Ingénue - Soft Gamine Clothing Style

It has been hard for me to accept this is me. I mean... according to all these lists, according to mathematics etc. I am medium hight, V-shaped, overweight, which makes me apple shaped, I have slightly angular, oval face, long rectangle, mathematically, I have the "drop" shaped nose with "seagull wing" nosetip, I have hooded eyes, I am very athletic and balanced proportioned, with a slightly longer legs and slightly shorter waist... So I should be "Soft Classic".
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.

In left is this absolutely amazing "high waist pencil skirt". In right is a photoshopped version, where the pencil skirt has been changed into an A-line skirt.
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.

Another comparison so that you can see the difference and choose right.
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.

The thing is that people usually HATE counting points. But it works. Just try it out. Take 10 photos of women you think are dressed stylish and elegant, and count their points. I bet they usually get 8-12 points.
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

Ingénues - clothing

The Ingénue type women give a dainty, delicate impression.

They are usually not curvy but not straight either, their figure is usually very proportionate and gently rounded. (Now, as I said yesterday, the clothing style is more about appearance, look, impression and essence than measurable facts. Some ingenues are very curvy, some very straight.)

Their eyes appear to be big and have an innocent and trusting look. They have soft, rounded shapes in their face. There is something childlike, sweet innocence in their faces, impressions, look.

Best hairstyle is softly curled, with a bounce and certain messiness about it. Feathered pixie cut is good. Gibson girl updo is good. Keep it light and soft. But it should be neat and clean. "Certain messiness" is about some curls that have escaped the updo, not an unbrushed, windswept bedhead. Soft and light, natural, like this girl's hair:

Your makeup should be delicate and luminous, as if you have on no makeup at all. You may want to try a soft, lustrous color or two, but that's it. Keep it peachy, rosy, glowing, light and innocent. Girly. Like the makeup on the photo above. Very natural looking.
  
Clothes should have simplicity in cut, and old-fashioned, girly details, like Peter Pan collar, lace inserts and edges, pintucks, smocking, rickrack ribbon.

These coasters by Nana Company are perfect for Ingenues.

The print, the colors, the rickrack edge.

Avoid a lot of frills and draping. You should think of a little girl, but not the pageant style meringue frilly type. More like French style clothing for little girls.

If you don't know what the French style clothing is... I'll try to explain.
There's a lot of skirts, that are knee-high or higher. There is not much volume, the skirts are moderately full. Skater skirts and pleated skirts and dresses are popular.
Blouses are usual, and they often have a collar and small, puffed sleeves.
The dresses are A-line or princess-line, like girls' dresses from 50's and 60's.
There's a lot of combinations; t-shirt - often decorated with some simple, cute, girly decor, like a little bow, lace, small ruffle or rickrack edge - cardigan and skirt. Also, combining a simple t-shirt with a very girly skirt, like tutu, is usual.
The pants are simple and straight, or perhaps with tiny feminine decor, like a little puff or bow, worn with a more feminine top, like a pretty, feminine blouse or tunic with a little skirt or lace edge.
The colors are soft and pretty, feminine.
Shoes have rounded toes and can be fun and whimsical, like these in the picture with silver toes. Laced shoes are usual, or maryjanes.
The coats are also princess or A-lined (swagger coat) or duffel coat.

That is actually a very good description for the style for Ingenues. Because ingenues give a balanced impression when it comes to proportions and polarity (yin, yang, if you please, masculine and feminien - the childlike angrogyny), it's a good idea to combine the masculine and feminine elements like that. Wear a feminine top with masculine bottom and vice versa. Now, avoid extremes. Don't wear anything that's VERY feminine or VERY masculine. The only "very" an ingenue should be is "cute". :-D
Keep skirts relatively short. Not much pass knees. Don't let them go short either. "Sexy" is not an quality you wish to be. You want to be cute, sweet, girly and adorable.

Your silhouette should be soft but clean. Nothing should be tight or clingy or with heavy fall... Ingenues are delicate, and shouldn't be wearing something romantic, sexy, feminine; nothing draped that follows the body like a caress and emphasizes the curves; no deep necklines, tight waists and draped hips and bottom.

