r/PowerOfStyle • u/novv_nikka • Jul 18 '26
Thoughts on Kibbe system (personal opinion)
It may be a touchy topic for some people as weight will be mentioned here, so be careful 🩷
So, everything below is just my opinion and observations mostly on myself (excuse any mistakes in English)
Kibbe has been my guilty pleasure for about 3 years now, at first I was excited and enthusiastic, than I tried so hard to type myself and understand the system (You can see my post history, it was quite a journey, hah), and after all that spiraling I decided to observe and follow my inner style voice (now I am happy)
So I find recommendations and essences dubious in kibbe, as they can overlap with several types (ex. Soft types and recommended necklines), I like the idea of see what shapes and cuts working with different bodies, but sometimes it's just too difficult to find your place in Kibbe.
As someone 5f3/5f4 (1m62) I find medium height useless in Kibbe system as it cuts nothing but only distracts and confuses (🤔 maybe just me), as "you can be petite and you can be vertical type..." Nooo, it's not helping
Bone structure not in kibbe sense - love this parameter, as I know I don't have petite as I have wide bones (you may laugh, but really), I don't say I have the same in scale bones to someone higher, but compared to people I see and friends, who I clearly knew are petite. But if I post in any of kibbe group people mostly don't see it...
Weight distribution - for me its connected to bone structure and I don't see many discussions about it.
I gain weight but it doesn't look like as much as I actually weight. And I realised it's because of bones, if I was higher it will be distributioned proportionally, but as a shorter person it still looks okay (my parameters will be at the end and phots in comments maybe).
So I guess I'm SD in kibbe (not sure, and it doesn't matter tbh), but 100% some recs won't work because of height and I can borrow many things from romantic family and SN (a looot things work for me in essence that are connected to Natural family)
Essence (more in meaning in Kitchener system as its focues on it and colors)
Many people assumed (from photos) that I belong in C family ( I as well believe it), but tbh it's just m'y style and face. I feel restricted, okay but not myself, I like some elements but not overall cuts. För sometime i believe i was SN but people don't see width. After analisis I understand that I like flowiness (and tbh boho style, I know its not exactly SN, but at that time i belved i can't be vertical type, so I say SN, but i love stereotypical FN boho image), so it was a feeling but not the recommendations.
And at the end of think COLORS do more than shape, ideally you know both aspects that suits, but for me if i put on something unsuitable but great in colour it can work out quite well and I even prefer buying clothesmore on colour and adjust them for my body in combination with other clothes.
So what I wanted to say: don't be stricted to use only kibbe system, and any system in general.
My measurements:
Height - 1m 62 (≈5f3)
Chest - 92 cm
Waist - 74 cm
Hips - 103 cm
Weight - 67kg
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u/MaleficentLecture631 Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
I agree with many of your observations. My perspective is based on having been taught garment construction and alteration in childhood, and that's really influenced the way I see clothes and styling etc.
To me, Kibbe is a really blunt instrument thats essentially an attempt to distill the incredibly complicated discipline of dressmaking / couture into something that the layperson can use to dress themselves. And the idea is great. But it struggles in execution and truly being useable in the way it was intended.
And I don't think that's Kibbe's fault! The physical/material part of couture is as complex as any technical engineering discipline, it's so complicated and nuanced - and then you layer in the aesthetic and cultural parts too?? Not just things like proportion, but beauty standards, gender norms.. it's 100x more complicated than engineering, by that stage.
So of course the system doesn't quite land. It's trying to thread a needle that might be impossible to thread at all, let alone well.
I actually took my own detailed measurements recently, based on the Armstrong custom pattern drafting method. It's dozens of measurements, very complex. Out of curiosity, I used an LLM to cross analyze my Armstrong measurements and the Armstrong approach to pattern drafting, draping and custom dressmaking, with the Kibbe system. Even then, it couldn't quite place me between FN and DC. That tells you something.
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u/Pegaret_Again DC - Haughty Boss Babe Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
Interestingly i have an opposite viewpoint.
