We as human beings are, as sometimes we forget, as part of the nature as the sparrow or the coot. ‘Find yourself’ is more than a cliche: know your face, discover your body, study your colors, find the harmony within you. Reach the balance between your mind and your body, go over the expectations and restrains that you or your surroundings impose. Your song. Your rhythm. Your true colors. Find your inner feather.
It is not new that I don’t actually know myself. This is a journey that started many years ago; it is true that I know my strengths and bad habits, it is true that I am aware of who and why I am. But as you, Dear Reader, I am constantly changing and evolving, and the past personal style, favorite trends and fashion may not be representing us anymore.
Plus there is always a disconnection between who we feel we are and who does the world see. And there will always be, as it is impossible to have an objective vision of who we are, and all others visions would be based in their own particular filter. The question that arises is: who is I?
Regarding personal style, there are tons and tons of blogs on the internet. My mission is to actually collect all color, hair, style, clothes, body types and theories into a single project. This knowledge from fashion experts all over the world may give us an holistic vision of how are we perceived, what is our inner beauty and how can we enhance it and share it to the world.
Lastly but not less important, I want to highlight the role of our connection to nature. What is your Patronus, your spiritual animal? Since the beginning of times Mother Nature has been a source of inspiration. And a big part of our nature is our culture and art; the Starry Night is not an inch less natural than the peacocks tail. Finding ourselves and our inner beauty and style is more than fitting into a Kibbe body type or finding our skin undertone. It passes through learning our place in the universe and ecosystem.
Take my hand and let’s do this journey together. Let’s find our inner feather.
It is finally time to address one of my favorite issues: the spiritual bird.
I think this is an interesting introspection exercise, and somehow an easier question than the one on the spiritual animal, as there are less bird species. ‘Less’ doesn’t mean few, as it is estimated that there are 10,000 alive bird species around the world. Imagine if we considered the dinosaurs as well. I will use the classic bird definition, considering just modern species, but if you are a birdgeek you are free to go back to Archaeopteryx.
After a lot of thought, I have come to a system that, as arbitrary as it is, makes some sense to me. Just answer this simple questions:
Do you have some striking physical features? For instance, thick eyebrows, an original mouth, red hair…
Do you have any musical talent? I’m specifically interested in whistling. How is your whistle? Is it high or low? What about your voice?
What are you good at? Do you run? Swim? Can you jump very high, or dance, or play any sport?
How is your physical appearance? Do you look smaller than you actually are? Is your profile side particularly interesting? Are you strong?
How is your personality? Are you smart, rebellious, introverted? How could you define your character in a word?
What do you like to do? Do you like to travel?
Do you feel a connection to any ecosystem in particular (the sunny coast, the deep woods, the frosty mountains…)?
Have you had any personal experience with some kind of bird?
All this questions aim to be a guide to know what to look for in your spiritual bird: you can make up any question you find interesting. Sometimes thinking about others help as you have to find a way to describe yourself as a third person and then match the description to a bird.
I am going to introduce you to two truly-important-to-me people toillustrate this method.
Lisa the Nightingale
Lisa is one of the people I most admire in the world. She is personified joy. It doesn’t seem to be anything in the world that can take her down, not precisely because she is physically strong but because of her character. She is even shorter than me, I’d say 1,57cm. She has beautiful chestnut eyes, with green sparkles at the light. Her hair is shoulder length in a dark blond, or even a light brown. From her I learnt that live is what happens when you say yes to new things. Last time I saw her, I discovered her talent: she whistles soooo well it’s crazy!! She outshines any other bird I could hear in the forest. That is why she is a nightingale. A small, brown bird with the most angelic song.
