November 2016 archive

Back to Dressing Your Truth

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Dressing Your Truth was one of the first systems I discovered, which I’m sure is true for many of you as well. I quickly moved onto Kibbe and then onto systems like Zyla, but while I never dressed in a Type, I always maintained an interest in the system, at least the psychological aspects of it.

Recently, though, I’ve signed up for the Lifestyle service, since I have always liked watching Carol Tuttle’s videos, even if I never really seriously tried to dress my Truth. I think that the style quotient has been upped since I first discovered it, and I’m started to see how Type 3 (I believe I’m 3/4) can be integrated with Flamboyant Gamine and Dark Autumn.

One thing I noticed when I was trying other seasons is that I could physically feel like they were wrong. Bright Spring, for instance, made me feel tired. I couldn’t keep up with that level of chroma. I can see and feel why Type 3 makes sense for me. Swiftness, angularity, rich colors–all things I need.

Another aspect of Dressing Your Truth that intrigues me is the idea that dressing in the correct way for you supports you and improves other areas of your life. This is present to an extent in other systems, such as Kibbe, and I’m actually working on a separate post about this right now. But I’ve recognized that I’ve spent a lot of my life leaning too much on my Type 4 secondary, which has led to me being seen in a negative way at times. Or perhaps it’s that when I wear black and gray, which is still my default, although I’m trying to wean myself off them, my natural Type 3 “push” comes off as rude or unexpected. So I’m excited to try and work on making sure my Type 3 dominates, and making sure that what I put on my body supports that.

Also, despite having a blog about it, I haven’t been the best at always dressing head to toe, or even correctly for my colors and type. Dressing Your Truth puts a lot of emphasis on doing this in a way that is accessible. Doing my hair and makeup and wearing jewelry every day is something that can make a real difference, and I don’t currently do that. I’m not planning on getting a new wardrobe overnight, even though I know Dressing Your Truth suggests committing to dressing in your type completely for a month. What I am going to do is not buy silver jewelry or the aforementioned black and gray, and focus on doing my hair and makeup and wearing jewelry every day.

One thing I will be careful of, however, is not to go too far into Flamboyant Natural territory. This is something I learned last year when I was experimenting with Gamine Autumn and Mellow Autumn. Things that look too handmade or like something you’d find on an archaelogical dig aren’t for me. This embossed leather cuff, with the paisley design and raw edges, isn’t for me. Instead, for a cuff I’d choose something like these:

These have a cleaner and more modern feel, while still being textured, edgy, and substantial. Then if I wanted to layer, I could add something like this bangle from the DYT store.

Since delving into the Lifestyle content, I’ve realized that Dressing Your Truth really is about you, and just because these styles that look more FN look right at home on some of the Type 3 experts doesn’t mean that all Type 3s will dress that way, or that it will feel right on them. I can have my own Type 3 style, and use Type 3 and FG in combination to support each other to have a style that is all my own.

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Instinct vs. Desire

As someone who has never had a professional analysis of any kind, I’ve relied entirely on my own experience and instincts. Naturally, I have doubts. What these doubts boil down to is this: Am I seeing what is there, or am I seeing what I want to see?

Carol Tuttle often mentions our “beauty sixth sense.” Sometimes I question whether I’m actually listening to that, or just going with what I like. For instance, I’ve always been attracted to what is shown as the stereotypical Flamboyant Gamine look. In high school, there were periods where I dressed mod. Audrey Hepburn and Edie Sedgwick were my fashion idols.

FG feels good; often, when I have doubts about something, I go into the FG section of the book and realize that what was giving me doubts is actually an FG “no”–wide, unconstructed dresses, for example. But I have small hands and feet, and my length is in my torso. So sometimes I question whether I’m actually an SG or an SN. When I tried SN, though, not only did I feel lumpy, but I felt tired without the structure of FG supporting me. So while I’m not sure whether it’s what David would give me, FG is how I feel my best.

Color is a bit trickier. I put myself in the Dark Autumn palette, which seems counter-intuitive on paper. But out of the 12 seasons of Sci\ART, it’s the one that seems to work the best. Spring is too bright; the Softs seem too muted. A brighter Autumn seems to be what works. But sometimes I wonder, is this really harmonizing with me? Am I fooling myself and these lipsticks are too dark and I’d look better in Soft Autumn or Soft Summer?

