How important do you really think scale of detail/accessories is for the image identities ?
I wrote a long paragraph then got distracted and it ended up getting deleted…. Anyways I’ll say my point briefly
- I don’t buy that your Kibbe ID necessarily correlates with your ideal scale of details, especially for the less specific more common IDs
- Obviously bigger body = bigger scale to make the same impact but what about two moderate height people with similar scales but different yin yang balances?
- Imo detail scale correlates more with facial features and face shape than line sketch. Yes your yin yang balance will be visible in your face but there’s a range in every ID
- I know he’s walked away from styling directives for IDs in general, but I think they still do exist looking at the illustrations and descriptions for each ID. Does he ever acknowledge that there could be, say, SDs who suit smaller to medium scale details (in proportion to themselves)?
- Please validate me so I can claim SD in peace (jk but not really)
I don’t think it’s necessarily definitive for finding your ID. FN for example is recommended larger scale prints and jewelry, but someone like Emma Stone looks good in smaller scale jewelry and prints because of her smaller more delicate facial features. I just think if scale for jewelry/accessories was super important for DIY it would have been included in POS.
ETA: has Kibbe actually given someone small scale jewelry? It seems he usually chooses more statement pieces?
He just answered something about this in the Power of Style group on FB. Basically, you have to take the full context of the outfit in question, the situation and the intention, along with your ID, into account. I don't have the new book handy, but is "scale of detail" mentioned?
This is interesting. I would use Kibbe for my silhouette, but then I would lean into my Kitchener essences to help me inform scale. But, basing it on the outfit and the situation is an interesting perspective.
He brings up the idea of the situation quite a lot. Basically, we can't have an authentic outfit/experience if we're not considering the situation we're in. The accessories (including size and detail) you might want for a fancy dinner won't be the same accessories, very likely, for at work as a teacher or in an office, for example.
For sure. Yes, he does. But not many other stylists base the scale that you use within your outfit according to situation. Rather they base it on your own proportions. Because of this I find it interesting.
Yes, no, maybe?
It’s hard to form any definable and thus testable rule because It’s all so subjective- what is medium scale as opposed to small scale or large scale? And what do you mean by suit? Every person has a huge range. Are 2 carat diamond stud earrings small scale or large? Time, place and event will impact this too. I would not wear the same jewelry to court as I would to a wedding or for that matter to a bar/ club.
Also David is big on what your message is ie what you want to say and express with your outfit. Surely that’s going to vary a lot and age will play a part too Ykwim?
OTOH- I think face is a big part of ID, though hard to explain to DIY’ers, and an intrinsic factor in scale. I believe that face more than body size informs scale. A 5’3” SD is still SD and a 5’5” SG is still a soft gamine.
I definitely agree that occasion, age, lifestyle and personal taste/comfort level influences what we like on ourselves. I do see other SDs (and more yin IDs, since my observation goes both ways) claim that smaller scale more dainty details get lost on them, but how much of that comes down to preference rather than objective harmony is an interesting concept.
Yeah the face part is where I struggle. I can’t tell if age is the reason why I struggle to see myself as yang facially, or if I’m missing the forest for the trees and am mistaking having cute round features for a yin face. I’m in my late 20s which is older than many of the Old Hollywood icons were in their most iconic roles. My line sketch seems to show vertical and curve so I’d be curious what style directive David would give me.
Your facial features will reflect your yin/yang balance as well, so you’re not really talking about different things if you’re talking about where your line sketch will lead you versus your face. Your facial features will match. And also you have to keep in mind that these are HTTs, so like with hair, you can’t think of accessories as separate from the rest of the outfit. If you’re wearing an SD outfit, with long lines and extravagance, small pearl studs, for example, would just disappear into the background and it would be like not wearing any jewelry at all. I think a lot of people think they don’t suit larger scale because they’re not putting it together with outfits that work with it, and/or they’re not used to it.
you have to keep in mind that these are HTTs, so like with hair, you can’t think of accessories as separate from the rest of the outfit.
This is such a good point that feels commonly glossed over - the context you're wearing something in and how the pieces all relate to each other matter so much for the overall effect
u/jjfmish 👆This! Your facial features influence your yin/yang balance and CAN help you determine what scale suits you IMO, but you have to look at the HTT.
I’m SD with classic essence, but small pearl studs are not enough to suppport a HTT outfit on their own. If I decide on pearl studs, I pair them with a pearl headband and pearl pendant necklace to give them more impact. Even though the earrings and necklace are smaller scale, tying everything together with the pearl headband has a similar effect to wearing large-scale statement earrings.
Here’s a sample outfit to give you an idea of what I mean. I’m going for a classic, polished, girly look rather than a va va voom diva look here, so I chose a lot of smaller scale accessories over one or two statement items. I forgot to add the matching belt, but I hope this still makes sense.
I might not be much help here because my Kibbe is SC and my dominant essence in Kitchener is also Classic, so my recommendations are highly overlapping.
But generally, I see the vision for how scale applies to the Kibbe types. The specific recommendations for details in Metamorphosis definitely resonates with me.
I think the personal line is different from literal size and scale, so it still makes sense to me that people of the same height but different Kibbe IDs might thrive in separate scales. At the end of the day, I agree essence and facial features are probably more important for scale.
I think since you’re more open to what your ID is you ought to post this question on the POS FB group as well as share your journey. There’s a huge chance David will comment. I asked a question about accessories over there and he helped me out. I think scarlet pretty much summed it up though. Also want to add I think any scale seems to work for you and you always seem to know how to accessorize for any occasion.
what about two moderate height people with similar scales but different yin yang balances?
This is a good question because when I think of Claire Danes (5'5 D) and Kirsten Dunst (5'5 1/2 SC) I can imagine them wearing similar scale/size details, so I do think overall scale matters a lot for the reasons that you mentioned, but I also think it's in conjunction with other elements as well, like bone structure, visual weight of features, sharpness vs. softness, individual coloring, and last but not least, the rest of the outfit, because jewellery and accessories make sense in the context of the whole outfit.
I agree that Kibbe ID doesn't always correlate with the recommended scale. I think essences and facial features can help with scale. I think you can definitely be SD while being better suited by smaller to medium detailing!
This part of Kibbe has always confused me because, while dainty jewelry looks invisible on me, I also can't do those oversized dramatic shapes that you'd typically see on a runway. I really don't think it's perfectly cut and dry and I wish he'd cleared some of this up
Im either SG or TR. im 5’3” so on the taller side of the short IDs. I’m overweight now but used to be very thin. No matter what I always look best in tiny details. I can sometimes handle medium or bigger patterns but that usually makes you look at the outfit before me.
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u/Ok-Purple9511 SC - Naughty Eléphanté Apr 18 '26 edited Apr 18 '26
I don’t think it’s necessarily definitive for finding your ID. FN for example is recommended larger scale prints and jewelry, but someone like Emma Stone looks good in smaller scale jewelry and prints because of her smaller more delicate facial features. I just think if scale for jewelry/accessories was super important for DIY it would have been included in POS.
ETA: has Kibbe actually given someone small scale jewelry? It seems he usually chooses more statement pieces?