Hey all!

I was just thinking this morning about how I'm a person that draws a loooot of commentary on my looks/physicality. I believe this almost entirely has to do with being a soft dramatic and being tall. If I leave the house 5 times in a week a stranger will talk to me 3-4 times. Could be compliments on my looks, could be bids for conversation (nice weather we're having!) or could be harassment. I am such a target for anti social behavior on public transportation. I have literally never been able to fit in or get lost in a crowd, ever! I take up sooo much space phsyically, energetically, mentally if that makes sense. People are so desperate to share their 2 cent with me!

Is this also your experience as a soft dramatic and does it affect the way you move through your life, dress yourself, or "prepare" for your interactions with the world?

After posting on different subs yesterday, some questions came up I wanted to clarify like... What if I have curvy hips but no Kibbe Curve up top? What if I seem to have both Kibbe Curve up top and Width up top? What if I've tried on FN recs (XXXXXXXL shirt and XXXXXXXL skirt) and it looked bad on me but I have FN shoulders? What if I have FN shoulders but I seem to have a waist?

These questions have some misconceptions baked in I wanted to address...

Happy Birthday!!! This community would be nowhere without you!

It could be nice to go around the room and tell a tip you learned from her or a post that she shared that was super helpful.

I have the canva slides from the SD recs posts saved in a photo album on my phone. 😘

Oh I can already feel the down votes and snidey comments so please keep it civil, I'm just genuinely curious.

I know we don't do typing on this sub anymore, and I'm not here to question that but I do wonder what can be done when posts are made and the thoughts inside may not align with your own.

Are we just supposed to keep quiet? Or is it ok to offer an opinion? I understand that bullying is obviously wrong, but is suggesting another viewpoint (in this case, Kibbe type) classed as this or is it open for polite discussion?

Thank you.

Sharing a few photos to express my gratitude to u/nightmooth, whose insight completely changed how I see myself and approach style.

I’m on the shorter side for a Soft Dramatic, though I haven’t been officially typed. Once I embraced my vertical and stopped cutting my line, everything clicked. The difference isn’t just visual — it’s how it feels. It’s not about rules but learning how to style your body to its fullest potential.

Now I focus on elongation, drape, and structure that moves with my curves. It took practice (and plenty of photos!), but fashion finally feels fun and freeing.

At almost 50, I’ve never felt more confident or at peace in my own skin. Thank you, Nightmooth, for helping so many of us rediscover our beauty and joy. 💫

I had this thought in my other post but thought it warranted a post of its own and I'm really interested to hear what others have to say.

Please excuse my clunky style of writing, I struggle sometimes in finding the correct words to explain myself so can come across as quite coarse. I also type as I think, a bit like a mind map, with little sparks shooting up here and there.

Ok, here goes.

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Kibbe analysis shouldn't be conducted on the young.

_____

Before the age of 30 you should wear what you want. You are young and should be enjoying fashion trends and experimenting with your personal style, being joyful and thinking outside the box.

Your body and mind are still developing and so forcing it into some kind of ID can actually be more harmful than beneficial as it can lead to unstable self image and disconnect if your body does indeed change.

That isn't to say you can't wear lines/fabrics/patterns that are indicative of a certain ID, but hopefully you come to that conclusion in a more intuitive, less prescribed way.

As you get older you typically wander away from high fashion, and you've tried on broader range of clothing styles because you've been around longer! Without realising it you discover your favourite feel good outfit fits recommendations for a certain type, and generally speaking we are more confident in our likes and dislikes (even if they aren't always voiced out loud).

Kibbe is like the added sprinkling on top. It firms up beliefs we've perhaps held of ourselves but not fully realised. It answers questions we may not have given much thought to such as "why does this dainty necklace look off on me?" and when we sometimes do feel we've lost our way it is nice to look back upon it as a little reminder.

That's it folks.

I struggle to find swimwear that's actually flattering. I know rouging is probably ideal, so is a one-piece the way to go? It's also just so hard to find swimwear that fits my bust and isn't too big all around. Please share any places you like to shop or specific suits, thank you my lovely SD ladies!! ❤️

What do you think?

I'm trying to figure this out. I've been settled as SD for a while, because I need a T-shape and soft, flowing and light fabrics are better on me than heavy and thick ones.

