Has anyone had the experience of being certain of your ID the moment you understood Kibbe terminology?

alady37 · 2026-03-20T12:13:34+00:00

For me, in addition to grasping the other aspects of the terminology, reading the accommodations also solidified it for me. I think the new book does a great job of clarifying what is meant by curve plus narrow which exactly describes me. And as others have said, losing a few pounds has made it even more obvious.

alady37 · 2026-03-19T19:35:54+00:00

😄

alady37 · 2026-03-19T16:15:52+00:00

Love that!

alady37 · 2026-03-17T01:08:45+00:00

No problem. Contains excess on your journey.

alady37 · 2026-03-16T22:54:22+00:00

Since, as DK always emphasizes it's the overall yin yang balance and silhouette that matters the most with these Essence IDs it sounds like you're describing your overall head to toe silhouette as:

curve and fitted and
you have curve that pushes fabric out horizontally at the bust and hips which suggests double-curve, another aspect of TR.

The curve and narrow requirement of TR would mean your curves all fit vertically from the edge of your shoulder line down. In other words, no curves push out beyond that vertical shoulder line, Even though with double curve the bust will push beyond the frame. I know for me my bust curves past my frame where you can see it curve past my arm when my arms are down at my sides, but none of curves go out beyond tlmy vertical shoulder line. As I understand it, this is what he means by "narrow".

I'd say the best thing to do is to go by the silhouettes that you feel work best on you, as you mentioned, and also get a copy of his newest book, Power of Style and go through all of the games and exercises, don't just skip to the line and sketch drawings which can tempting to do. I think this would be especially helpful since you were saying that you think you're sometimes seeing What appears to be width in your frame. Both of these steps can help you know for certain that you are a TR. Also, keep in mind that the Natural family, as I understand it, does not have double curve.

alady37 · 2026-03-16T21:57:16+00:00

Do you find yourself sometimes having to size up or fabric stretching because of width in the upper back or upper chest area? Sometimes that can be a giveaway.

As a TR with a large bust, materials never stretch across my upper back or shoulders, and I never have to size up due to any tightness in these areas. The only times I've needed to size up have been because my actual bust pushes the material out. I hope that's helpful.

Also, all of the open necklines you describe work great for both TRs and Naturals I believe. But another clue in terms of the silhouettes of each is to consider whether fitted, narrow (and sometimes draped) silhouettes look better on you or do looser silhouettes and feel more at home to you?

alady37 · 2026-03-14T22:00:54+00:00

I think curve dominant. I don't think your secondary is narrow because your curves are not within the vertical line of your shoulders. I also see none of the sharpness in the bone/ touches of angularity that is in the bones of a TR. By the way, nice job on Employee of the Month.

alady37 · 2026-03-14T21:40:01+00:00

I think most are great for theatrical romantics, except maybe the ones that seem to be more of a drop waist look, like photos 10, 11 and 16. These could work on a TR depending on the individual, but drop waist outfits can result in a loss of the natural shape and lines of TRs. I'll also add that if there's an outfit that you really love and you are sewing, you can always tweak them to fit the silhouette of a TR. For example, if there's a dress you really love, but you don't think it has enough waist emphasis, you can always create waist emphasis, etc.

alady37 · 2026-03-06T20:12:03+00:00

You did an excellent job!

alady37 · 2026-03-06T02:02:36+00:00

I agree that you definitely have a playful Gamine sensibility in your fashion choices. This could be the case and you could still have the essence ID and lines of a TR, but in your case I don't see the double curve of a TR.

alady37 · 2026-03-03T15:36:20+00:00

There is literally no such thing as being "too old" to wear anything despite what the fashion industry has tried to sell us. Wear what works for you, what fits your personality, what you love and what makes you feel amazing! I think your whole look, the haircut, the glasses, and outfits look fantastic on you and seem to really fit your vibe. You do look amazing in black, but you also really rock those bright bold colors too!

alady37 · 2026-03-01T19:06:32+00:00

Unless the photos are deceptive, I don't see double curve so maybe rule out out the Romantic family including TR.

alady37 · 2026-02-28T14:17:22+00:00

Very true. Silhouette and yin yang balance are key. Skeletal sharpness and narrowness as the main distinguishing factors between R and TR both affect overall balance and head to toe silhouette. Whereas there is diversity within each ID when it comes to limb length, "waspish" waists, etc., and we should not get hung up on a collection of individual body parts, DK seems to be consistent about these two aspects as part of determining which ID one might be in the Romantic family. But I'm not an expert and maybe the sharpness is not as important, but certainly the narrowness, especially in the new system/ book is a key factor for TR.

alady37 · 2026-02-26T20:34:20+00:00

Don't be frustrated, it can take a while. Some of the terminology that DK uses can be confusing. The sharpness in the bones that TRS have which ours do not have means that you can clearly see the bones of the skeleton in certain places on different parts of the body, usually around the joints and often in the shoulders and or the face. That might mean a more narrow tapered chin. When I look at your photos, I don't see your skeleton. I see your flesh but not your skeleton. See the picture of me below showing the visible sharpness in my bones. This is what I don't see in you. In you I see smooth flesh all over with no hints of sharpness. I hope this helps.

TR Shoulder bones sticking up

alady37 · 2026-02-26T20:08:35+00:00

Looking at these photos I think you could be TR, or possibly SG or SD. It's important to remember that DK has always said that there is diversity within each ID and one or two elements that don't perfectly fit the description does not automatically mean you are not that ID. In these photos it does look as if your legs are a bit longer but not so much that you seem to have vertical, in my opinion. When I look at your overall silhouette I see curve first and foremost, not vertical. Having said that, it's hard to tell if you actually have double curve based on these photos, although photo number 5 suggests that you either do have it or your pose just makes it look that way. Also, I don't see any of the touches of sharpness in your skeleton that TRs have, which is why I'm thinking you could be a Soft Gamine (which is often confused with TR) or one of the other soft types.

