I am not. That's too "naked", too strict, too proper, too clean, too... puritan. Of course I look good in that, too, because I am all that. But that clothing style on me gives the impression of that something is missing.
What is missing is the romantic touch, the girlishness, the sweet, cute, dainty, delightful edge that is part of my nature.
With my big breasts and softness of lines I can work the Romantic clothing style as well, and I do look very feminine and sexy... but it's a bit too sexy. It gives a slightly wrong impression. It clashes with my nature, again. I am not a Southern Belle and calculating, purring cat woman. I'm no Femme Fatale. :-)
Natural is too masculine for me, Dramatic too angular, Gamin too... perky and peppy.
I am Ingenue. And F- Kibbe who says "no adult women should be wearing clothes like that".
Everything I know about Ingenue fits me perfectly.
So - let's continue.
What a difference a skirt makes.
The impression is totally different. Material is the same, pinstriped medium weight cotton or wool, but where it is ladylike in the first picture, it's girlish in the other. To make it more yang, just remove the sash and change the top. This is why an ingenue should NOT wear a pencil skirt. Of course one can wear ANYTHING, and change the impression with choosing the company carefully, but if there are no "wrong" type clothes in your closet, you don't NEED to "choose carefully".
(Another thing I notice here is that the dress model looks curvier in the left side photo... so if you are apple-shaped or straight and want to enhance your curves or "get boobs", use a pencil skirt :-D)
"Your silhouette is smooth, draped, and flared, composed of softly flowing lines (clean, not clingy) that are very controlled and symmetrical. Soft edges and smoothly rounded shapes are most important, particularly in details (necklines, sleeves, etc.). Accessories are also clean, controlled, and slightly feminine without being fussy or ornate."
The shapes - the scalloped edge.
Whether it's "just one scallop" (a drop), two (a heart), three (trefoil) or more, it's still scallop.
Then a couple of astrological signs - cancer and aquarius - to illustrate Ingenue shapes.
Jewelry shapes are kept in controlled clusters and scalloped shapes, drops, hearts, daisies etc.
Pearls are good, too.
Keep simple jewelry and don't overdo it.
Choose "kind" stones, like light opals, pearls, aquamarines, rose quartz, moonstones. The iridescence of light opals is your essence.
If you absolutely want diamonds, choose a smaller, rosecut diamond, and set it in a soft, sweet, girly way, like for example heart shaped pink diamond, or a round diamond surrounded with small aquamarines or pink or yellow stones, sapphires, for example.
Choose light or rose gold or matte silver. High, hard polish is not the best option for you, neither is very ornate pieces with lots of details or surface treatment. Antique treatment is too heavy and dull for ingenues.
In left these wonderful, pretty, sweet rose quartz droplet earrings from fussjewelry at Etsy.
In right the same earrings, but photoshopped to make the gold softer in color and the rose quartz a bit more blushing.
Both would be good, but the ones with strong yellow gold might be a bit too strong for an ingenue and take away the focus from the face where it belongs, as the ones with light or rose gold, would just echo the soft tones of your face and your rosy cheeks.
As ingenues look young - or give the impression of being younger than they are, girlish, what ever age - they can use jewelry the girlish manner - chandelier earrings, charm bracelets, chain belts, wristlets, sets of bangles etc. Don't overdo it, though. Bohemian hippie style doesn't enhance your subtle beauty. If you wear too much jewelry, how ever dainty and girlish and simple, the jewelry will wear you. Avoid piercings in everywhere but ears. If you want more than one piercing in your ears, you have to be very careful when choosing earrings.
Softly colored, pastel colored glass beads and ceramic beads are ok, as long as the shape and style of the jewelry is simple, classy and sweet.
Choose simple and small pieces with the scalloped shapes, simple settings, sweet, cute, innocent, dainty, delicate and girly. Remember, everything you wear should frame YOU, YOU are the focal point of your outfit, You and especially your face.
