The physicality of these two women fits into the discussed beauty type. However, their faces reveal that Flamboyant Gamine is quite diverse and challenging to define precisely.
The more subtle and delicate facial features in each type of beauty are due to two quite enigmatic existing elements. And these are mysteriously sounding Ethereal (angelic) and Ingenue (youthful innocence). Both of these elements can be found in any type of beauty. They appear together or separately in varying percentages from person to person. Often, but not always, they combine with beauty types strongly characterized by the male Yang element. Ethereal and Ingenue paint female faces, while the body shapes still exhibit features that dominate a given type of beauty. An androgenic figure combined with a specific ethereal or girlish quality is a unique but nevertheless existing element of beauty.
Such was Audrey Hepburn. The combination of male and female features enriched with Ingenue created a woman of unparalleled beauty. The long and lean androgenic body contrasted with the girlish, innocent face. Audrey was quite tall. Nevertheless, her build fits perfectly into the Flamboyant Gamine type. Even the defined waistline is the result of a combination of an inverted trapezoid (torso) and an elongated rectangle (hips and legs). In Audrey Hepburn’s figure, we will not find any soft, curved lines characteristic of the Yin types. Seemingly petite, Audrey had broad straight shoulders, long, slightly muscular arms and legs, and large (though slim) feet and hands. Audrey’s actual appearance amazed people who previously knew her only from photos or from the screen. The tiny, very feminine Audrey in the movies suddenly turned out to be unexpectedly long and angular. The below images show a slightly different, less idealized image of Audrey.
Another less typical representative of the Flamboyant Gamine type is the lovely Vanessa Paradis. The short stature and androgenic shape of the body undoubtedly qualify Vanessa as Flamboyant Gamine. However, her delicate facial features do not match the original image described by David Kibbe. Instead, Vanessa’s face seems to come from a completely different, unidentified type of beauty. It is definitely more Gamine than Flamboyant, but that’s not all. Both Ingenue and Ethereal clearly influence her subtle, interesting features. Therefore, even if these elements appear in a small percentage, a woman’s beauty can no longer be classified as typically androgenic.
Consequently, the style must be modified. It concerns mainly the top garments and everything close to the face. The typical style of the Flamboyant Gamine needs to be toned down. Yin elements should be introduced and then skillfully composed with Yang. The overall outline of the silhouette must remain true to the Flamboyant Gamine style. On the other hand, the hairstyle, shoulder line, and neckline must take on a much more subtle and sophisticated quality.
Let’s take a look at Vanessa’s androgenic styling and confront it with Yin looks. Vanessa is about the same age in all of the photos. It is not about retouching (which appears in almost every shot) but about the overall impression created by particular outfits and styling. Does the short asymmetrical haircut make Vanessa look more beautiful? Not really. This impression is not saved even by a pair of angel feathers flowing from her arm.
Below, there are two quite typical Flamboyant Gamine representatives. Women with a strong, defined beauty: Kelly Osbourne (158 cm, or 5’2”) and Lea Michele (159 cm, or 5’2”-5’3”), present Yin and Yang styles.
Lea Michele has beautiful long hair and absolutely shouldn’t change her hairstyle. However, she should stay away from romantic outfits (just like Kelly Osbourne). A little mini dress is a perfect fit for her. She should wear it as often as possible.
David Kibbe recommends relatively short, boyish, and asymmetrical cuts. When analyzing the appearance of the Flamboyant Gamine representatives, it is difficult to agree with it 100%. Women’s faces in the photo above look much better in hairstyles based on longer hair. The fact is that each of them has thick, lush hair. If our hair is quite thin and delicate, a layered bob with asymmetrical bangs will be a safer choice. However, Gamine or Soft Gamine women look much better in short, boyish hairstyles. A Flamboyant Gamine who wants to emphasize large, beautiful eyes should opt for layered and asymmetrical bangs.
The owners of natural curls have it easy. A lush, curly hairstyle (shorter or longer) is the perfect hairstyle for the Flamboyant Gamine. In this case, the bangs are obviously not recommended. Classic, symmetrical hairstyles and smooth hairstyles should be avoided. Even if the hair is of medium thickness, a smooth hairstyle without bangs does not suit the beauty of Flamboyant Gamine (see Gwen Stefani below). Too romantic hairdos are also not the best options.
When dyeing their hair, women of strong color types can use bold, contrasting colors (e.g., navy blue or platinum in the case of Winters). On the other hand, delicate types of beauty (especially Summers) should rather stick to their natural color.