"The Ingenue likes clean lines, a boxy or A-line shape with an American Classic look under European influences. Since the outline is boxy, the textures are kept feminine with soft materials such as silk, satin, cashmere and velvet, with touches of lace or a small ruffle and small print. Conversely, wedge boots and riding boots are combined with dresses so they aren't overpoweringly feminine. It's all about balancing playful boyishness and coy femininity."

tops:
blouses, light, in color and material, girly details like pretty little frills, lace inserts, rickrack, embroideries. See that the lines and shapes are softly rounded, or that your material is very soft and light, if the lines are straight. Peter Pan collar is granted. See that the collar is rounded.

T-shirts should be fitted, feminine, not boxy and big. Light colors here, again, girly prints, small bows, lace, etc. are good.

Boatneck sweaters are surprisingly good for Ingenues. See that the rest of the outfit is a bit extra girly, to balance the square lines of the sweater.

Avoid V-necklines. Keep it round. Avoid portrait neckline, because it's a bit too heavy and adult. Square neckline is - obviously - too square. Draped necklines are not good either. Haltertop is not good, neither is plunging necklines.

Chelsea collar is nice, especially if the tips are rounded. If not, see that other details are extra girly, like puff sleeves.

Twin sets are nice, and cardigans. All kinds of cardigans, really, but it's nice with a slightly fitted and medium weight yarn, with a smooth knit, like stranded, rather than aran knit or bulky. Cropped cardigan is nice too, and lacy cardigans.

Ingenues wear jackets nicely. Keep the collars and labels nicely rounded, and preferably the seams of the jacket as well. Princess line jacket is really nice, or cropped with rounded corners.


Princess line coats are good, too, and duffel coats. Capes are nice, too, especially the short 60's style, very simple cape coat.
Every woman should own a trench coat, for Ingenue it should be shorter, perhaps slightly fitted, with rounded edges and light colored.

Don't use straight lines. If you have a cardigan or jacket with straight lines, see that the material is so soft that the lines will follow the natural curves of your body.


"Soft cut, curved seams, round neck, collars, lapels and hem lines, slim line of clothes"

3/4 sleeves are very nice, or moderately straight and narrow.
Puff sleeves, kept moderately puffed, cap sleeves, slightly flared sleeves, raglan sleeves, kimono sleeves - soft, simple shapes with curved lines and moderate, classic cuts. Leave the renaissance sleeves to Romantics.

Tops should be fitted, but loose, and not tailored, very simply cut. The focus of the Ingenue is her face. Her hair and hats should frame the face, not cover it. Her necklines should bring the focus to her face, not to her chest or shoulders. 

This is also the reason to why Ingenues should be using short skirts and shorts/hotpants. The long leg line makes the eyes wander upward, to the face, and give a colt-like impression, makes the center of gravity appear to be higher than it is, and gives you a light appearance.

Skirts:
A-line, slightly flared, trumpet skirt, ballet skirts, skater skirts, pleated skirts - keep the line simple and moderate.
Keep the skirts at knee level, or slightly above. Miniskirts are OK too, but you should have tights under them.

Pants: better when short. Any length as long as it's shorter, goes: shorts, breeches, bloomers, pantalettes and pettipants; capris, cropped pants, 3/4 pants, clam diggers or pedal pushers. Your pants should be of moderate cut and width and medium to light material. You can use pants under dresses or tunics, and then they can be tight or tights. Don't wear suspender pants, though. Those are more gamine than ingenue. 

So the waist is often ignored or hidden. Dresses are either A-lined, princess-lined, empire-lined or having dropped waist. Tops are worn over the bottoms, or if the blouse is tucked inside the waistband, a cardigan is worn over the waistline to hide it.

It is pity that when Audrey Hepburn is given as an example of an Ingenue, the photos usually posted are from Breakfast at Tiffany's.
A little black dress is NOT an ingenue piece of clothing.
Sheath dress is NOT an ingenue piece of clothing.
Holly Golightly is a very fashionable and rather eccentric dresser. Audrey is still Ingenue, so her essence colors Holly's style and gives it a fun, light edge, a bit as if Holly was playing dress-up. But the style of the clothes IS NOT INGENUE.

A-line dresses, princess line dresses, moderate tent dresses, "baby doll" type of dresses, tunic dresses, dresses with empire waistline or dropped waistline. Avoid enhancing the waist or focusing to the waist.

Ingenue is NOT ladylike and classic and "lady who lunches". Ingenue is a little girl who never grew up. "Bon chic bon genre" is a better description. There is class and style, certain preppiness, well educated, well mannered and well bread, grace and elegance. But still a little girl.

