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Gamine – Olga Brylińska Image Consultant
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The Tomboy
Gamine
ARCHIVE ENTRY

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 Some of the information below may be outdated.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.

BODY TYPE – FACIAL FEATURES – WARDROBE

The Gamine type combines strong influences of extreme male and female attributes. The impact of the Yang element is manifested in the body and bone structure. On the other hand, Yin is present in the facial features and small stature. However, short stature is not a hallmark of all Gamine women. Although much less often, there are women with a height of almost 170 cm (5’7”). The simple, sharp, and narrow structure resembles the Dramatic type. If two women, 167 cm tall (5’6”) and of similar weight, stood next to each other, one in the Dramatic type, the other in the Gamine type, their figures would be very similar. A beauty type would be determined by their very different faces. A Gamine woman has larger eyes and more delicately outlined contours, which results in a much less noble appearance.

Let’s take a look at the first representative of the Gamine type – Michelle Williams, who is in the company of Kelly Osbourne (Flamboyant Gamine) and Tilda Swinton (Dramatic). Unfortunately, the photo shows no difference in height between Michelle, Kelly, and tall Tilda. This is because someone incorporated a Dramatic woman into the picture, forgetting that she is almost 180 cm (5’11”) tall. (Michelle – 163 cm or 5’4”, Kelly – 158 cm or 5’2”).

David Kibbe speaks wonderfully about women. In the descriptions of individual types, he emphasizes that each is beautiful, regardless of what beauty features they have been given by nature. Watching beautiful actresses, representatives of particular types, many women oppose the division into physiognomic types by David Kibbe, mistakenly believing that he wants to make them insecure. Meanwhile, it is precisely the opposite. Each of us is different and attractive in our own way. How we present ourselves depends on the accurately selected wardrobe and styling. If a woman with a male Yang beauty type wears Yin style, she will never look pretty. On the other hand, the beauty of a Yin woman will never present itself favorably in an androgenic aura. Once we recognize our type and follow its path, our beauty will blossom, and we will finally stop pretending to be someone we never were. Do the oval face, hourglass figure, and exorbitantly long legs have to be the only canons of beauty? It’s high time that these ideals finally stopped bullying the female sex.

The influence of the female or male elements (Yin/Yang) also translates into temperament and, consequently, into certain character traits. Styles assigned to specific types of beauty help to express what lies within a woman. It is not without reason that we say: “I feel good in it, it suits me” or “I feel wrong in it, somehow uncomfortable.” It is not just a matter of fitting the appearance. Style should express our personality, create a complete whole with both physiognomy and temperament. It’s really worth being yourself, anytime, anywhere, from head to toe.

A great example of how terribly a woman’s charm is affected by dressing up as a different type of beauty was casting Michelle Williams (Gamine) as the all-time sex bomb Marilyn Monroe (Romantic). You can watch the beauty of tiny Michelle fade away. The female Yin style brings out her masculine qualities. Michelle’s lovely face styled as Marilyn becomes strangely androgynous and uninteresting. The body was refined with modeling underwear; Michelle did not put on weight for the role. Anyway, even if she had to do it, her body would not be as curvy as in the Romantic type.

Another movie that Michelle Williams starred in was “Oz: The Great and Powerful.” Here, too, the role and styling did not particularly contribute to emphasizing the beauty of the tomboy woman. The best-chosen actress turned out to be Rachel Weisz (Theatrical Romantic), as her role as Evanora sparkled beautifully with her type of beauty. After the movie’s premiere, you could often watch the three lead actresses together: Mila Kunis (Soft Natural), Rachel Weisz (Theatrical Romantic), and Michelle Wiliams (Gamine). Their physiognomic types of beauty are pretty different from each other. 

Below, Mila Kunis as Gamine and Rachel Weisz as Dramatic Classic.

The following two photos show Mila Kunis (Soft Natural) and Michelle Williams (Gamine) in a wardrobe perfectly suited in terms of style (unfortunately not in terms of color) to their type of beauty. The ladies represent types quite far apart on the Yin-Yang axis. It’s a pity that you can see these actresses in equally successful outfits so rarely. Michelle’s hairstyle is not exactly perfect yet. She looked much better in very short hair. Michelle would look perfect in shorter hair with warmer tones and less black near the face.