Petru the gyrfalcon
Petru is a handsome East European man: tall, fair skin, dark hair. His most captivating feature is his stare. He has these bold eyebrows and intense, mesmerizing emerald eyes. The second I saw him I fell in love; I got lucky because he also found me kinda cute. After almost 7 years, I am still amazed about his strength of will, how hard he works and how intelligent he is. He acts goofy most of the time (literally laugh tears) but beneath this there is something hard as steel, something wild, indomitable and somehow unreachable. He could be described in a word as “mysterious”. I am constantly learning from him. That some things are just the way they are and I cannot control them. Further than this, this uncontrollable things don’t necessarily have to be harmful, as even if sometimes I’m frustrated because I don’t understand him I am confident that he loves me with all his heart. Makes me lose fear of being hurt. For all this reasons, being inaccesible yet magnetic, with a mesmerizing gaze, definitely his spiritual bird is the gyrfalcon.
And what about me? The most difficult part of this issue is that I have trouble keeping things simple. Maybe that is why I find easier to talk about others rather than myself. Maybe, for the sake of simplicity, I’m just going to answer the questions. I am physically average: kind of shortish, long brown hair, brown eyes, light skin. I do have to say that I really like my eyes: though I don’t have a strong jawline or very defined features, I find them quite hypnotizing, and it’s something that others have told me as well. I have quite juicy lips, and it’s is something that people notice too. I do think I am pretty, though I have to confess that I may be a little delusional. For all this, at least I think I don’t deserve an ugly bird, like a turkey, or a big bird, like a condor. I don’t have any musical talent at all, and I have been trying for weeks to learn how to whistle, but it’s just imposible for me. My spiritual bird, unlike Lisa, doesn’t sing. Or run. Or jump. I’m just not very athletic. So no ostriches for me. I do swim, but it’s not really my cup of tea, so goodbye penguins and puffins. My profile side shows a slightly big nose, but doesn’t match to any beak shape. I do like to travel a lot, so I guess my spiritual animal knows how to fly well, even long distances. I do feel very connected to the sea, but I think I’m just energized by nature, as I also love walking on the country side. Regarding my personality, I am extroverted but run low in social battery and some days I am the excuses queen. I consider myself a smart gal, my spiritual bird has to be intelligent, or at least not dumb like a dodo. And my favourite thing in the world is sleeping. Taking nap is my passion. Most importantly, I have an anecdote to tell:
I was 8 y.o. when I changed school: the first day the teacher asked the classroom how to decorate the classroom. I, even as shy as I used to be, was so excited that couldn’t help to tell the story I’d recently read about how the Native Americans thought that the owls represented wisdom. We should decorate the class with owl pictures! The teacher was quite fascinated but asked me how could I draw an owl? It seemed kind complicated. I am not very skilled in drawing but managed to make an easy doodle that my mates could copy. The whole class ended up being the owl class, aspiring for wisdom.
For this motives, I think a barn owl does suit me. Kind of shy, kind of sleepy, looks intelligent, quite cute. Though probably next week I’ll end up doubting again about my spiritual bird and change it to the crow or the heron.
Buying swimwear has always been a drama for me. First you go to the store: you don’t like any of the bikinis they have, either because of the pattern, the shape of because they are just very expensive. You finally find a cute one, but there are none for your size. After half an hour, you decide to try some in the fitting room. You don’t care about if you really like them or not, you are just fed up. The fitting room is either dark or very bright. In either case it is too warm to be comfortable, and the floor is full of dirt. After undressing, you try to put on the first bikini. The top is too big for you, but there were no smaller sizes. The matching panties are OK, but you find them too revealing as your only body part that is feeling some breeze right now is your booty. So far, it overcomes all the expectations, so you leave it on the ‘maybe’ pile. You decide to try another one: the panties are too tight, to the point that you are half immobilized. You try the matching top and, of course, get completely tangled with the straps. There you are, sweating, standing on grime, paralyzed and helpless. When you finally finish in the fitting room, after expending all morning there, your self-confidence has dropped, and you are leaving the shop with an expensive bikini that doesn’t even fit you. Isn’t this the definition of success?
After so many summers going through this nightmare, I have come to learn that my problem is that I don’t know what I am looking for. Mostly I have pinpointed three reasons:
I get easily distracted by cute prints, even if they are kind of tacky when I put them on.
I don’t know what options do I have: what types of panties are there? What tops are comfortable, and which are for modelling?
What bathsuits actually make me look good?