Other styles and impressions you should avoid:
- bohemian, hippie, eclectic, wild, too free spirited
- disorderly, sloppy, unkempt, dirty, too casual, grungy
- frumpy, granny-like, dowdy
- sexy, lewd, suggestive, revealing, slutty
- complicated, tailored, too "adult"
- manly
- strict, hard, square, angular, sharp
- tough, rough, a lot of texture
- bold, cold
- too "modern", like neon colors, too trendy
- too sleek, glossy, shiny, glassy, sheeny

She is neat and proper, mild and moderate, balanced in everything she does and everything she wears. Her colors are soft and co-ordinated, she might be using different patterns, but they always match and combine in harmony. She is a peaceful little creature, sweet and cute, charming, disarming, enchanting, adorable, soft, warm and gentle, kind and subtle.

Ingenue is old-fashioned, romantic in the dreamy fashion; sweet, innocent and childlike, cute and naïve, trusting and awakens father (or big brother) instincts in men and big sister or mother instincts in women. Other people want to protect her, defend her and teach her, help her and support her.
When she gets older, she becomes the harmless, unmarried, sweet auntie, kind and gentle, with unlimited time and sincere interest, and surprising amount of quiet wisdom.

She might be girlish, but she is not timid and quiet, so the lines of clothing shouldn't be quiet either. She can be coy and shy, but always cute, bubbly, light, airy, she's like the wind, sunshine, happy little cloud dancing in the sky, twinkling little star. She is sanguine, optimistic, happy, joyful and pretty, she can be silly and whimsical, but the cute, delightful way. Ingenues are perky and peppy in the original meaning of the words: lively, animated, bright, sparkling, spirited, vivacious, happy, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, bubbly, buoyant, cheerful, sunny, effervescent, bubbly, volatile, airy, light, bouncy, jaunty, blithe.

She can be coy and shy, delightfully, charmingly so, but she's not timid and quiet. The lines of her clothes shouldn't be quiet and static either.
Yesterday I spoke about the shape of Ingenue being the trefoil. I also posted other "scalloped" shapes; clover, shamrock, quatrefoil, heart, club of cards, cloud, traditional daisy shape, the scalloped shape called "gingerbread cookie" in Scandinavia, butterfly shape and bow. I found out another shape to add to the list; bell shape. Also drop fits the description, being rounded triangle.

Avoid rich prints like paisley;  plaid,  regular stripes, overly geometric patterns and contrasting prints.

"repeating patterns in rhythmical sequences creating the effect of movement or flight"

The scalloped figure of Ingenue combines curves and pointed lines of the triangle, creating weightlessness, lightness, flight, movement, optimism, joy, a dancing movement. This is what Ingenue's clothes and outfits should express.  This can be achieved by either seeing that seams are all rounded, or if the cut is square, the fabric is softer than usually. A t-shirt can be square, but it's better it's a bit sturdier fabric and softly fitted. The cuts for an Ingenue should be very simple, though, because of the balanced essence. Ingenues are subtle and gentle women who will drown in complicated cuts and patterns. 

"Softly crisp, gently flowing, softly feminine, touches of delicacy"

For more information, pictures, tips and tutorials, go to Ingenue - Soft Gamine board on Pinterest

A little rant >:->

When looking for information about ingénues, I found some a-hole's blog where he, self proclaimed Alpha, was telling his readers how to deal "femmes fatales", among them "Eternal Ingenue".

I am one of these ingénues.
I, too, have a "daddy's little girl" complex. I married a big brother to protect me and to father me.
I have noticed how men want to protect me. I awaken the father instinct in them.
But "books and talk and advice are beta"? Idiot. If he thinks that, he's a boy, not an Alpha male. He's not worth playing my dad. He's not worth my looking up to him with big, innocent eyes, admiring, amazed by his brilliance and wisdom. By his capacity to provide for me. By his skills, experience and confidence. He doesn't have any. He's just a lot of talk, and he sees women as play things, because he's just a child still. Alpha, my ass. No wonder he can't keep any women.

I am not only an ingénue, you know. I'm also an Alpha. And I recognize another Alpha when I see one. And this idiot is not one. He's just a wannabe, so he's pretending, playing an alpha male, doing all the things he believes alpha males do, saying all the things he assumes alphas should say. Having pissing contests and sparring and boasting, but if a true alpha would enter the stage, he would shut up as quickly as all the others - or would, if he had any grip of reality.

I really dislike alpha wannabes.

