Fabrics: An underrated part of Kibbe!
Fabric recommendations have always been integral to Kibbe typing. Compared to the 80s, a lot of clothes are polyester/mixes but it's still a good idea to know what fabrics suit different types! Because there's a lot of overlap I'll just do the 5 main families.
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Romantics
Key Fabrics: crepe, silk, tulle, satin, chiffon, lace, light velvet, light knits, sheer/mesh, light metallics
With R/TR it's most of all about lightness and softness. A fabric should be soft and light to the touch and ideally not have a lot of structure or stiffness.
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Gamines
Key fabrics: cotton, crepe, tweed, jersey, cashmere, mattes, denim, light leather, ribbed knits
So gamines aren't dressing for extreme yin or yang, but they can dress for juxtaposition. Fabrics that appear fine, with small detailing, are good, especially tweed, twill, and anything with various colours woven into the fabric. Layers with mesh and/or appliques are good. Gamines can put different textures together to emphasize contrast: more rigidity for FG, more softness for SG.
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Classics
Key fabrics: silk blend, wool, denim, jersey, twill, tweed, cashmere, linen, suede, medium leather, medium denim
Weirdly the C family is closest to the G family for fabric types. Fabric can have patterning/detailing but should be medium thickness and stiffness. SC can go a bit more yin/softness, DC can go a bit stiffer.
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Naturals
Key fabrics: linen, suede, leather, knits, velvet, corduroy, wool
Fabric recommendations emphasize how different N family and D family are. N family needs volume and draping above all. Nothing should be overly rigid or cropped. For SNs specifically, their recommendations are usually neutral/medium type fabrics, nothing too heavy or light. FNs can handle heavier knits, leather, and such.
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Dramatics
Key fabrics: linen, fur, velvet, satins, twills, tweeds, leather, denim, brocade, heavy metallics
Pure D and SD are somewhat different, but overall for Dramatic family, fabric should have a structured, 'pinched' look to it. Pure D can go all the way with the stiffest fabrics, like heavy twill and leather, while SD can take a bit of yin influence with glossy, somewhat soft fabrics.
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Obviously this applies to men too. Because menswear is more restricted than womenswear, fabric and texture becomes even more important for them.