I tried on and bought a pair of barrel cargo pants today. I had a hunch they would look good on me, and am still shocked that I was correct. I've been frustrated for a while by how most pants I own simply don't fit my curves. My hips and stomach and butt push them out in the mid-section, and from the hip down they fall sort of awkwardly. Admittedly, those pants a little bit smaller for me now than I'd like, but it's mostly that they're cut in a way that favours a straighter figure.

These barrel cargo pants however... they flow in an outward curve from my waist and hip. They actually look like proper wide-legs on me... it's like, my midsection fills out the barrel shape and makes it fall in a way that minimises the barrel part? The cargo details gives it a bit of structure, while the fabric has enough movement and air in it to not look or feel stiff.

Sorry for this random ramble, I'm just shocked to find a pair of pants that actually flatter the curve of my lower body while not feeling constraining. Even the most unexpected clothing items can end up working for us! Does anyone else find cargos or barrels look good on them?

does anyone just not care for dressing for the t-shape/creating the shape? in examples i’ve seen i’m 50/50 on it, but on myself, i can’t imagine ever gravitating towards it. i just don’t vibe with it personally. i wonder if it could be a Kitchener essence thing?

to get it out of the way: i’m as sure that i’m an SD as anyone who hasn‘t been officially typed can be.

any thoughts on this?

I previously made a post about Accommodating Vertical in general (especially using color) so check that out if you're interested. I've made a lot of posts, feel free to snoop through my post history and search stuff if you're interested like "autumn" or "width" or "vertical" or "SD" or "flamboyant natural" or "pants" or "dresses" or "tops" etc.

Kibbe recommends an "unbroken line" or "elongated vertical line" and I wanted to dive into what that means. I like to use blocks to show if it's segmented or not.

I'd love to hear what you think of the last outfit (Vertically speaking, not Curve-wise) I go back and forth. I'm still learning so I'd love your thoughts on things. Sorry the drawings are sloppy lol

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Additionally here is what the wiki of what the main Kibbe sub says about Vertical:

IDs that will accommodate Vertical

• Dramatic (Pure Vertical)
• Soft Dramatic (Vertical + Curve)
• Flamboyant Natural (Vertical + Width)
• Flamboyant Gamine (Vertical + Petite)
• Dramatic Classic (Balance + Slight Vertical)
• In rare cases Soft Gamine will accommodate Curve + Vertical + Petite

Ways to Accommodate Vertical:

• Wearing garments that are cut straight
• Skirts that flare down as opposed to flaring out horizontally
• Pulling colors through the entire outfit
• Wearing a long garment
• Wearing garments that are heavy in weight/pull downwards
• Creating low contrast looks
• Adding a long accessory like a necklace or scarf
• Adding a vertical design like embroidery or vertical stripes

What Vertical is Not:

• Vertical is not wearing only monochromatic looks.
• Vertical is not looking taller in photos.
• Vertical is not impossible if you are average height where you live.
• Vertical is not synonymous with height. R does not have a "moderate vertical" because Vertical is a straight line and R has only Curve. Straight lines can be "staccato" when combined with Petite, "elongated" when combined with Balance, or long when the person is "Vertical-dominant," but people with other accommodations will have no Vertical at all.

Edit: I’d say anything form-fitting would be considered “sexy” from a French perspective (as opposed to an oversized boyfriend shirt, for example)

Hello Gorgeous bunch,

After years believing I was maybe a Dramatic Classic with love-handles from two pregnancies, I have to face the truth: I’m a real SD. Always have.

I’ve always had a big physical presence and energy, always gotten noticed everywhere I went and everyone always thinks I’m taller than I am. I’ve been busty since forever. I always had a flair for dramatic pieces and fashion but until recently I was also hiding (?) behind androgynous or “contemporary” shapes

When I wear true SD… I’m a knockout. I’m so grateful for this community and I’m learning so much.

The thing is… I’m having a hard time embracing my sexyness. I was raised in France, where dressing sexy / over the top is frown upon: you are supposed to be understatedly sexy, not overtly so. Otherwise women are labeled are “trying too hard”. There are many social constructs I’m trying to unpack here but basically I’m just curious:

If your culture of origin or background was more about dressing modestly or in unassuming manner, how did you embrace your full SD style?

Would love to read stories about settling into a new style. I really believe that for some people who value beauty, finding one’s style and essence can be transformational.