Ingénues

It has nothing to do with your length, size, body shape or coloring. It's about your essence. Ingenues are girlish. They are always innocent. They are always sweet and cute and delightful and charming and adorable and coy and feminine and darling and graceful and playful and disarming... she walks with unicorns in land of soft clouds and rainbows and persian kittens and bows and candyfloss and butterflies... whether she's five or ninety-five... You get the "cute overload" vibes when you are with her.  They are always slightly off wandering in a fairytale land. There is an ethereal quality, they are soft dreamers, something "Alice in Wonderland" and "Peter Pan", "Little Princess", something magical and enchanting. She is not impish, mischievous, puck-like street urchin, she is the fairy princess collecting glittery things as if they were stars. They are light, airy sprites, affectionate, fun, silly, whimsical, naïve, so adorable and cute...

So - put in simpler terms:

The motif, figure of Ingenues is trifoil, heart, cloud, that scalloped edge.

I forgot a very important Ingenue shape from that graph... This too is scalloped lines

 and another one...

And yet another one I had forgotten...

Their word is "cute". Anything that is cute is Ingenue, anything that is not, is not.

They should not be covered in frills and ruffles. Simple lines and styles are best, but they should be feminine, girly, slightly romantic. Usually a simple lace edging is quite enough, scalloped edge, Peter Pan collar, small puff sleeves... nothing elaborate and baroque. The beauty of an Ingenue is very soft and subtle and light, and should be lightly supported, not heavily underlined. There is a slight androgyny in Ingenues and Gamines, as they are childlike. Keep the lines and cuts simple and easy, and add some girly details.

Cotton fabrics suitable for lingerie blouses and dresses.
 

Upper row (left to right), batiste (mercerized) Persian lawn, handkerchief linen, and voile. 

Second row, striped crepes (2), and striped and checked dimity. 

Third row, embroidered Swiss (2), and flaxon (2).

Lower row, fancy flowered voile.

The fabrics should be light and soft as well. Good fabrics are batiste, cambric, gauze and mousseline (muslin), chiffon, crepe, seersucker and lightweight plissé, voile, georgette, piquet, broadcloth, lawn, dimity, swiss . Oxford and percale might work.
Wool flannel is perhaps too heavy, crepe is better. Poplin is OK too. I think denim, gabardine and twill are a bit too hard and heavy, but together with lighter fabrics they are OK. Melton would be good for winter coats.
Jacquard, damask and brocade are usually too heavy and stiff for Ingenues, but can be used as a small detail or a small piece of clothing, if everything else in the outfit is according to the style.
Knitted garments are usually a good choice, but stay away of fuzzy yarns, like angora and mohair. Those are a bit too soft for Ingenues. Also, avoid thick yarns, and heavy knits. College fabric is usually too heavy. Lightweight knit, jersey knit is better, but avoid the thinnest with heavy fall. Light velour goes, too.
I don't like fleece (or flausch) for Ingenues, as it is a rather "cheap" material. It goes better for Gamines. Ingenues can use chinchilla cloth.
Velvet is too heavy, but corduroy is OK, especially light, thin striped corduroy. Velveteen might work too, with some concerns. It may not be too drape-y nor too shiny. Chenille is too heavy and rough as well, and so is boucle and poodle cloth.

Fur should be soft, smooth and quite short haired, like rabbit. Fox and coyote and other such long haired furs are not good for Ingenues. Also, stay with one color. Ticked fur or cat prints are not as good as one color. Light furs are better than dark, and the fur shouldn't be too shiny, like mink. Mink is too shiny for Ingenues. White ermine and squirrel do well, too, but most others are not suitable for ingenues. Also, ingenues shouldn't use furcoats at all. Soft fur can be used to edge winter bonnets and jackets, one can use a soft fur scarf or muff. Muffs are cute for ingenues.
(Frankly, I don't think humans should be wearing fur, except sheep and rabbit. But this goes for fake fur as well.)

I think charmeuse might be too shiny and "heavy" in that it's so fluid and soft. The same goes for duchesse (peau de sole). Satin is a bit too shiny. It works as ribbons, like brocade and velvet, but bigger surfaces than that are a bit too much.
Shantung, cady, dubion and taffeta, if not very shiny or crisp, are good for evening dresses and party wear.
Mesh is too hard, organza/organdy can be too shiny and crisp, lace can be too baroque, but if you get organdy and lace that is moderately "busy", not too shiny, not too rich, that's fine. Tulle is good. Broderie anglaise is very nice.