The first problem could be solved if I had a clearer idea of what I am looking for… I guess. Regarding the second problem, I have come to realize this:
Panties can be average, very revealing or really reeeeaaaally revealing. I prefer not too revealing underwear, as I don’t feel comfortable being that nude especially in environments were I feel judged. Fold over, or high waist, are a good option to hide some belly but I don’t think it really suits me, as it turns out as a big diaper… Maybe for other people it is not the case.
Tops are similar to T-shirt necklines: there are asymmetrical, halter, with thick or spaghetti stripes, round or triangular cups. There are some that even look like a cropped top and show no cleavage at all.
And regarding the third issue, the answer I found is somehow tedious: to try on as many bikinis as I can to see what really makes me shine. In an exercise of mindfulness and body positivity, you have to go to the store and try them on, even as the traumatizing nightmare it is. One tip to make it less painful is the following: don’t go with your mother, or your judg-y friend. Go with your boyfriend/girlfriend. It is not like you want to avoid the harsh truth of your mother, the point is that a people that admires you (or is turned on by you), will teach you that your body is beautiful. That you don’t need to hide your tummy, that it is okay to have orange-peel skin, that your love-handles are lovable. This experience was what made my fitting room trauma less of a trauma and more of an empowering moment.
But talking about body types, the classic style theories aim to balance the shapes into an hourglass. Regarding bikinis, it is a path worth trying, in particular if you have no clue about what suits you. At the end I advocate that you should wear what makes you happy, but when there is no joy at all in the search of a bathsuit, a tip or two about what to try on is more than welcome. So here is a compilation of advice I found in several shop blogs and web sites.
For triangle shaped bodies, also known as pear, or spoon, you should try to highlight the upper part of the body. An option is a printed or colorful pattern, or you can as well use a strapless bra to show your shoulders. To distract the attention from your booty (in case you would ever want to do that) you can use solid colors.
For inverted triangle bodies, the body shape can be balanced drawing the focus into the bottom part of the body, using bright-colored panties and ruffles or fringes. You can also se asymmetrical tops to break your shoulder line.
For rectangle body types, you are invited to wear excentric patterns and prints to give shape to your body. You can look for printed tops with ruffles to give volume to your bust. You can also wear triangle cups. To make your hips look curvier, you can try low waist panties with adjustable straps or fringes.
For hourglass shapes, most sources just say, ‘anything will look good on you’, and give none to little advise further than that. This statement is deeply based in the conception that all the other women should try to achieve this shape and that is it. One reached, there is nothing else to do. But I do think that there are many hourglass queens that have no clue about what bikini to choose, and they also deserve some tips. The best advice I’ve read comes from Hunkermöller, a Dutch lingerie shop, that addresses that though you can wear whatever, you should really try a halter top and ensure that you have enough bra support by choosing the correct size. You may need an underwired bra. It also advise to go for solid colors, so there are no distractions from your natural gorgeous body shape.
I must disclaim that many of the websites also consider a fifth body type, round or apple. I do not include this because I don’t think this shape can actually happen in a woman body, unless the pregnant women, that for obvious reasons will have a waist wider that the hips and bust, or very old ladies that tend to have very skinny legs. In general I have the feeling (totally subjective opinion) that most shops and websites tend to ignore the plus-size women bodies: it is not just that there are no sizes higher than XL, it just feels as if they categorize all plus-size in the same bag and don’t attend to their specific needs. Anyhow, if you feel I should also include the round shape in consideration please let me know.
I’d like to add that if you want to improve your wardrobe you can also rely on color theory, which is an issue that I will further explore. In summary it tries to explain what colors suit you better based on your undertone and color intensity of your features. For example, it is not new that pale green won’t ever suit me, as it will make me look sick. I hope you liked this post. Summertime may be a difficult time for some of us, and if this helped you in some way to be more confident or learn something, I am more than happy.
Even if the fashion world is way more centered in women, men also deserve to know their body type to know what clothes suit them better. Unluckily, there is very little information for them – not to say there is NONE for non-binary people. I’ll do my best to approach this issue in faour of inclusivity, as ALL OF US deserve to know our shapes in order to find synch and harmony with our body.
