Kibbe Body Type Test

What is the Kibbe body type test?

The Kibbe body type test comes from stylist David Kibbe, who described his system in the 1987 book Metamorphosis. Instead of measuring bust, waist and hips, it looks at your whole look: the length and sharpness of your bones, the softness of your body, and the shape of your facial features. From that, Kibbe sorts people into “Image Identities” such as Dramatic, Natural, Classic, Gamine and Romantic, each with its own style lines.

This free Kibbe body type test is inspired by that approach. It isn’t the official David Kibbe test, but it uses the same idea of scoring each feature from yang to yin, so it’s a good way to narrow down your Kibbe type before reading the descriptions below.

Yin and yang in the Kibbe system

Every Kibbe type is a mix of two qualities:

• Yang is sharp, long, straight, angular or broad. Think of a tall frame, prominent cheekbones or square shoulders.
• Yin is soft, rounded, small and curved. Think of a petite frame, full lips or a curvy figure.

This test scores your bone structure, body and face separately, then combines them, so your result also shows which parts of you lean yang and which lean yin.

Dramatic is the most yang type, Romantic the most yin, and Classic sits in the balanced middle. Natural types have a blunt, relaxed yang, while Gamine types combine yin and yang in a small, compact frame. The “Flamboyant”, “Dramatic”, “Soft” and “Theatrical” versions show which way you lean.

Kibbe test results: the 10 types at a glance

A quick reference for your result. For the full guide, with a yin and yang chart and all 13 original types, see Kibbe body types.

13 Kibbe types vs 10 Kibbe types

The original system had 13 types; Kibbe later retired the pure Natural, Classic and Gamine, so this test uses the 10 current types. The Kibbe body types guide explains the change.

Height and Kibbe body types

Height plays a bigger part in Kibbe’s system than in most body type tests. Women who are about 5 ft 7 in or taller have a long “vertical line” and are typed as Dramatic, Soft Dramatic or Flamboyant Natural. The Gamine types, by contrast, are compact and usually 5 ft 5 in or shorter. This Kibbe body type test applies that rule automatically, using your answer to the first question.

Height isn’t only a number, though. Someone of average height with long legs and a long neck can look taller than they are, which is why the first question asks how tall you look as well as how tall you are.

Tips for an accurate Kibbe test result

1. Judge your frame, not your weight. Kibbe types are about bone structure and overall line, which don’t change when your weight does.
2. Use full-length photos. A straight-on photo in fitted clothes shows proportions more honestly than a mirror.
3. Ask a friend. Other people often see “striking” or “soft” more clearly than we see ourselves.
4. Read your top two results. If you sit between two types, try outfits in both sets of lines and see which looks more like you.

Kibbe type vs body shape

Your Kibbe type and your body shape answer different questions. A body shape, such as hourglass or pear, comes from tape measurements and tells you how clothes will fit. A Kibbe type describes your overall look and tells you which lines and fabrics express it. You can be a Soft Classic and an hourglass, or a Flamboyant Natural and a rectangle. For your body shape, use the body type calculator or take the body type quiz.

Frequently asked questions

Tools and guides