Chintz is a bit too shiny to my taste. Vinyl and metallics are absolute "NO!". Too hard, too shiny, too unnatural. Rain clothes should be kept in style by choosing colors and patterns.

The same goes with terrycloth. Waffle or huck weave is better for bathrobe for Ingenue than the textured terrycloth, but if you choose the model, colors and embellishments to give a lighter, childlike feel to the robe, you can use terrycloth.

What is important here is that the materials are quality. Natural fibers, cotton, linen, silk, wool...
The surface is smooth but not hard, structure is medium, weight light. Crisp is OK, but not stiff. Ingenues are feminine, "yin", but it's balanced. There is the childlike androgyny and innocence to it.

Prints: keep it small and dainty. Gingham and small polka dots are nice. Folklore patterns are good too, but avoid busy patterns. Cutesy patterns, like cartoon-y animals, are nice too. Keep the contrast moderate. There should be some contrast, patterns and colors that melt into each other are not good for Ingenues, but heavy, strong and bold patterns and colors don't work either. Tartan works usually, and tweed can be nice, in small amounts.

Colors should be light and bright, and pastels. If everything else is right, you can use even dark, heavy colors, like black and dark, muted browns and greens. It is better if the colors are close to each other, in the same family. Contrast colors are a bit too strong for Ingenues.

The best hairstyles for Ingenues are "little girl hairstyles".
Pixie cut is nice, short bangs are cute, curly hair is usually very sweet, as long as it's not tight, round curls.
Updos should be a bit messy.
Most braids go well. Ponytails, buns, pigtails and bunches (two ponytails) are always good, but have something girly in your hair, like a flower, curled ends of the pigtails, butterflies, pretty barrettes or hair pins. Straight pigtails with no girly details added are a bit too tomboyish for an Ingenue.
Hair bands, ribbons and bows are very Ingenue.
One of my favorite hairstyles is curled bob with shortish bangs. The mere hairstyle says "INGENUE!" :-D

Hair should not be angular, wild, boyish, rough, not too simple and straight, and not smooth and sleek, very tidy, clean and strict hairstyle, or wavy, long and "sexy" either.

Makeup - keep it simple, light, soft, natural and rosy/peachy. Blush rose lips and glowing rosy cheeks is the best look for Ingenues.
Keep eyes simple, too. Just eyeliner and mascara to get Audrey Hepburn doe eyes.
Keep eyebrows shapely and marked.
Have nails well manicured, not long but not short either. French is the best style, but also nude nail polish, peachy, rosy pinks, and fun, glittery, light polishes do.

Perfume should be fruity, flowery, light, sweet, with notes of vanilla, caramel and honey. Creamy soft but light. 

"The gamine style is sweet, childlike, gentle, innocent and adorably charming."

"A girl, giving the idea of sweet and innocent."

"Ingenue's appeal lies in her charming, sweet, fresh and innocent air."

think "sweet", "cute" and "charming". "Delightful"

* Audrey Hepburn
* Leslie Caron
* Carey Mulligan
* Audrey Tatou
* Zooey Deschanel
* Emmy Rossum
* Sandra Dee
* Shirley Jones
* Hayley Mills
* Drew Barrymore
* Carol Kane
* Bette Davis
* Clara Bow
* Lillian Gish
* Betty White
* Mary Louise Parker
* Shirley MacLaine
* Goldie Hawn
* Marilyn Monroe

For more information, pictures, tips and tutorials, go to Ingenue - Soft Gamine board on Pinterest

Temperament

Ok, so I'm back in to temperaments.

I saw one of these temperament infograms on Pinterest, and it mentioned "test", and I can't resist a test.

So I took it, and this time it said that my temperament is ESTJ.
I KNOW it's not.
So - what is it, then?

I'm pretty sure I'm NJ, but is it INFJ, INTJ, ENFJ or ENTJ.

INTJ I am not! I don't recognize myself from much anything there.

I was pretty sure I was introvert, so I went to read INFJ description, and some of it sounded reasonable descriptions of me, but then I went to see ENFJ, just to be sure, and BOOM! That's me. Almost every word could have been said about me!
My husband read the description and said, that "Yes, when you were younger, but not so much now..."
So I went to read "unhealthy ENFJ".
That's me. I am depressed, tired, sick and suffering from PTSD.

So I am sanguine, enneagram 3, DYT type 1, extrovert, ENFJ.