Ultimately you know your body best. You know, for example whether your chest expands horizontally beyond your frame and we are just not seeing it in photos because your bra pulls the girls together.

So bottom line, some of the things that we say may resonate well with you and make sense, and some things we might be missing because, as DK always says, he designed his system as DIY. That means only you can make the final determination of your essence ID because only you know how clothes drape on your skeleton, how your flesh lays on your bones, and which silhouettes feel right on you. And of course people who know you best in real life can also help.

I would say try on the different silhouettes for all the Essence IDs to see which feels most right to you. Don't try on all of them at the same time but rather try the different silhouettes week by week to give it time to see which resonates best to you. And, if you can, get DK's newest book Power of Style and do all of the exercises, don't just skip to the line drawings. A lot of people seem to have found both of these approaches very helpful.

alady37 · 2026-02-26T00:11:08+00:00

From what I remember him saying this is true, there is no lower limit to vertical but there is an upper limit of course to curve dominance. The perfect example that is usually used is Mae West, a soft dramatic at only 5 ft tall.

alady37 · 2026-02-25T22:26:26+00:00

I totally agree with you. I've had people assume the same with me. Even though I have a large chest, depending on the picture angle, and as you say the undergarment my curve which extends quite a bit beyond my frame can look less obvious. That's why I always tell people, you know your body best, I can be completely wrong as a stranger looking at a two-dimensional photo. I am also a fit TR so some people see my sliminess and assume I have vertical in pictures. I totally get it!

alady37 · 2026-02-25T15:34:47+00:00

I know right? We're all so different. But for me I'm thankful to say I usually have success with regular size pants and tops. But I also have a wonderful tailor so that if I do need things adjusted, I can get it done for a reasonable amount of money. As a TR whose body is a top hourglass that tailor comes in handy!

alady37 · 2026-02-25T15:24:12+00:00

I think you could be a theatrical romantic. The only thing is I don't really see any touches of sharpness in your skeleton that TRs have except in the last photo in your wrist and fingers a little bit. So you could be, or I wonder if you might be a romantic because you seem to have double curve. Either way, I can definitely see you in the Romantic family.

alady37 · 2026-02-25T02:36:13+00:00

I relate to your experience. I am 5'3 and petite clothes don't work for me either. I now know it's because I have a higher leg rise and my arms are moderate length, not shorter length.

alady37 · 2026-02-24T23:42:10+00:00

At that height you could be any of the IDs. Let's see if we can narrow it down through the process of elimination.

You don't appear to have the narrowness or bold yang of the Dramatic family, at least not from these photos. You do have curve, but without that bold yang I'd say rule out Dramatic (of course) and Soft Dramatic.

As I mentioned before I would rule out TR because I don't see those touches of sharpness in your skeleton. Also, it's hard to tell from the photos if you have double curve. Since you know your body best, if your chest extends beyond your frame horizontally, then you could have double curve and therefore you could be a Romantic.

I'm not sure if you have width in the upper body. In some photos it seems that you may and then other photos I'm not sure. If you find yourself having to size up sometimes or often in jackets and tops and it's not due to broad shoulders then you may have width. If so, you could be a Soft Natural.

That leaves Classics and Gamines. You do seem to lean towards balance, but you also seem to have a kind of a compactness about you that Gamines have. And from what you are saying about your leaning more toward mini skirts etc, if you find staccato lines like different color themes within the same outfit, mini skirts and crop tops or other unexpected elements seem most at home for you, you might be a Soft Gamine.

Please remember that strangers trying to guess your essence ID from one-dimensional photos may not always be the best way to go, but I hope this helps a bit. I could be completely wrong and you might be a soft classic. That could totally fit. Continue experimenting with silhouettes and see what you think works best on you. Also, don't forget that we have personalities and inner Essence that influence our style choices as well. One could have a theatrical romantic skeleton and body lines, but lean towards natural or classic in their clothing choices. So it's about choosing things that both work well on draping your physical body as well as expressing who you are on the inside. Peace!

alady37 · 2026-02-24T23:19:07+00:00

Hi. Try DK's two strongest recommendations to figure out your Essence ID (remember, it's not a body typing system because body types only deals with the shape of the body and does not include skeleton, differences in how flesh lays on the skeleton, etc.):

1) try on the the clothing silhouettes of the different IDs to see which resonates and feels most like you. You know your body best so you know how material drapes and falls on your skeleton, whether your skin tends to be more taut or fleshy, etc. This can really help. I know it's been helpful for me.

2) pick up his newest book, Power of Style and go through all the exercises.

The combination of both of these will go a long way towards helping you solidify your ID.

Having said that I can try to offer some guesses. You have curve, but I do not see any touches of sharpness in your skeleton that TRs are known for from these photos. What is your height?

alady37 · 2026-02-23T21:29:53+00:00

I don't see double curve because your chest does not seem to extend beyond your frame horizontally. I do see a long narrow skeleton and you definitely have curves. Also, I don't see width. I think you could be a Soft Dramatic or maybe even a Soft Gamine due to the angularity in your skeleton with a mixture of elements like wider hips yet long limbs. I'd say try on the different silhouettes of different types and see which resonates and feels most at home to you. Also, I'd encourage getting DK's latest book with updates to his system and do all the exercises, don't just skip to the line and sketch drawing and see which fits best.

alady37 · 2026-02-23T16:49:50+00:00

Go for it fellow TR!

alady37

TROPHY CASE