Sources agree that men can have FIVE different body types: triangle, inverted triangle, rectangle, oval or trapezoid.
Triangle body type is characterized by narrow shoulders and wider hips. To find proportions and balance in this body, it is necessary to wear clothes that focus the attention on the shoulders, to make them look wider. Clothes that can help them do this are structured tailoring, shoulder pads and not very fitting clothes. It is best to use vertical lines and prints. Examples of this body type are Kany West or Adam Levine.
Inverted triangle bodies are described as having broad shoulders and narrow hips. It is the typical body type of swimmers and gym bros, as the upper half of the body is well-developed. Unluckily for them, most fashion brands tend to design clothes for men who are out of shape. They should wear things that highlight the pectoral lines, like V-shaped necks, slim-fit T-shirts and horizontal lines, and avoid vertical lines and prints. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is a classic example of inverted triangle:
Rectangle men appear tall and have the shoulders and hips around the same width. They should focus on creating structure, wearing layered outfits, scarves or structured tailoring, and can wear horizontal lines and prints. An example would be Matt Bomer or David Beckham:
Oval body type present its most width in the middle of the torso, with smaller shoulders and hips. It usually comes with sorter, broader limbs. They should use solid and dark colors and avoid prints and lines. Other tips: use suspenders instead of belts, and always use your size, don’t try to fit in smaller clothes. This applies to trousers, but also jackets and shirts. Elton John, who has always displayed his own personal style, has an oval body type.
Trapezoid body shape fits between rectangle and inverted triangle. The shoulders are slightly wider than the hips, but the body has balanced proportions. Men with this shape won’t have problems to find fitting clothes as most designers use this shape for their adjustments. It is advised to avoid loose and saggy clothes, and you’re both average build and average height, you could be in danger of blending in with crowds. Try to always have a few distinct details in your outfit, like a nice watch. Somebody with a rocking trapezoid bod would be Daniel Craig:
Unfortunately I couldn’t find a calculator, as for the female body types. If you are a man and want to know your body type, I can only tell you to take a picture of yourself standing straight. Place the camera at chest level and don’t tilt it.
This post is based on https://www.realmenrealstyle.com/, one of the few web sites that I found that address this issue. I hope some day I get to see more forums dedicated to male and non-binary style advise.
Spiritual animal and TikTok trends: bunny/fox/cat/deer or eagle/bear/dog/reptile
One of my interests since forever has been the discovery of my spiritual animal. To know what would I become if I was an animagus, what would my Patronus be, what could I become in case a Fairy Godmother would appear and transform me in a beautiful and wild creature.
Up until today, I still don't know what my spiritual animal is. I used to be a hedgehog, as I was shy and socially insecure, but that is not the case anymore. And I really think that the spiritual animal should reflect both what we think about our inner self and how others perceive us. This just makes the issue more complicated. I just hope that I will find it someday. I mean... isn't that the purpose of this blog?
For all this, I find this new TikTok trend truly fascinating. It is called fox pretty, cat pretty, deer pretty or bunny pretty. Apparently, in Korea they use animals as adjectives, and TikTokers have adapted this tradition into a new theory: that any girl can fit in one of these four beauty types. Regarding the boys, they can be classified in other four types: eagle, bear, dog or reptile.
I have my issues with all this, as it is very limiting both because of the animal options and the gender frame in which it is based. On top of this, it is difficult to find useful sources that actually explain what chracterizes each beauty type: I get it is because of the facial features, but I find very difficult to classify every friend I know into one of this options. In any case, it is FUN.
What I end up thinking is that the fox/cat/deer/bunny is mostly based on the eyes shape. Though I will shortly describe each beauty type in more detail, the basic idea is that each of them is characterized by their EYES. The fox has sharp or small eyes, and the bunny is the opposite as it has very round, large eyes.