Edited  23/11-13 - No, I'm not enneagram 3 :-D I'm 4w5, the Bohemian :-D

People have been busy...

I finally realized something. I am to use the colors of my skin, eyes and hair, and the patterns, lines and structure of my skin, face and body. Everything else is irrelevant. It doesn't matter if it's classified as "soft classic" or "amber spring", it's what suits me best and best helps me "express my beauty". :-D

Anyway, as people like to classify things, I learned today that there is apparently iris patterns that fit the four different color analysis seasons.

Winter types are to have very clear and structured spokes in their eyes. The lines start in the middle and take you all the way to the edges, there's symmetry there. It can be a spoke wheel or petal shape, but it's very ordered and precise pattern.

Springs have the dancing curls of sun flares. Spring eyes are not symmetrical, but rather chaotic. Springs could have the light, bright ring in their irises.Spring eyes are bright, clear and shiny. Spring has the biggest contrast between eyewhites and iris, sometimes unreal contrast.

Autumn has "Aztec Sun" pattern; that is, there seems to be geometric patterns, usually triangles, in their irises. They also have "freckles", flecks in their eyes. Autumn eyes are rather wild, a bit of leopard spotted, uneven, with strong structure and colors. The color is deep, warm and rich,

Summers have "broken glass" pattern, very fine, spidery, subtle ripple pattern. If the pupil, iris and eyewhite change softly from one to another, and then on to the skin around the eye. Summer has the smallest contrast between eyewhites and iris. There is something soft and dreamy about their eyes.

Kibbe types

Here we have three ladies:Arlene Dahl, Grace Kelly and Ingrid Bergman

Arlene is classified by Kibbe as "Romantic", Grace as "Classic" and Ingrid as "Natural".

Why? They look very much the same. Grace has eyes a little wider apart than the other two, Ingrid has a little less balanced, symmetrical face, Arlene is slightly rounder.

Here's their bodies and hands (as far as I could find images):

Arlene's measurements: 35-22 1/2-35 and height: 5'6"

Here's the description of Kibbe's ROMANTIC woman.

Arlene has very slender, long fingers and hands, legs and arms. She is not hourglass-figured, and not especially big busted. She seems to have the most angular and wide shoulders of these three ladies.

Grace's measurements: 34 B - 24 - 35 and height: 5'7"

Here's a description of Kibbe's CLASSIC woman

Ingrid's measurements: 34 C - 24 - 34 and height: 5'9"

Here is the description of Kibbe's NATURAL type

I just don't see it. Ingrid is not angular and square in any way. She has soft, round shoulders, very beautiful, feminine hands, and she is very tall for a woman of her time.

I am such a pushover...

It's nicer to say that I'm very agile :-D I am a chameleon, a "Pretender", I can be anything. But the truth is that I'm impressionable. I read these descriptions of DYT (Dressing Your Truth) types, and immediately recognize myself in every one.

I read the descriptions of Kibbe types and everything else out there, and I recognize myself in them.

At the same time I WANT TO BE certain types, and get sad when I don't "fit the description".
I "can't be" gamine because I am not little and dainty, like my sister.
I can't be "romantic" because I'm top heavy, carrot shaped, an apple, have short waist, flat bottom and tapered hips. But - I do have a waist. I do have bottom. There is a picture of me dressed for the "old timers" dance, 1987, and sure, the dress is basque waisted, but that shouldn't alone be able to give me that curve on waist... So I don't think I'm quite as square and flat as I imagine I am.

But that face... I'd say soft, feminine, romantic... Type 2.

They say the type doesn't change... this is me at 2, 7 and 17. I think the curls fit me better than that straight bob, and that bow on top of my two years old head looks silly and slightly malplaced... And the blouse in that 17 picture doesn't fit me at all. Those colors make my nose look huge and my teeth really yellow. (They ARE yellow, but not quite that yellow! :-D That smile is still type 1, I'd say. But what do I know?

Here's other two: me at about 20. Very soft and romantic and smooth, isn't it? Type 2?

This is me summer 2012, with our dog. I do have some ass and some waist, even when I'm practically carrot shaped. A very thick carrot, that is... Do you think I'm overly self-critical about my looks? Perhaps I am... But I think I could rock the romantic and Type 1.

Von Luschan's scale

This is Felix von Luschan's skin color chart. I find it hard to imagine any living person would have skin color below 14. Perhaps Snow White, very pale porcelain skinned red heads and albinos. Perhaps.

