How to Do the Kibbe Personal Line Sketch for Theatrical Romantics

Information for this guide comes from David Kibbe's book The Power of Style. The book introduces the updated process for finding your Image Identity, which now includes the Personal Line.

The Image Identity Formula

Kibbe Type has evolved into Image Identity, a system that combines two essential parts: Yin/Yang Balance and Personal Line. Your Yin/Yang Balance describes your physical body, placing you on a scale between sharp yang and soft yin. Your Personal Line, however, acts as the blueprint for how you dress that body, telling your clothes exactly how they need to behave. When you put these two pieces together, you arrive at one of ten possible Image Identities.

What Is Personal Line

Your Personal Line is a continuous outline that reveals how all of your body's proportions relate to one another. Because you can't find this line just by examining your body in the mirror, you must define it through a specific sketching method that reads proportion across your full frame.

Every Personal Line consists of a Dominant and an Additional trait. There are two possible Dominants—Vertical and Curve—and six possible Additionals: Curve, Width, Narrow, Balance, Double Curve, and Petite. Note that Vertical only ever appears as a Dominant. Once these two parts are paired, you have a Personal Line that your clothing silhouette is then designed to match.

The Five Archetypes on the Yin/Yang Scale

The yin/yang scale is described through five archetypes that serve as reference points for every identity.

• Dramatic represents extreme sharp yang, with a frame that is narrow and elongated.

• Romantic is extreme soft yin, characterized by a lush and curvaceous frame.

• Classic sits at the balanced midpoint of the scale.

• Natural is also yang, but with a blunt rather than sharp quality.

• Gamine is a combination of opposites, featuring a small yin size with a yang frame.

Your specific Image Identity is always read in relation to these five archetypes.

The Fabric-Draping Method

To define your Personal Line, you use a method involving imaginary fabric draped from your shoulders. Picture a length of silk chiffon, weighted at the bottom, and watch how it behaves as it falls. It will either drop in a straight vertical line or be pushed outward by your bust and hips.

A straight vertical fall indicates a Vertical Dominant. If the fabric is pushed out at the bust, drawn in at the waist, and pushed out again at the hips, your Dominant is Curve. This fabric is not an outline of your body, nor does it press tightly against you; instead, it skims your frame as it falls from the shoulder to reveal your Dominant trait.

How to Do the Sketch

You identify your Personal Line in practice by sketching it directly onto a photo of yourself. You’ll need a full-length, front-facing photo taken in close-fitting clothes while standing in a relaxed pose. For the best accuracy, position the camera about ten feet away at chest height and avoid using a mirror.

On the photo, draw the path the imaginary fabric would take, starting at the edge of the shoulder. A line that drops straight from the shoulder is a Vertical Dominant, while a line that pushes outward at the bust and hips is a Curve Dominant.

It is important to trust only what the sketch shows rather than trying to confirm it by looking at individual body parts. Height also plays a role: anyone 5'6" or taller is automatically Vertical. Below that height, both Dominants are possible, though Curve only appears under 5'6". Once the Dominant is set, the Additional is sketched on top to complete the Personal Line. This combined sketch then serves as the foundation for your Complementary Silhouette.

The Theatrical Romantic Image Identity

Theatrical Romantic is an identity defined by Yin with a sharp yang undercurrent. Its Personal Line is Vertical plus Narrow, and height is typically under 5'6". The resulting silhouette is shapely and designed to accommodate curves, allowing the eye to travel around them. Whether the outline is fitted or fluid, the curves remain a primary focus throughout the look.

In the drape method, the imaginary fabric is pushed out by the bust and hips, but everything starts inward from the shoulder and stays within the shoulder line as it falls. This reflects the Dominant trait of Curve—the outward push—and the secondary trait of Narrow, which keeps the entire outline contained within the width of the shoulders.

Reading Curve Dominance in the Sketch

Now this is personal theory so hang tight. I think there are two areas that provide the most information in the Curve Sketch: the shoulder line and the waist leading into the upper hip. Reading these together reveals which Curve Image Identity is in play:

• Romantic: The line curves around the body with a clear cut at the waist, and the bust curve pushes past the shoulder line.

• Theatrical Romantic: The shoulder line narrows inward, the waist cuts in, and the curves stay within the shoulder line.

• Soft Natural: The shoulder line moves outward, and the bust and hip curve stays within that wider shoulder line.

• Soft Classic: The shoulder line remains neutral, the waist is subtle, and the proportions stay balanced with the shoulders.

• Soft Gamine: The shoulder line is shorter, and the curve sits compact inside a small frame.

The Theatrical Romantic Sketch

The Theatrical Romantic sketch is defined by the relationship between the shoulder line, the curves, and the waist. The shoulder line narrows inward, and the space between the shoulder and the bust is relatively short.

While the waist remains clearly defined, the bust and hip curves stay entirely within the shoulder line. This creates a sketch with a compressed, almost vertical quality, holding the curves and the waist inside a narrowed frame to achieve a distinctly pulled-in look.

The Seamstress Lens

You can also visualize the Theatrical Romantic line through the hands of a seamstress. To honor this frame, she would pinch the shoulder dots together to shorten the shoulder line. At the waist, she would pull the fabric tight with her hands moving upward. Finally, at the hips, she would pinch the dots outward gently and lift the fabric slightly, perhaps adding a small tuck to define the shape.

For more on this perspective, see A Seamstress Walks Into a Bar.

Other Ways to Discover Your Kibbe Type

While the fabric drape and sketch method is David Kibbe's most recent approach, other methods can also lead you to your type. The original was the quiz, which used questions about bone structure, flesh, and facial features. This was followed by gathering consensus from online communities. I then developed the photo analysis tool, which uses computer vision to read proportions and yin/yang from a photo. I later updated the approach and accuracy by adding 3D body mapping, sketch output, and virtual try-ons to show how different clothes look on your frame. Try it today!