FOX pretty have angular features, and a 'foxy' stare, thus, small, sharp eyes. They can have a strong jawline, high cheekbones and look taller than they are. Their aura inspire sensuality and their stare pierce through you. An example of this would be, as her own name says, Megan Fox:
CAT pretty is characterized by almond eyes, slightly upturned, in a somehow angular face but not as sharp as in the FOX. Cat pretties look small, petite people. Their aura is attractive, charismatic and intelligent. An example would be Anok Yai:
DEER pretty have this shocking, big eyes that at the same time scream elegance. They usually have soft features in oval faces, with no angularity but either excessive roundness as the bunny. They have this chicness and noble energy, and a perfect example of this beautiful eyes would be Audrey Hepburn:
BUNNY pretty are all about big eyes, maybe slightly downturned. They have soft cheeks, round faces and light features, and an aura of innocence and purity that is also very feminine. Many websites also link this pretty type to an imperfect smile, which are the most adorable. I can't think of a better example than Ellie Fanning:
At the end this TikTok trend can be equivalent to the Kibbe or Kitchener theories regarding the yin yang balance. They are thinking frames truly interesting that deserve posts of their own, but basically yang means masculine energy, involving sharp and angular feaures while yin represent feminity and round, soft traits. If you know anything about kibbe, you could say that fox equals to dramatic type, cat to gamine, bunny to romantic and deer to classic. But really don't worry about this, I will explain better later.
What I like very much about this trend is that it also has a word to say about men, so many times ignored in the fashion style world. Their system is not as focused in the stare or the eyes as in the “girl types”, but in the whole aura. As I said before, there four beauty types are eagle/bear/dog/reptile.
EAGLE handsome is characterized by intense eyes and piercing stare, that can come with thick brows and angular features in a diamond face shape. An example would be the one and only Chris Hemsworth:
BEAR handsome has square features, broad shoulders and tends to be muscular. His eyes are bigger than the bear's, and have a stronger jawline. The bear presents a very masculine aura. An example would be Henry Cavill:
DOG handsome is tremendously charismatic: his smile lights up the whole room, and appears more lean, friendly and less intimidating than the bear and the eagle. Maybe its because his big, dreamy eyes. You know a dog when you see him, as his good vibes are contagious. An example would be Steve Carell:
REPTILE handsome refers to the pretty boys, those that are not very masculine but still nice to see. They have soft features, big eyes, and look like a charming prince from a fairy tale. An example would be Harry Styles:
This is all I have to say for now. I found this trend very fun to research, and though it has its flaws, it really is an introduction to sense the energy of the people. All your comments are more than welcome, and I hope this will help you and me to find our inner feather!
Getting to know yourself goes through looking at the mirror. Which is literally what you are going to do now.
Maybe you have striking features, like deep eyes, beautiful nose or full lips. Maybe what surprises you is that you see a goddess from the Greek mythology. Or perhaps today is just not your day, and you’d check tomorrow to find her. Anyhow, your face has a certain shape that makes YOU YOU, and to know it will let you know what to highlight, how to embrace your features and rely on your strengths. And will also help you to know the best way to apply some blush. Though make-up is a expression of freedom, and you should definitely paint your feelings in your eyes, this may give you some tips in case you are not an expert and just want to have a good-day face.
There are many websites with different opinions about what are the most common face shapes. The most consensus and relevant that I found are 6: square, round, heart, diamond, oblong and oval.
How to know where do you fit? Simple. Take a picture of yourself, and try to draw shapes on it:
It may be somehow confussing, specially because the smile greatly changes the face shape: I strongly advise you to check a passport picture, as the facial expression is usually neutral.
You can follow this flow chart to check for yourself if you are still having difficulties:
Similarly to the body shapes topic, there are also calculators to help you identify your face shape. My favourite is https://www.omnicalculator.com/health/face-shape. I like it because it is not female-exclusive and explains in detail what characterizes each option.
All of the calculators usually require to measure the face length, the jaw line, cheeks width and forehead width. Sometimes they also take into account the angularity or sharpness of the features, which I think is an interesting factor to take into account.
I have to disclaim that this issue is quite subjective, and you should go with your guts.