The style for the Gamine type is Piquant Boyishly Chic. It translates into cuts with a slightly androgenic quality. The whole thing is complemented by sharp, geometric details, patterns, and jewelry. It is also worth reaching for colorful, animated, slightly humorous elements with bold, Picasso aesthetics. Of course, all details must be adjusted to the woman’s size. Small, short Gamine women will choose smaller patterns and more delicate jewelry. Taller or heavier representatives of this type of beauty may use slightly larger details.

Another essential element of the Gamine style is clearly defining the silhouette’s contours while simultaneously cutting it with short vertical and horizontal lines. Women with this type of beauty look best in clothes that fit their figure. A dress or skirt may be wider only from the middle of the thighs. Of course, these are strict recommendations by David Kibbe from which you can diverge, especially if you have a slim figure. After all, many girly dresses and skirts (which are perfect for Gamine) are flared at the waist. If the silhouette is slim and slender, a delicate flare should not do much harm. You just have to be careful not to get too close to one of the strong Yin styles. Stiff flared skirts and dresses should also be avoided. The desired mood will be introduced by the right details, patterns, jewelry, and accessories.

Below, photos of Gamine representatives displaying suitable (or at least correct) and incorrect styling. It is easy to see how an unfavorably picked outfit clashes with Gamine’s unique beauty.

For Zooey Deschanel, as for Scarlett Johansson (Soft Natural), the best examples of the proper styling are the photos from an ad photoshoot. The actress promoted a collection of clothes signed by Tommy Hilfiger. Perfect dresses for the Gamine type. Do some advertising and marketing specialists follow the typology created by David Kibbe when choosing models?

Coco Chanel was classified by David Kibbe as a Gamine type, as was Audrey Tautou, who played her in a movie. Great Coco, by creating revolutionary designs that were to change women’s fashion forever, certainly started with designing for herself. She felt that the style in fashion at that time was utterly incompatible with a woman whose beauty was influenced by the male Yang element. Chanel was one of the first to wear pants in the daytime and promoted stripes as a pattern for women. The characteristic Chanel piping also perfectly matches the Gamine style. Admittedly, the classic style of Chanel today corresponds more with the style of Dramatic Classic. However, we must admit that the brilliant Coco was able to perfectly sense the character of a woman-tomboy and convince to it millions of women around the world. Her enthusiasm for completely unsuitable pearls should be forgiven in the light of such enormous merits for the world of fashion.

GAMINE – BODY – CHARACTERISTICS

  • Height – short to approx. 170 cm (5’7”)
  • Relatively long vertical lines (a Gamine woman may appear taller than she really is)
  • Body type – most often a rectangle – letter I (with narrower shoulders it may be a delicate pear), with higher BMI an apple
  • Shoulders – slim, straight, angular or small, sloping
  • Arms and legs – often quite long in relation to the torso (but this is not a 100% rule)
  • Hands and feet – medium or small, often narrow
  • Bust – small or medium (depending on the weight)
  • Waist – straight or slightly defined
  • Hips – straight, narrow, boyish
  • Forearms – slender, slim

GAMINE – FACE – CHARACTERISTICS

  • Jaw – tapering, slightly outlined
  • Nose – medium or small, slightly outlined with soft lines or slightly sharper
  • Cheekbones – slightly sharp (only visible at low weight)
  • Eyes – large, round or medium size
  • Lips – slightly full, less often narrow
  • Cheeks – taut, slim

GAMINE – HAIRSTYLE & MAKEUP

According to David Kibbe, the best hair for Gamine is short. The fact is, no other beauty type looks so interesting in a pixie cut. Many Gamine women would look much more attractive with a short haircut. However, as is usually the case with general rules, they are not ideal for everyone. Gamine’s faces, like in all other types of beauty, are different from each other. Women with less proportionate features will be more likely to choose hairdos with longer hair and will probably be better off. Kibbe also doesn’t recommend bangs, especially full and straight bangs. It is impossible to agree with the author here. With longer hair, the fringe perfectly enhances Gamine’s beauty. The best bangs will be relatively short, slightly asymmetrical, and not too heavy.