Today I ordered one of the new Prism X11 palettes. These palettes are created using a Spectrophotometer to measure the colors’ levels of hue. value, and chroma.

click to enlarge

click to enlarge

As you can see, compared to the Invent Your Image palette, this new palette seems a little darker and maybe even a bit cooler. (I am VERY excited to get my hands on those purples, though!) I will see how it works for me. I will do a full review and compare it to the palette I already own.

But still, seeing the depth of this palette really makes me question whether the DA color space is where I belong. In the end, though, I think what actually matters is how I feel in these colors and whether I look healthy and awake in them. I just have to be careful and make sure it’s not just because I happen to like these colors.

When to Stop

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Some people picked up Kibbe’s Metamorphosis when it was still in print in the late 80s and are no closer to finding their Image Identity 30 years later. Others got draped by Color Me Beautiful around the same time and now are flummoxed by the innovations in the seasonal color world. Some people have started more recently, but seem to switch seasons or Image IDs on a weekly basis.

My advice to anyone who finds themselves in this predicament is short and to the point: Stop.

Give yourself time to adjust and understand how a season or Image ID feels. Carol Tuttle advises that when you think you’ve found your Energy Type, try living in that Energy Type for a full month. This is sound advice not only for people interested in Dressing Your Truth, but for people interested in any other style system. You can’t judge how something works for you until you’ve given it a real shot and paid attention to how you look and feel wearing it.

Now, sometimes we don’t need a full month. I realized that Light and Bright Spring were wrong for me much quicker than that. Light Spring made me completely red; Bright Spring was tiring. But if you find yourself switching seasons or Image IDs every other week, I think it would be wise to just stop and say, “OK, I’m going to take the data I have on myself, and try to give one season a fair shot.”

And if you don’t switch seasons or Image IDs, but you’re just having doubts… Consider where those doubts are coming from. Are they because you feel like something is off, you feel tired, or like you need to wear extra makeup? Or are they there because you feel like you’ve left something on the table, some stone unturned?

The truth is, I don’t know if there is some absolute truth with all this stuff. I think it’s enough if you look good and it makes you happy. The only seasons I’ve really tried are Light Spring, Bright Spring, and Dark Autumn. I’ve draped myself in the other seasons, but these are the only ones I’ve tried living in. Once I felt happy with the Dark Autumn result, I got off the carousel and moved on with my life. We could all search forever. But in the end, the point is a workable wardrobe that we look good in. You won’t ever get there if you never stop second-guessing yourself, or if you let the advice of other people on Facebook, who often don’t know anymore than you do, get to you. You’re the one who has to live with it.

What has been your experience with knowing when to say when?

The Pros and Cons of Various Style Systems

Audrey Hepburn... DYT T4, Zyla Playful Winter, Kibbe Flamboyant Gamine (Source)

Audrey Hepburn… DYT T4, Zyla Playful Winter, Kibbe Flamboyant Gamine (Source)

I thought it would be helpful for people who are just starting to dip their toe into the style typing world if I shared my thoughts on the pluses and minuses of each of the systems I personally use or at least study. A system that works well for one person may not work at all for someone else.

DAVID KIBBE’S METAMORPHOSIS
Pros:
-Focused on self-acceptance and self-expression
-A wide variety of types
-A fully-integrated system with hair, makeup, color, etc. in addition to just clothing style
-The book is thorough and the kind that teaches you something new every time you read it
-More of an approach to dressing and life than just some instructions on how to wear what
Cons:
-Has been interpreted incorrectly over the years (there is a blog post coming up on this)
-David sees people in NYC only and the cost is that of a nice vacation
-The book recommendations are from the 80s
-Information on his color system is basically impossible to find for now, unless you go see him

DAVID ZYLA
Pros:
-Many people feel like he really “gets” them, color-and-style wise
-Travels frequently and charges <$1000 for both style and color, with several levels of sessions available to really help you hone your style -Has a book -Gives very concrete recommendations
Cons:
-You may not like what you get from him
-Since it’s so much about his vision, it’s basically impossible to DIY

DRESSING YOUR TRUTH
Pros:
-A good springboard to really thinking about your style
-The psychological aspects can be very helpful and healing
-Has a lot of extra online content
-Has an online store divided by type
-Now provides all four courses for what you used to pay for one
Cons:
-The styles may not be to your liking
-The palette for your energy type may not be the colors you find most flattering on you, or they may conflict with your Sci\ART season, etc.
-No longer does Skype sessions; seems to only do type confirmations for a select few and only in Utah now