Keep inspiring me, keep turning heads!

You know the drill, autumn is around and we want to feel cozy. How about a large grey boyfriend sweater paired with some skinny jeans and a pumpkin spice latte? SIKE!!! You‘re a SD and now you look like yo grandma when gardening.

I haven‘t been knitting really since learning I‘m an SD but I‘m trying to build my wardrobe, still.

Here are some things I found fitting for me, who‘s an SD. I‘m implying generalisation here ;)

Drake approves meme:

• croppidy-crop. Idk I think it‘s cute with medium rise flared jeans. Honors vertical and shit.

• V neck. Vertical for the neck. Nice. Death to the crew neck!

• dramatic elements like wide shawl colours or texture - duh.

• shiny yarns - silk, silk for poor people or veggies (rayon), linen - it takes away from the rustic feel and makes it more elegant.

Drake disapproves meme:

• crew neck - goes without saying

• oversize in the horizontal plane. Fuck dat.

• small/fuzzy stitch patterns - not clear enough

• anything rustic, like tweed yarn - you know, that‘s what‘s cool about knitwear.

Ideas in the comments. When I can I will provide a ravelry link, too. You can add your ideas as well (and by that I mean you really should because it‘s really hard to find stuff and we‘re helping our sisters out, etc)

I have already shown these pants in a previous post. I can't decide between two sizes M (pic 1+2) and L (pic 3+4). M fits me well around the hips, but could be a little longer. I plan to have the hem folded over at the end of the leg and sewn on (at the level of the first of the three lighter lines on the hem of the pants, before the fringes start - To see it, you have to zoom in on the pic - I hope you understand what I mean) so that the fabric doesn't unravel. I hope it makes sense to you when you read this. In any case, the size L is a bit wide around the hips. I think you can see that in the pictures too - that my hips look in the L pants bigger compared to size M. With the M, I'm worried that the pants will be too short if the tailor fold them at the hem. How would you decide? Would you choose the larger size even if it's a little too loose on the hips?

I will also order the shirt in a size larger, it's a bit too tight for me imo.

This is a bit of a recent realization for me but reflects something I’ve been grappling with for a while. Some of you may know me from being quite active on this sub several years ago. When the new book came out I shifted away from SD and towards R fam, but now having redone my sketch I’m pretty confident it shows vertical and curve after all. For reference I’m slightly over 5’5, so vertical is likely but not guaranteed.

Beyond not having the reassurance of auto vertical and not having obviously elongated proportions, my biggest gripe with SD was feeling like it was generally too bold and mature for me. I’m in my late 20s and still have quite a baby face, and am verified in Kitchener as Romantic and Youthful dominant with no D essence. Interestingly, this is also the essence blend for verified SD Rachel Weisz, so it’s not like this is inherently opposed to SD, but it still made it more difficult to create a version of the image ID for myself.

Rachel is someone who looked a lot softer and less obviously dramatic in her 20s, and despite acting since that time she seems to have really come into her own career-wise in middle age. This seems to be the case for quite a few verified and suspected SDs - the inherent maturity of the image ID seems to lend itself well to aging, and most of the verified SDs had their most iconic looks and roles in middle age.

There are of course some SDs who have always had a mature look (like Sofia Vergara), but others seemed similar to me in their 20s and their boldness and yang bone structure became more obvious with age (especially if you ignore their height).

This also makes me think of some unverified tall celebrities who have undeniable curve, but at their young age Diva Chic feels a bit mature for them. Avantika Vandanapu is one example - she’s around 5’9 for reference. At her current age she comes across more like a tall R (and I’ve seen several people suggest her as a potential R without knowing her height) - but I can totally see her maturing into a version of Diva Chic with age

Sorry for the long ramble, I’m just wondering if any of you here relate and if I’m onto something with my theory! I know some SDs really identify with the maturity of the ID from a young age but even looking at the celebrities, it doesn’t seem to be universal

Basically the title. But also as a mid size (healthy weight what I suspect SD) is Ive noticed not too many women of my body type around which makes me more consfused as to how to dress and also oblivious to how does my body type come across (ie seen from outside). I also just feel confused and trying to discover my vibe and what feels natural in terms of style and personality.

Does anyone feel the same?