Type	von Luschan scale	Also called
I	1–5	Very light or white, “Celtic” type[2]
II	6–10	Light or light-skinned European[2]
III	11–15	Light intermediate, or dark-skinned European[2]
IV	16–21	Dark intermediate, also “Mediterranean” or “olive skin”[2]
V	22–28	Dark or “brown” type
VI	29–36	Very dark or “black” type

I fall in to the class V - "Dark or brown type". That is, darker than your average Mediterranean person... Er... Felix... I don't think so.

also, these skin tones are very yellow. When I change the tone to match mine, I get these "white" and "black" - that is - blue.

Felix says that not only am I "brown", I also have a cool skin tone. Er... I really don't think so.

So - Felix was very wrong.
"The von Luschan scale was largely abandoned by the early 1950s, replaced instead by methods utilizing reflectance spectrophotometry."

(Well... if you go down the discussion on that page, there is another, darker version of this:

On that chart I'm 11, "Light intermediate, or dark-skinned European", which sounds more like it.

Dress Your Truth... But what is it?

Me at the age of about 7, about 30 and now, at 44. (44 1/2 :-D)

I have to say that only that face at 7 says "Type 1", the older face says "Type 2". I see the softness, romantic, feminine, old-fashioned feeling. I also see they greyness. I see the S-curves. I see the drop shapes and wavy lines. My eyes are hooded and the outer point is lower down than the inner point. My face is more oval. I see the heart shape in my face when I was 7, but I don't even recognize the 7-years-old in me now. My apple cheeks are more drop shaped than round. My nose is "fleshy", tear-shaped, with that lovely S-curve, the { of my nosetip, that I have always loved. :-D

{} are called braces, flower brackets, French brackets, curly brackets, definite brackets, swirly brackets, curly braces, birdie brackets, Scottish brackets, squirrelly brackets, gullwings, seagulls, squiggly brackets, Tuborg brackets, accolades, or fancy brackets.
In Swedish they are called clamp brackets, lace brackets, curly brackets, gullwings, accolades or moustache brackets :-D
The "Tuborg brackets" in Danish is because Tuborg, the beer brewing company, used to have a umbrella over the driver in their carriages, that had that shape - they were square, with curved edges, and a pointy top.

Anyway, there's a lot of curves and palmettes and paisley going on on my face. :-D

I made my hubby take some pictures of me, dressed in something like the different types... Now, of course I think I look absolutely horrendous in each one of them, but best in T2, I think. Or perhaps the first one, Autumn.

That first one is ok, too, but the flowery dress and flowers in my hair... I get a pear-shaped face, mad gleen in my eyes, I hate my gummy smile, and that horrible line that my cheeks and chin create on the lower part of my face. It looks like I don't have any teeth, when I'm not smiling!

My eyes look like small, black holes, and I seem to have a constant surprised look on my face.
But my smile is very bright, I smile with my whole face, my mouth is heart shaped when I smile and I show my teeth and gums. I hate it, but it's a type 1 smile.
Also, I didn't feel awkward in any of those clothes. I love the happy girlishness of that flowery dress (though i doubt I can ever wear it again, now that I know how bad it makes me look.) I love that fox scarf in the first picture. That grey long sleeved T is one of my favorite tops, I love the aquarell colors of the shawl, and even though the jacket in the last picture is not mine, the black dress is my perfect cut - it makes me look amazing - and that scarf is dotted and really soft and lovely. 

One "good" think about the lines my cheeks and chin create is that it's sort of a shamrock, clubs, three circles... I suppose that's T1 lines.

Also, the inability to choose and stick to it, to be all the time open for possibilities, that's typical T1 as well :-D

BUT - I have been described as "the cliff", something balanced and steady, something reliable, something soothing and calming, people feel comfortable with me. I care most in a party that everyone has what they need and enjoy themselves, have good time, are comfortable and at ease. I am the one in the kitchen baking and cooking and making beverages, and there's always too much food at my parties. I have been called very feminine, very woman, a temple dancer, a geisha, graceful, pleasing, pleasant... but also able to speak with anyone. I find people fascinating and interesting, not just fascinating people. :-D I care about comfort but also about looks. My home is a mess, I have a lot of interesting stuffs, I am bit of a magpie, but I also collect things that can be used to something. And I pile things. I list things.
I have been called family mascot, always happy, always glad, light, carefree, fun to be with, lighthearted.  So I don't know. I think I'm 1/2.
But... there's a lot in 3 too, where I fit.
Bah. What ever :-D

Auburn

Auburn is an interesting word.

