How to Do the Kibbe Personal Line Sketch for Flamboyant Gamines

This is based on David Kibbe's book The Power of Style, which outlines the updated system for finding your Image Identity. The Personal Line serves as the practical anchor of this entire framework.

The Image Identity Formula

Image Identity is the modern version of what was once called Kibbe Type, and it is made up of two essential pieces: Yin/Yang Balance and Personal Line. Your Yin/Yang Balance describes your physical body, placing you on a scale that runs from sharp yang at one end to soft yin at the other. Your Personal Line, however, acts as the blueprint for how your clothes should be built, telling you exactly what your silhouette needs to do to look its best. When you combine these two parts, you arrive at your specific Image Identity.

What Is Personal Line

Your Personal Line is a single outline that captures how all of your body's proportions relate to one another. Because it isn't something you can see just by looking in the mirror, you must learn to define it by looking at your full-body proportions as one unit.

Every Personal Line consists of a Dominant and an Additional trait. There are two possible Dominants—Vertical and Curve—and six possible Additionals: Curve, Width, Narrow, Balance, Double Curve, and Petite. Note that Vertical only ever appears as a Dominant. Once these two parts are combined, you have a Personal Line that your clothing silhouette is then planned to follow.

The Five Archetypes on the Yin/Yang Scale

The yin/yang scale is described by five archetypes that serve as reference points for every Image Identity.

• Dramatic represents extreme sharp yang, characterized as narrow and elongated.

• Romantic is extreme soft yin, defined by a lush and curvaceous frame.

• Classic is the balance point, sitting perfectly even between the two extremes.

• Natural is also yang, but with a blunt-edged quality rather than a sharp one.

• Gamine is a unique mix of opposites, featuring a small yin size with a sharp yang frame.

Your specific Image Identity locates itself somewhere along this same scale in relation to these points.

The Fabric-Draping Method

To work out your Personal Line, you use a method involving an imaginary piece of fabric. Picture a length of silk chiffon, weighted at the bottom, draped from your shoulders. As the fabric falls, you are watching to see if it drops straight down or if it is pushed outward by your bust and hips along the way.

A straight drop from the shoulder indicates a Vertical Dominant. If the fabric pushes out at the bust, narrows at the waist, and pushes out at the hips, your Dominant is Curve. This drape is not a literal outline of your body, nor is it pulled tight against you; instead, it skims your frame as it falls from the shoulder to reveal your Dominant trait.

How to Do the Sketch

In practice, you identify your Personal Line by sketching it onto a photo of yourself. You’ll need a full-length, front-facing photo taken in form-fitting clothes while standing in a relaxed pose with your arms at your sides. For the best accuracy, set the camera about ten feet away at chest height and avoid using a mirror.

Starting at the point where the shoulder meets the upper arm, sketch the path the imaginary fabric takes as it falls. A straight, unbroken drop is a Vertical Dominant, while a line pushed out by the bust and hips is a Curve Dominant.

It is important to trust the sketch as your primary source rather than referring back to your body. Height rules also apply: at 5'6" and over, your Dominant is automatically Vertical. Under that height, both Dominants are possible, though Curve only appears under 5'6". Once the Dominant is set, the Additional is sketched on top to complete the Personal Line. This combined sketch then serves as the reference for your Complementary Silhouette.

The Flamboyant Gamine Image Identity

Flamboyant Gamine is an identity defined by a combination of opposites with a strong yang influence. Its Personal Line is Vertical plus Petite, and height is under 5'6". The resulting silhouette is built from two elements: a base that runs in a long, straight line close to the body, and separate pieces or accessories that add "staccato" breaks to that line.

In the drape method, the imaginary fabric falls straight from the shoulder and stays close to the frame. The Petite Additional then packs that vertical line into a compressed, smaller-scale frame. This creates a silhouette that requires both a straight downward base and frequent visual breaks to honor the compact proportions of the body.

Reading Vertical Dominance in the Sketch

This is my opinion, but I think the most telling part of a Vertical sketch is the section right after the shoulder dot. Each of the five Vertical Image Identities has its own distinct behavior in this area:

• Dramatic: The line narrows inward at the shoulder and then runs straight down.

• Soft Dramatic: The line drops off the shoulder and curves around the bustline.

• Flamboyant Natural: The line moves outward from the shoulder, wide enough that any bust curve sits inside it before it drops to the floor.

• Dramatic Classic: The line remains even as it leaves the shoulder, showing no narrowing, widening, or curve.

• Flamboyant Gamine: The line is brief as it leaves the shoulder before dropping down, reflecting a more compact frame.

The Flamboyant Gamine Sketch

The Flamboyant Gamine sketch is primarily defined by scale. While the line still drops straight from the shoulder dot, the shoulder line is shortened and the entire silhouette is compressed. Everything is packed into a smaller frame than a standard Vertical line would take up, resulting in a compact, straight outline that requires visual breaks to keep the eye moving.

The Seamstress Lens

From the perspective of a seamstress, the Flamboyant Gamine line requires specific adjustments to honor a petite frame. She would pull the shoulder line upward so the garment sits correctly, and then she would deliberately break the vertical line with details like tucks, seams, hem accents, or bold zipper placements. Finally, she would pull up the bottom and hem it to maintain the compact scale.

For more on this perspective, see A Seamstress Walks Into a Bar.

Other Ways to Discover Your Kibbe Type

While the fabric drape and sketch method is David Kibbe's current approach, there are other paths to finding your type. The original was the quiz, which used questions about bone structure, flesh, and facial features. This was followed by requesting consensus from online communities. I later developed the photo analysis tool, which uses computer vision to read proportions and yin/yang balance from a photo. I then updated to the current sketch approach by adding 3D body mapping, sketch output, and virtual try-ons to show how different clothes look on your frame. Try it out today!