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 Some of the information below may be outdated.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.
Soft Gamine’s beauty type can be described as the romantic Gamine type. A woman of this type is first and foremost a Gamine. The romantic element is an addition to her beauty, not the main factor. The overall physique is influenced by a turbulent combination of female and male elements, with the former being partially dominant.
Women of short stature are the majority among the Soft Gamines, although the established height limit is almost 170 cm (5’7″). If being tall is also combined with being overweight, it is difficult to talk about a petite woman. Beauty features remain the same, but the dimensions are entirely different. The Soft Gamine woman with a height of 155 cm (5’1″) and a weight of 50 kg (110 lbs) will look utterly different from a woman with 170 cm (5’7″) and 70 kg (154 lbs). This will naturally translate into a slightly modified selection of clothing or accessories. However, regardless of height or body size, the features of all Soft Gamine women remain similar. And the main key to deciphering this type of beauty is beautiful, always girly faces, regardless of age. It is a powerful influence of the Ingenue element, which is present here in almost 100%.
Below we can see two incredible outfits on Christina Ricci. The long dress by Marc Jacobs is a bit airy, maybe even “gently flowing” (characteristic of the Soft Classic type), but finished with original, sharp piping. Thanks to this, the dress is one of a kind, a bit spicy, and without a doubt fits flawlessly with Christina’s beauty. Perfectly matched makeup and hairstyle complete the whole styling.
Christina’s hairstyle and makeup would create a beautiful composition even with a plain white (or black) top and jeans, as long as both of these garments have the Soft Gamine cuts and forms. In daytime makeup, the lipstick could have a slightly more subdued shade.
The second outfit is almost representative of Soft Gamine’s style. The cut of the dress, the pattern, and the decorative neckline trim in the shape of a collar make the whole outfit a perfect setting for Christina Ricci’s beauty.
By contrast, a few photos of Christina Ricci presenting styles attributed to other types of beauty. Will a pretty face pull them off? Perhaps in the pictures, yes. In reality, it will be much worse, unfortunately. Gamine (#8) and Soft Natural (#4) styles will hurt Christina the least. Theatrical Romantic style (#2) will hurt her a little more. Christina is Winter; in addition, the outfit and makeup are not very dark or theatrical. Overall it’s not bad, but it could be much better. Diva styling (#1), pure classic style (#3), dramatic-classic contouring (#5), and geometric extravagance of Flamboyant Gamine (#6 and #7) are the most unfavorable styles. By the way, it is worth mentioning that the elements particularly undesirable for the Soft Gamine type are undesirable for any type of beauty strongly influenced by Ingenue.
The bone structure of Soft Gamine is very similar to that of pure Gamine. The bones are small and slightly angular. On the other hand, the facial bones are somewhat wider than Gamine’s, often a heart shape.
Another quite characteristic and not infrequent feature of Soft Gamine is a quite elongated (but not protruding) chin, like, for example, in Reese Witherspoon. The physiognomic differences between the Gamine and Soft Gamine types are mainly influenced by the body shape. It is where the female Yin is most active. For a Soft Gamine woman, the Yin creates soft, rounded lines, contributes to more delicate facial features and more feminine shapes. The pure Gamine has a more boyish figure and slightly sharper features. Her body is not as Yin as Soft Gamine’s. The Yin element in the Soft Gamine type can be present in varying degrees. Therefore, the principle that not all features assigned to a given type necessarily determine belonging to this type also applies here. The eyes do not have to be the size of saucers, and the cheeks do not have to evoke fruit associations, bringing to mind the two halves of an apple.
The most important thing is the overall impression that a woman’s beauty makes on us. Choosing proper clothes and outfits will always give us additional certainty when determining the type of beauty. Contrary to appearances, the rules are pretty simple. The more Yin is your beauty, the more your wardrobe should be. Conversely, if Yang is dominant in your beauty, styling must also follow the androgenic direction.
(As a side note, a small remark to people who are offended by the Far Eastern style used in the description of David Kibbe beauty types. The use of the Yin/Yang measure facilitates the description of individual types, introduces clarity of concepts, and influences the form of the blog posts. Writing only about roundness and angularities would be imprecise and would also sound terrible.)
Let’s look at the comparison of Soft Gamine’s faces (Edyta Herbuś) with other types of beauty. In the first row, there are two other Gamine types (Kate Mara – Gamine and Lea Michele – Flamboyant Gamine). In the second row, Edyta is accompanied by Mila Kunis (Soft Natural) and Emily Blunt (Soft Classic). We compare Soft Gamine with Romantic (Salma Hayek) and Theatrical Romantic (Rachel Weisz) in the third row.
David Kibbe defined the Soft Gamine style as Spitfire Chic. This term is quite enigmatic, and probably only the author himself understands its meaning. Sure, flamboyance and strong expression can be an addition. A pinch of spice, giving the outfits a bit of a crazy character, can be an exciting complement to them. However, the basic style is better conveyed by the term “doll-like.” Of course, trying to resemble a doll literally is also not a good idea. The point is that Yin elements should be more girly, flirty (for example, animated) than strictly feminine or romantic. It is very easy to age a woman of Ingenue beauty with improperly selected clothing and styling. We all know that poorly chosen outfit disfigures or ages, regardless of the type of beauty. But the beauty of women with a girly appearance, regardless of age, is the most sensitive to it.