"The word "auburn" comes from the Old French word alborne, which meant blond, coming from Latin word alburnus ("off-white")."

Blond? Well... I live in an area where there are many Middle Eastern refugees, and most of them are dark, but every now and then there's a red-head among them. They look like this boy from Syria. So perhaps that WAS blond to the Romans.

"Auburn hair is mistaken for Titian hair frequently. While Titian hair is a brownish shade of red hair, auburn hair is specifically a variety of red hair, such as strawberry-blond, encompassing the actual color red. Most definitions of Titian hair describe it as a brownish-orange color, but some describe it as being reddish. This is in reference to red hair itself, not the color red."
Uh? So "Titian hair" means red hair and can be almost any clearly red hair, whereas "auburn" refers to a specific color. Or?
Actually, Titian hair is just another way of saying "red hair", because Titian loved painting red-haired women.

Flora by Titian

Actually, they were blond to him, so not quite red-haired... a bit of... toffee? :-D

"Auburn encompasses the color maroon, but so too do chestnut and burgundy. In contrast with the two, auburn is more red in color, while chestnut is more brown, and burgundy is more purple; chestnut hair is also often referred to as "chestnut-brown"."

So that you know :-D
I assume you know exactly as little of auburn as you did before :-D

Reddish but not red hair

A woman wrote a little rant about the lacks of seasonal color theory. She has a point, of course. The seasonal color analysis is created by white people for white people, and any effort to fit the rest of the world to this theory are just feeble efforts to be PC.

The truth is that white people are a minority, that behaves as if it was the majority. White people have the colonial mindset of elitism, arrogance and ignorance, best shown in the ways of Greece, Rome, Germanic people and USA. And in Christianity, which is practically the only European religion worth mentioning. Of course for me, a Pagan, the European paganity, Asatru and Celtic spirituality, are worth mentioning, but in comparison we are a "rat spit in the ocean" [a Swedish idiom my husband uses quite a lot :-D]. A piquant European oddity :-D

In truth the vast majority of world population has very dark hair, a color that can be called black. Most Asians, Africans and people whose ethnicity originates from the geographic area around Mediterranean Sea have "black" hair. But - what is black? There are several different shades of black, just as there are several shades of white and grey. Here's a little achromatic scale. In the middle is pure grey. Right to it I have added some yellow to it, on left is blue. First I added 5% yellow or blue, then 10%. When you see them side by side, you can see the changes, but if you look at them alone, you wouldn't see the difference. (Unless you have as keen eye for color as my husband. That's about 1-2% of humankind.)
On top is the different blacks. 

So - how does this apply to the hair?

This is Megan Fox. 

She is Caucasian.

She has a drop of Native American blood, 

but most of her coloring comes from her European ancestors. 

She is what is called "a black Celt". Black hair, blue eyes, fair skin. 

Now, her hair is black. It's not dark brown, it is black, as black as any black hair. 

But can you see the difference of tone in the following two pictures? 

In the right picture, the highlights of her hair are warm, brownish grey. 

In the left picture, the highlights are cool, almost blue.

Here's the same difference with Yukie Nakama.
Now, I don't think she has black hair, but that's just me.
Her hair is very dark, and could be called black.

And this beautiful lady is Wunmi Mosaku, a British actress.
See the difference? 

She would still be able to wear brown
if the picture in left was the correct coloring and she was Winter,
because brown is her skin color, and we all can wear the color of our skin. 

Now to something different.
The Selfish Seamstress, Elaine, posted this hair color lightness chart from "color me beautiful", and I of course wanted to see where my hair lands on this chart.

So - here's my hair on the chart. Quite precisely medium.

Now, I've been having fun here. I have the hair color that's really difficult to name. So I have taken some hair color charts and matched my hair to those, and here's the results:

So - what is this? Butterscotch, toffee, caramel, honey? "this silky shade that's richly decadent with deep golden undertones"?  Sounds really nice. Better than "mouse", "dishwater", "road dust" and "dirt", anyway...
Then there's that some say my hair is "chestnut", "pecan" or "acorn" and my eyes are hazel... I'm a nutty girl :-D Butterscotch pecan perfection :-D (And, yes, I'm totally nuts :-D)
Then there's "buttered toast" and "cool tea" :-D Add a bit of ginger marmalade, and the breakfast is all set :-D

Here's some other women with caramel brown hair.