Get a simple, dainty watch, feminine, with a small or moderate clock face, or watch necklace, in soft, bright and light metal or pastel colors, or light neutrals, like soft grey, light brown or cream. Pure white is probably too strong and the contrast to your skin too harsh. Also, don't get a digital watch, or a silly, funny, comical kids' watch in bright colors. That's not for you. (You could get a certain girlish little cat who likes pink and bows, or other things of that style, if you absolutely want to.)
Flowers are a good jewelry for you, as for all young women.
Cameos are also good for ingenues, and right shape brooches fastened in silk or velvet ribbon.
Bows and butterflies.
Vintage jewelry. Keep it simple, though, and use jewelry sparingly. I really cannot say that too often.
Hats: keep the headwear moderate in size. No big feather derby things for you, miss! The best types are berets, sunhats, cloche, bonnet, cute knitted hats, boater, bucket hats,
Don't use hats usually used by men, boys or military, unless you choose light colored version of some soft material and decorate it cutely with a bow or flowers. Newsboy cap with a bow is really cute. Newsboy cap in tweed with no decorations is not.
What a difference a bow makes!
Bags: Moderate or small in size, remember the scallop shape. Oval is better than square. Cute, girly bags and bag accessories, like charms, bows and flowers, are good. Classic is better than modern and fashionable. Keep the colors soft and light, materials matte and smooth, no neon colors or patent leather or high-gloss vinyl. Keep the texture also down, no snake skin for ingenues. Old-fashioned, vintage bags are nice, as long as they are not very flashy and eccentric. Cute animal bags are ok, too, as long as they are not too quirky and cartoony.
You should have a dainty lace handkerchief with you all the time.
Gloves are good for ingenues, especially short, white ones. Don't use very shiny materials, eccentric, bold decorations or colors, no driving gloves or spikes and studs. Keep it simple and classic.
Belts are best kept thin and moderate in color, pattern etc. You can use a sash belt if it's made of thin, crisp material and tied in a bow. Use the same rules for buckles as for jewelry. No flashy things, no rhinestones and glitter, no square, bold and harsh looks. Simple, oval or scalloped, in light metal or a buckle covered with the belt fabric, with rounded corners or oval.
You can use fans and parasols in the summer, and muffs in the winter.
You can use almost all kinds of socks, stockings and tights - as long as a child could wear them. That is, no fishnets or seam stocking
Because your skirts and pants are best worn short, you have long legs to accessorise. You can wear the thigh-high stockings very well. Don't use seam stockings or fishnets or other such "sexy" stockings. You can wear tights, long stockings over those and short socks over those in the autumn and winter, with laced boots and short skirts or short pants.
"Always remember to finish your look. This is where you may have trouble, whether it is shoes, bag, coat or jewelry"
You can use the 10 points rule. Give yourself a point for every piece of clothing, every accessory, every focal point and every color.
That woman in the example picture has a VERY short skirt. But she's still classy, stylish and elegant. As an Ingénue, you should be, too, so count the points.
There's also another check list you should go through every time when you get dressed.
Is your hair combed and clean?
Are your shoes brushed, clean and neat?
Are your clothes clean, mended, all the buttons in place, all stains removed, all ripped seams fixed?
Is your underwear neat and clean?
Is your makeup and nails nice and clean?
Are your teeth brushed?
Are all your clothes secured so that no buttons are loose or tight, no zippers open or about to break, that all the elastics and whatnots used to keep your clothes on you, are good and functional?
Good. You're good to go.
(Also, it's worth it to get a camera with self timer, and learn to take photos of your outfits, front and behind, so that you KNOW how you look. What you see in a photo is something different than what you see in the mirror.)
For more information, pictures, tips and tutorials, go to Ingenue - Soft Gamine board on Pinterest
I know this was a quite old blog post, but I was sad to see you don't have your SG board anymore. I've been exploring that style/essence lately, and lots of it feels like a really good fit to me. Lovely post, regardless! I learned a lot from it! :)
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