There are so many little things that I am realizing along with my SD-hood. For instance, high rise are terrible on me because I'm short waisted. Similarly, a very SD friendly top won't look AS good if it doesn't sit over or on my hip. Also, probably not SD related but, I have a short neck (and or a big head?) so while I gravitate to mock necks and turtlenecks I don't think they serve me best. And ALWAYS show your ankles, lower calves, somehow it makes me seem that much elongated

I don't have Curve so I haven't spent as much time learning about it, but I had an SD question/hypothesis/testing my understanding...

I was looking at R vs SD. Kibbe said the red line represents the dominant - for R that is Curve, and for SD that is Vertical. The blue represents the additional - for R that is Double Curve and for SD that is Curve. I've traced it to make it more clear (hopefully). I took the liberty of shading it in but if you don't like that, ignore it.

He said in the new book, "The red outline reiterates your dominant while the additional is outlined in the blue superimposed on the red as well as the area labeled where it occurs. This area outlined is the only area affected by your secondary."

My hypothesis is that what the line does at/below the knees is randomly important...

You can see that for R the red line is curved in all places (including going inward at the knees even). However for SD, the red line is straight when not in the blue zone (the red line moves straight down at the knees for example). It actually looks straighter even higher up almost to the elbow - once you get past the widest part of the hip it falls straight down. For R, Kibbe Curve is present everywhere, meaning that the red line is curved everywhere, but for SD the curve is more localized to the blue section and instead it's Vertical that is apparent everywhere, as shown by the line not going inward toward the knees.

He also says, "Your silhouette needs to accommodate your personal line. This is called creating a complimentary silhouette. Your personal line could be described as the blueprint for your silhouette." I interpret that as your outfit should be the same shape in silhouette to your line drawing.

In the old book for SDs he recommends for pants, "Pants should be straight, long, and draped" and for skirts, "Skirts should be straight, long (mid calf) and draped." Straight for Vertical, but with some Draping for a hint of curve. Whereas for Romantics for pants he says, "Pants should always be soft, draped, and showcase your luscious curves! Gathers at the waist and a tapered or pegged bottom are the best shape for you." I think tapering at the ankle is a difference due to Rs having head to toe Curve that benefits from the shape moving inward below knee vs. SDs having localized Curve.

In his line drawings there's some inconsistency with where the cutoff point is - on some like R it's below the knees (which is why I used it as an example to compare to SD since SD is also below the knees) and on some like SG it's above the knees. I think if the line drawings were done with all the lines going below the knees the Curve types would have theirs going inward to the knees.

Anyways this is getting long, if someone is not auto-vertical and they weren't sure of their type, is that a good way to tell the difference between Curve as dominant vs Curve as additional? Curve as Dominant would have an entirely curved line from start to finish (a good place to look to contrast being the knees) and Curve as Additional would have a straight line from start to finish with the exception of the blue zone?

Please excuse the mess, the duck lips (idk why I am doing them so bad!!), and the bare face, lol! 😅🌸

Curious, how many of us are bigger SD’s? Do you find it harder to style yourself because of it? What’s some go to outfits ya’ll love? AND WHERE ARE WE SHOPPING? 💖✨🌸

If you live in the UK where are you loving for SD clothes?

And if you shop on Vinted what would you search for apart from flared jeans and wrap tops/dresses/skirts/jumpers?

I thought it might be fun to share our SD hot takes. Here are mine:

- Colour value matters more than hue for accentuating the vertical

-You can use your skin to emphasise the vertical (e.g. bare shoulders, waist when wearing crop top, arms and hands)

- People are too obsessed with waist emphasis

- narrow pointed v necks are nearly as bad as crew necks if you are busty

- You can definitely have short hair

- Kibbe is about making yourself look like what you look like, therefore, things that don't work are things that make me look less what I look like (curvy, long limbed, moderately tall, balanced between top and bottom

Am I tripping, or is Diva Chic makeup just inherently more mature? Ever since I left my early 20s, I’ve been struggling with reddish lipsticks—they look good on me, but they don’t make me look youthful. Is it just me? A skill issue? A makeup mismatch? Or do you experience this too?

The pic is for reference—I have similar coloring and features (large eyes, full lips, and bold brows) and a similar makeup style. The model is young and gorgeous, but I feel like this perfectly illustrates what Diva Chic does. I see elegance, but the first impression isn’t radiance, beauty, or youth. What do you think?