In my case, the measures would be:
- Cheeks width = 22 cm (partially because my nose bridge is also included)
- Face length = 19 cm
- Jawline length = 15 cm
- Forehead width = 18 cm
The calculator results in a heart face shape for me, but I think it is more oval.
Let me know in the comments what technique was more useful for you, and if you'd like to know more about make-up on your particular shape! You are now one step closer to find your synch, your harmony, your inner feather!
Have you ever wondered why those trendy low waist pants don't look as well in you as in the TikTok model? Style 101 class starts with body types: knowing what shape do you have will help you choose the clothes that highlight your best traits. Traditionally these theories have been used to proportionalize into an hourglass shape. DISCLAIMER: this is clearly OBSOLETE! Though it is useful to know your body shape, the objective is not to conceal your curves into a social stereotype. You just have to be aware of how your body is and what do you need to be in synch with your natural beauty.
It doesn't matter if you are tall or petite, your proportions are what make your body yours. There are several ways to approach this issue, but I found the compelling one to include 4 body types:
Rectangle: there is very little waist definition.
Hourglass: the waist is very defined and upper and lower parts of the body are balanced.
Triangle: the bottom part of the body is larger than the upper, especially because of wider hips or peachy butt.
Inverted triangle: the upper body is larger than the bottom, either because of the chest or the shoulders.
This may be a little hard to determine by yourself, but there is a lot of online calculators that do this for you. For this reason... take your measure tape!
You are going to need to measure around your shoulders, chest, waist, high hips and hips (in its wider point). For instance, my measures are:
Shoulders = 96 cm; chest = 90 cm; waist = 75.5 cm; high hip = 90 cm; hips = 101 cm.
Calculators especially focus on waist-hip ratio (mine would be 0.75). This one explains with detail how the calculations are made: https://www.calculator.net/body-type-calculator.html. I was surprised to find more waist definition ratios, as I have always thought of myself as a rectangle. My results were 'bottom hourglass', which would represent triangle with some waist definition and bottom larger than upper, but with not a lot of difference.
Other calculators include the shoulders, as they may be quite different from the chest and change the overall shape for complete. It makes the difference specially for inverted triangle shapes.
I invite you to do this little exercise of self discovery, and connect with your curves. This is your first step to be in synch with your physical body, and find your inner feather. Some other day I will post about masculine body types. Let me know your opinion in the comments!
I really want to relay my posts and findings in good quality references and web sites, which is more tricky than you may think. The first Google search is not necessary the most trust-worthy resource that you may get. So here is a list of creators I like to read.
Gabrielle Arruda: I think she is a fashion geek just like me, and loves to post about stylists that have made their own creative system to help other people to find their vibe. Her website is https://gabriellearruda.com/
The concept wardrobe has a lot of content, especially regarding color analysis. It is somehow similar to the previous one, and they complement each other. https://theconceptwardrobe.com/
Ellie-Jean Rayden, who has both a YouTube channel and a blog, has very interesting and innovative content, for instance about style roots. Her website is https://www.bodyandstyle.com
Ter is a Spanish architect that has a very popular YouTube channel. She is focused on style and colors, and her undertone determination method is quite intriguing. She also debunked the myth that red and pink don’t go with each other. https://youtube.com/@Ter
My Authentic Style focuses mainly on Kibbe body types and Kitchener essences https://myauthenticstyle.com
Truth Is Beauty has content related to color analysis and combination of essences https://www.truth-is-beauty.com/
Our Fashion Garden has three very interesting tests: personality style, a very detailed Kibbe body type quiz and a style essence quiz. It really focuses on the basics and in my personal opinion though it could give more examples it’s very complete https://ourfashiongarden.com/
Style DNA is an app that uses AI to cover color analysis, style and body type. Though the style is not well described, I think it refers to the Kitcheners essences. The algorithm is not clear, but I found it extremely useful specially for the color analysis as sometimes determining this ourselves gets tricky as most of us are not experts. https://styledna.ai
I hope this helps. I will eventually post more as I discover new sites: any recommendation on the comments is appreciated.
