(Audio)Book Review:
For ages, my best friend has been fixated on Kibbe’s body line system – or at least how it appears on the internet. The book “Metamorphosis” was published like 40 years ago, and it’s difficult (and expensive) to get ahold of a copy now. But you can find the full text pdf on the Internet Archive.
Mostly it seemed like a more complex version of the standard body shapes. Additional considerations for vertical lines, as opposed to just finding the widest part(s) of the figure – and then assigning a fruit to it. =P
But then David Kibbe released his revised and updated book last year. The BFF probably preordered the damn thing, and – being the manual-shunner that she is – skipped immediately to the line drawings section and proceeded to duplicate what she’d already been doing for the last several years. Sheeeeeesh, girl. -forehead palm-
I, however, am the read-instructions-twice (and find all the typos) person. Or, in this case, I have listened to the audiobook version a couple of times.
This is definitely an audiobook that benefits from having been read by the author – I love Kibbe’s personality and sense of humor; he and his wife are so endearing. I think the vast majority of books benefit from being read by the author. Possible exceptions include anything by Stephen Hawking. >.>
Anyway, I will eventually get a copy of the print edition, because the book is outstanding. And the typing system that had Kibbe’s name slapped on it while it was being proliferated across the internet style sphere has finally been put in the trash by the man himself.
The biggest difference between the so-called Kibbe system online and the real system from his book is that the real Kibbe method is holistic.
I think when people usually say “holistic beauty,” they’re referring to everything physical that feeds (pun!) into appearance, including diet and environment, as well as makeup, hair, and nails.
But in the Kibbe sense, it’s a mentally holistic beauty system. He addresses our views of the fashion standards across the decades, our views of our bodies, and what we perceive to be our best and worst points. In fact, he emphasizes that it’s all perception-based – for Kibbe, beauty objectivity is a myth.
My personal style is full-on romantic. I love girly things, ruffles and lace, florals, and delicate details. My line (the shape of my body beneath the clothes that I wear) is double curve.
Yeah, I could wear “la femme fatale” styles or “theatrical romantic” fashions, but they’d make me feel uncomfortable. Likewise, I could certainly wear bold geometric prints and not look BAD, but it wouldn’t make me happy – I wouldn’t look forward to getting dressed.
My Romantic Style Pinterest Board
Kibbe also covers color analysis, using his version of the four seasons (i.e., the “Color Me Beautiful” system). I’m in an odd spot on that spectrum since I’m one of the rare neutrals – and a pale neutral, at that. But since Kibbe’s system emphasizes perception and subjectivity, I see myself as a Spring-Summer child. =) I’m definitely on the lower contrast side of the calendar, either way.
Overall, I loved this audiobook, and really enjoyed getting to know both David and his system. It gave me a lot of interesting things to consider (yay! Brain food!), and some different perspectives on style that I hadn’t thought about before. I highly recommend it to any of y’all who are interested in personal style and/or fashion.