Flamboyant Gamine makeup focuses all the attention on the eyes. The method of highlighting them depends on the facial features and the color type. Model faces of Flamboyant Gamine (e.g., Gwen Stefani, Lea Michele, or Daniella Monet) can pull off a strong eyeliner line and false eyelashes. For women with more delicate beauty, a smokey eye will be a better choice.
Lips should be fresh and shiny. The shade of lipstick must not be too light or too dark. Colors similar in saturation to the natural color of the lips or slightly more intense will be ideal.
Appropriate and inappropriate makeup for the Flamboyant Gamine type is presented by: Gwen Stefani, Kelly Osbourne, Lea Michele, and Vanessa Paradis.
Although the height limit for the Flamboyant Gamine is 170 cm (5’7”), the fact is that most FG women are short. When composing outfits for Flamboyant Gamine, one should reject all stereotypes about creating a style for short women. David Kibbe, writing about the Flamboyant Gamine woman, describes her as one who is not tall. He removes the epithet “short” from the list of features assigned to this type. Breaking all the rules is his guideline for building the Flamboyant Gamine style.
Sassy Chic is not only an extravagance, which suits some women more than others. The most important thing is the width of the clothes and the length and direction of lines expressed in cuts, patterns, and details. Everything that happens close to the face should be tailored to the individual beauty features. However, it is worth sticking to the rules set by David Kibbe when it comes to shaping the silhouette. The rules are so cleverly refined that many women of the Flamboyant Gamine type intuitively look for similar solutions. The most important thing is, first of all, very fitting or tight-fitting cuts of clothes. The exceptions to this rule are: Flapper Style (which will be discussed later), loose-fitting (blouson waist) blouses or dresses, and long, slightly flowing skirts worn with a short, narrow top.
It is recommended that short people keep vertical lines as long as possible to lengthen the figure optically. David Kibbe completely denied this and similar principles. Keeping vertical lines as long as possible is recommended for the Dramatic type, i.e., tall women. A Flamboyant Gamine woman is supposed to avoid emphasizing the vertical. The lines of her wardrobe are horizontal and diagonal. The silhouette should be cut horizontally and diagonally, asymmetrically. Pants legs can and should be shortened to a length of 7/8 (3 to 5 cm above the ankle). No other type of beauty looks so good in shorter pants (which doesn’t mean regular length is not allowed, it all depends on the shoes).
The same rule applies to sleeves that are supposed to expose the wrists or be shortened to 3/4 length (the best sleeve length for FG). Naturally, these recommendations, for practical reasons, cannot apply to outerwear that is supposed to keep us warm on cold days. Exposing the ankle is also better left for the spring and summer because this style requires appropriate footwear (pumps, sandals). Incidentally, it is worth mentioning that the 7/8 pants length looks great on almost any, even larger, figure. The exposed ankle will add charm and sex appeal to every woman, no matter what type of beauty she represents. The condition is that the appropriate shoes have high (at least 8 cm) heels.
A Flamboyant Gamine woman will look exceptionally well in the 1920s and 1930s retro style. Flapper Style was a symbol of a modern and liberated woman, fitting the image of Flamboyant Gamine both ideologically and practically. A dropped or undefined waist, decorative tapes that cut the silhouette, and fringe trims are the perfect suggestions for the Flamboyant Gamine. Of course, this concerns evening and cocktail creations, although some Flapper Style elements can be easily smuggled into everyday clothes.
Of course, Flapper Style for a modern woman is retro-styled clothes, not literally retro clothes. The fabulous style of the 1920s needs to have a contemporary and modern form. The essential modifications are changing the length of the dress and choosing the proper footwear. Dresses with middle-calf length will have a disastrous effect on the figure. You should also beware of retro-style footwear, which, instead of elevating the outfit, will reduce it to a theatrical costume. The ideal dress has asymmetrically placed tapes/decorations (second in the gallery). However, due to the widespread deficit of perfect clothes, it is worth having one with dominating symmetry.
At the end of our 1920s expedition, Carey Mulligan (probably pure Gamine type) as Daisy from the movie “The Great Gatsby.”
The summary of the wardrobe section is a detailed list of dos and don’ts that should guide your Flamboyant Gamine style.
Women with more delicate facial features (influence of the Ethereal or Ingenue element) should avoid any sharp lines close to the face (except for V-necks and FG-type jewelry). The following will be unfavorable: any lapels, sharply emphasized shoulders, and men’s collars.