A Gamine woman deciding to dye her hair can choose high contrasts (within the right color temperature, of course). Strong, expressive colors (which in other types of beauty give an artificial effect) can harmonize beautifully with Gamine’s beauty.

Gamine makeup should accentuate the eyes, which are often large and gorgeous. According to David Kibbe, the smokey eye is the most appropriate way to emphasize them. It is supposed to give the doe-eye effect so desired for the Gamine type. However, the smokey eye is perfect for a Soft Natural woman, bringing out the seductive look in her eyes. Doe eyes, which absolutely suit a Gamine woman, are heavily mascaraed eyelashes (false eyelashes will be perfect for evening outings), plus possible contouring with a crayon (the line should run above the upper eyelash line and under the lower eyelash line). Although, the intense lashes with large eyes already give the desired effect. The smokey eye is way too heavy for Gamine’s delicate beauty.

Makeup should be fresh and clean. The lips should not be too light nor too dark. The saturation of the lipstick should be balanced in such a way that the accent falls on the eyes. Lip glosses are perfect; they will make the lips transparent while enhancing the freshness and juiciness of the makeup. As in any type of beauty, the color palette should be adapted to the color type.

The Gamine type’s proper and inappropriate makeup is presented below by Natalie Portman, Mena Suvari, Michelle Williams, and Zooey Deschanel. These actresses are very rarely seen in a smokey eye. Their makeup artists know what they are doing.

GAMINE – WARDROBE & JEWELRY

Piquant Boyishly Chic is created by lines close to the body and sharp, geometric decorative elements. Unfortunately, not every Gamine woman will look good with sharp geometric lines close to her face. Many Gamine women have a very delicate, even girlish beauty. In that case, it’s worth modifying the pure Gamine style a bit. Replace the sharp male collar with a half-round one with soft lines. Replace the V-neck with a rounded neckline. Avoid sharp lapels and stand-up collars in favor of larger round collars or hoods. Overall, the sharp androgenic style should be softened by girly elements. However, always remember to keep the lines close to the body and not use elements strongly identified with Yin. In practice, this means giving up floral patterns, frills, basques, or draping. The wardrobe should (as always) be composed based on an appropriate color palette, suitable for a given color type.

RECOMMENDED:
  • fitted/tailored clothing
  • subtle accentuation of the waist (e.g., darts)
  • delicate masculine style (not as sharp as in the Dramatic type)
  • sharp edges at the hemlines (optional at the top)
  • V-necks (optional U-necks)
  • classic collars
  • rounded collars (when influenced by Innocent)
  • stand-up collars
  • hoods
  • tie necks
  • ties
  • piping
  • stripes pattern (not very wide)
  • herringbone pattern
  • houndstooth pattern
  • very fine checkered pattern
  • animated prints with geometric shapes
  • sharp, geometric, asymmetrical patterns and details
  • asymmetry (especially in details, patterns, and jewelry)
  • Picasso aesthetics
  • colorful accents
  • small pleats and pleats in skirts (widening in the middle of the thighs)
  • dropped waist
  • short blazers and jackets
  • jackets no longer than mid-thigh
  • short coats
  • handbags with a defined shape decorated with geometric elements
  • colorful, unique bags (with a defined shape)
  • crossbody bags (rectangular)
TO BE AVOIDED:
  • relaxed/oversized clothing (see Natural type)
  • retro style
  • boho style
  • strongly and softly flared skirts, dresses, and coats
  • maxi dresses and skirts
  • draping
  • flowing necklines
  • undefined cuts
  • blurry patterns
  • classic polka dots
  • florals
  • frills
  • lace (except with a geometric weave)
  • peplums
  • kimonos
  • wide sleeves
  • heavy fabrics
  • very lightweight fabrics
  • shoes with round toes
  • bags with undefined shapes
  • Yin jewelry (pearls, baroque ornaments, soft lines, ovals, circles, flowers)