FANTASTICAL BEAUTY
Pros:
-Offers a unique system unlike anything else
-Can be very easily integrated with other systems for self-expression purposes (i.e., Kibbe)
-Offers many different levels of services and all online
Cons:
-Is still really being developed, so sometimes the dots can be hard to connect

Sci\ART/12 BLUEPRINTS/12 TONES ETC.
Pros:
-12 beautiful palettes
-Popular; analysts in many places and easy to find lists of makeup colors etc.
-Can get enough materials (fans etc.) to reasonably figure it out at home
Cons:
-Schools of thought and analyst quality both vary–you may not be analyzed correctly
-You may not feel like you fit in any of the palettes perfectly

Systems I didn’t cover here are ones I either don’t like/recommend or don’t know enough about (Caygill). What do you think?

Three Levels of Dress: Five Puffers Under $200 (That I Don’t Hate)

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Now, I know it’s important to stay warm in winter. But so often, otherwise stylish people resort to the most boring puffer jackets ever designed once there is snow on the ground. So I decided to find some really unique and stylish puffer jackets across the yin/yang spectrum that still have some style while also being functional.

I would personally restrict puffer jackets to Level One. For Level Two and above, I would suggest finding a real wool coat or a vintage fur (I do not recommend faux, because one time in the snow and the fur will be that of a small child’s stuffed animal that has seen better days). If you can’t abide any animal options, be forewarned that you will be a little chillier. It is also much easier for find stylish and unique coats for all the types once you move into wool/fur coat territory.

I do have a few tips. One, look for interesting design details. If it looks like it comes from L.L. Bean or something like that, as nice as it is for shoveling snow or a winter hiking trip, it’s probably not going to look like the most fashionable thing around. Puffer jackets present a special challenge for yin types, and I think going shorter is better–shorter length, so it kind of looks like a short fur jacket, and then I also think shorter sleeves help. Get a long pair of leather gloves and it looks very chic, especially for Romantic/Theatrical Romantic, Soft Gamine/Flamboyant Gamine, Soft Classic, and Soft Dramatic.

As far as long yin coats, I didn’t really find any in stores, but I think if you look for “princess puffer coats,” you may come across some. I found some by searching for “lolita puffer” on eBay:

s-l500
(Auction)

As far as the jackets I found in regular online stores, one of the coolest ones I’ve found is this one from a brand called Silvian Heach.

Silvian Heach Down Jacket, $102, available in XS in pink and XXS-M in black

Silvian Heach Down Jacket $102, available in XS in pink and XXS-M in black

I think this would be very cute on an SG or a FG who would wear this kind of Chanel-style jacket. I think it may be a bit too quirky for either SC or Dramatic Classic.

 Snow Secret Down Jacket, $181, available in sizes 4-8 in black and 4, 6, and 12 in cream


Snow Secret Down Jacket, $181, available in sizes 4-8 in black and 4, 6, and 12 in cream

This jacket has the shorter length and slightly short/wide sleeves I mentioned. I see it as Romantic. The lace pattern is obviously yin, and I think it would look cute on top of a casual winter outfit.

Bomboogie Down Jacket, $130, available in sizes 4-8

Bomboogie Down Jacket, $130, available in sizes 4-8

This is one I could see working for a lot of people–basically Dark Winters who could wear a cape. The shape of this coat gives it the illusion of being a cape instead of a boring old jacket.

Calvin Klein Long-Sleeved Puffer Jacket, $99, available in sizes XS-XL

Calvin Klein Long-Sleeved Puffer Jacket, $99, available in sizes XS-XL

I think this jacket would be very cool on a Dramatic. It almost approaches avant-garde with its sleekness and asymmetrical design.

 Neve Scarlett Down Jacket $199.99, available in L and XL in charcoal and S-L in natural


Neve Scarlett Down Jacket $199.99, available in L and XL in charcoal and S-L in natural

I’m not sure who exactly would wear this. I think the collar, the asymmetry, and the wideness of the last section of the sleeve make for an unusual design for what seems like a very practical jacket. The collar can also be unzipped to for a wide neckline, for even more drama. I would have to try it on and I’m not always that fond of a waist, but I might wear it as an FG. I could see on an avant-garde natural. Maybe it would even work on a Dramatic who wanted to express a bit of a rustic touch.

All of these jackets are on sale right now. There seems to be a lot of more unusual designs on the site Yoox. What coat are you wearing for winter this year, if you’re in a place in the Northern Hemisphere that gets cold? Do you share my frustrations with the ubiquitous puffer jacket?

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