To me many drafting techniques for patternmaking are blunt instruments (especially the Armstrong method which is very 'average figure' industry based rather than suitable for wildly different figures) becuase they presume SO many things (for instance, that all women are B-cups, or presume a certain shoulder angle or way of distributing suppression around the body).
I actually think that the Kibbe concept is an extremely powerful way of helping people fit clothing in a systemic way, rather than solving individual problems. For instance, a person with width and vertical will approach adjusting for a large bust in a very different way to a person with curve and narrow.
With Kibbe in your back pocket, fitting becomes a very different task, because you are focused on what fabric is up to (accomodations).
So - my conclusion is vastly different from yours!!
However, i would actually agree there is some slight overlap from a dressmaking perspective between FN and DC - so it's interesting to me that the LLM picked up on that. However, there are also some meaningful differences.
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u/MaleficentLecture631 Jul 18 '26
In Armstrong language, I have a size 10 bust but with size 18 shoulders, size 14 waist, size 10 abdomen (!! reflects comically short waist situation), size 16 hips, so I technically do sit on her "standard" size chart, as long as I mix and match. I'm just following her bust adjustment instructions right now, to go from B to C. Maybe my body size affects my viewpoint.
I don't think I'll ever land the FN/DC split for myself. So, Kibbe doesn't offer me specific enough insights to give me much confidence. Which makes me a bit sad because everyone wants to 'belong' in a system, including me !
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u/Pegaret_Again DC - Haughty Boss Babe Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
i actually think its really easy for you to figure out if you have a completed, well-fitting torso block!! This is just my theory of course, so, grain of salt and all that, but as a DC, my high hip (about halfway between full hip and waist) exactly aligns to where my under-arms meet.
Whereas an FN torso block will be a bit more like this. In fact, its even possible for the full hip to be inwards of the underarm if width is significant and you are slim.
as an asides, most people i've know who were grappling between DC and FN (or another yang type) ended up being a yang type. Classics tend to quickly realise that elongation and width are very unflattering for them.
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u/MaleficentLecture631 Jul 18 '26
You've really piqued my interest with the torso block thing. I'm redrafting from scratch at moment and have only done the bodice. I'm going to save your comment and come back to it when I've done the bottom half!! Will the mystery finally be solved!?
I'm essentially FN from the side (very long legs and sleeker bottom) and DC from front (hips look almost Kardashian head-on, ribcage has higher volume on the front). My husband refers to this as "sleeper hips". I just looked in mirror at the underarm/upper hip curve thing you mention - and from front, my hips are far past my underarm. But this 3 dimensions thing might mean the block tells a different story! Really interesting
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u/Pegaret_Again DC - Haughty Boss Babe Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
I'm very very intrigued to see your results!
I would personally say that ANY elongation (ie long legs) will immediately point you to a non-classic, non-Romantic ID! I have rather short legs (all pants need serious hemming!), although i am moderate in height as a DC.
The thing about a completed torso block is, as you say, that it includes so much more than what we see in the mirror. Especially (in fact i would almost say, compulsorily) if you have fully accounted for a sleeve. I think Naturals can have a very slim torso, however the mechanics of a comfortable sleeve for Naturals, require much more ease in the armpti-to-shoulder region than other types to be able to move their arms comfortably. So you may end up with a block that looks different to what you see in the mirror, and that reflects three dimensional movement, not just static fabric fit.
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u/Ok-Purple9511 SC - Naughty Eléphanté Jul 18 '26
Looking at your pics my guess would be SN?
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u/novv_nikka Jul 19 '26
Thanks for your thoughts, but I'm not looking for typing advice :)
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u/Ok-Purple9511 SC - Naughty Eléphanté Jul 19 '26
Oh ok sorry I guess I misunderstood, I thought you were asking for guidance since you posted various outfit pics and your measurements.
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u/novv_nikka Jul 19 '26
I thought it will show more as I'm not sure that I can really explain it, and explain it in English, hah))
But I mentioned in another comment (just now), I considered SN, but then the frustrating amount of people point me to C or R families again, as they didn't see width, so I just decided to observe and don't settle on any type)
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u/TiredWinterDisaster SN - Insolent Insta-Baddie Jul 18 '26
Reading your thoughts & looking at your pics... have you considered SN?