It applies even to such a personality as the brilliant actress and aristocrat Helena Bonham Carter. Her unique style is as crazy as it is cute, especially that she can afford to play with her image. She doesn’t have to try to please anyone. The message that her avant-garde appearance conveys is very, very meaningful. Contesting the styling standards imposed on us, and thus the dictate of fashion, with your own image, requires a lot of courage. Unfortunately, the price is to get rid of attractiveness and exposure to ridicule. Is it worth paying such a price?
For those who prefer to manifest their views differently, let’s look at the following examples of the outfits and styling appropriate for the Soft Gamine type. They may not be entirely exemplary, but they are undoubtedly correct. And that’s enough. They are presented by: Edyta Herbuś, Katarzyna Cichopek, Agnieszka Kaczorowska, Reese Witherspoon and Margaret. In the case of the latter, the Spitfire Chic is in full swing. But even crazy outfits can add charm if they are chosen properly.
Reese Witherspoon (156 cm, or 5’2″) in “Legally Blonde” presented a slightly too sweet but otherwise perfect Soft Gamine style. Another representative of the Soft Gamine type who plays a beautiful looking young lady is a talented and charming actress Annasophia Robb (152 cm, or 5’0″). Someone in charge of styling the main character in the series “The Carrie Diaries” clearly followed the Soft Gamine style guidelines. Annasophia looks lovely in the pictures from the movie set.
Soft Gamine women tend to look better with shorter haircuts. It is especially true for representatives of short stature. A longer haircut looks great as long as it does not visually overburden the figure and extends as far as the shoulder blade line. The bob (especially with bangs) and the pageboy haircuts are the best fits for Soft Gamine of all types of beauty. Therefore, when choosing a hairstyle, women of this type have an extensive range of possibilities. Page, bob, lob, or an even longer haircut – all of these options can be good choices. With taller women, longer hair than recommended for short women will also work. Bangs and all kinds of updos wonderfully emphasize the Soft Gamine beauty. With a high forehead, it is especially worth choosing bangs (like Christina Ricci). Generally, the more girly hairstyle, the better.
Sharp, masculine cuts (all women should avoid them) and serious, noble hairstyles (e.g., Hollywood waves or classic French buns) should be avoided.
When choosing makeup, the basic rule is the same as selecting the right hairstyle. First of all, makeup should be girly and flirtatious, never heavy or exaggerated. It should always be adapted to the color type.
An accent in the form of heavily mascaraed eyelashes is a great choice. Outlined eye contour, emphasizing its size and shape. The blush and lipstick should bring freshness and girly charm to the face.
Strong, sharp lines drawn with eyeliner, heavy smokey eyes, and intense lipstick colors (nude and dark, dramatic shades) should be avoided.
The right and incorrect makeup is presented by: Reese Witherspoon, Edyta Herbuś, Christina Ricci, Katarzyna Cichopek, Winona Ryder, and Margaret.
The graphic symbol of Soft Gamine’s style is the teardrop. On the one hand, a round shape symbolizing the Yin. On the other hand, a sharp point referring to the Yang element. The teardrop ideally reflects the atmosphere of patterns and accessories typical of Soft Gamine. Suitable prints should be clearly defined (as opposed to watercolors), animated, round, and have a certain sharpness at the same time. The second perfect symbol, next to the teardrop, is the heart. The faces of Soft Gamine women most often are heart-shaped. Again, we have softness combined with sharpness. If stripes or plaid appear in the wardrobe, they must be broken with rounded shapes (e.g., florals).
The cuts and lines inherent in the Soft Gamine type are close to the body, fitting but not overly tight. When writing about the style of Soft Gamine women, David Kibbe used the following comparison: “The best things come in small packages.” A wardrobe for the Soft Gamine type gives the impression of being tiny, regardless of the size.
Blouses, blazers, cardigans, or outerwear should not be too long. Long tops, long sweaters, long coats, maxi dresses – these are things utterly inadvisable for Soft Gamine women. Many of the recommended styles are the so-called cut-off styles (e.g., short blazers, bolero jackets, short sweaters, 3/4 sleeves, 7/8 pants length). 3/4 pants length are also recommended, but these are best removed from each list, regardless of the type of beauty. Use 7/8 or 1/2 (to the knee bend) instead of 3/4 length. Skirts and dresses should also reach a maximum of knee bend, possibly just enough to cover them. David Kibbe recommends tea-length dresses and skirts that are calf-length. According to the author, these can be flared cocktail and evening dresses, especially those made of layers of tulle. This suggestion will suit taller Soft Gamine women. With the height of 160 cm (5’3”) and less, this length looks unfavorable.
When building a Soft Gamine wardrobe, broken lines are essential, just as with the other two Gamine types. Monochrome sets and strong vertical lines should be avoided. If the dress is solid, shoes or a handbag should be a color accent and break the monotony. Soft Gamine’s style does not like simplicity and minimalism. There may be more or fewer details (whatever suits you and whatever you feel comfortable with), but you should introduce even the smallest action.
If the style is boring, the Soft Gamine woman (G and FG too) looks sad and bland. She loses her youthful charm, freshness, and charisma.
If we were to refer to the culinary style and organoleptic comparisons for individual Gamine types, they would read as follows:
