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Flamboyant Gamine

The Flamboyant Gamine body type is smallish, very angular and geometric, and has a youthful essence.

Unless overweight, they have a straight silhouette with a flat chest and flat hips, very define musculature, and look lean and strong. They also tend to look leggy.

When they gain weight, their body tends to become stocky and square with fleshy arms and legs and waist area. Their face may also become very puffy and fleshy.

The Flamboyant Gamine body type is a cross between the Gamine body type and Dramatic body type.

Flamboyant Gamine Audrey Hepburn in a flapper dress

They’re normally 5’6” and under, have square shoulders, slightly wide bones, their arms and legs may be long in proportion to hight, and large hands and feet in proportion to hight.

If they are very petite their limbs appear to be slightly squarish and their hands and feet tend to be short but wide and square.

They have broad or long facial shape that may be very round or slightly oblong, with a slightly sharp or broad nose, jawline, and/or cheekbones, and they tend to have extremely large eyes, moderate to full lips,

A flamboyant gamine will normally not be tall, have extremely exotic facial characteristics except for extremely large eyes, have a delicate bone structor with small hands and feet, have an hourglass figure with a small waist and curvy hips and bust line.

Kibbe says a slight deviation from the characteristics is always possible and should not be worried about as long as it does not upset the overall combination of yin with yang undercurrent.

Flamboyant Gamine Clothes

Kibbe says to always remember you are a Gamine first and foremost and your Dramatic undercurrent should always be used in small doses.

Clothing that is form fitting sculpted clothing is very flattering on you, especially if they have very angular, irregular, or asymmetrically details.

To look your best, you should make sure to wear tops and bottoms that are opposite.

For example, a loose cropped shirt, with high waisted skinny jeans that end above the ankle.

Or high waisted skinny jeans that end above the ankle with a tucked in shirt that is loose and hangs over a bit.

You can pull off color blocking, vibrant colors, and electric patterns.

If you use a base color for an outfit, accent it with a bold or bight touch of color.

The lighter the fabric, the more tailored or clingy the piece should be.

Very rough or heavy fabric can be used in outer layer pieces like jackets or vests as long as it is combined with an opposite texture (like a skinny ribbed knit) to break up the bulk. 

Prints should be bold. Asymmetric and irregular patterns and shapes are best. Especially if they have sharp color contrast for crisp definition of shape.

Moderate to large sized original and unique or avant-garde prints are good.

You should avoid overly delicate, flimsy, and ultra sheer fabrics.

You should also avoid overly blended watercolor prints, small symmetrical prints, and florals – unless they are absolutely wild and contemporary. 

Gamine Dresses

Dresses should be sculpted, tailored, and short (mid knee and up) but longer if the bottom is uneven. Asymmetric detail and contrasting trim are great for you.

Necklines should be geometric, asymmetric, or irregular and clean and simple. They can also be a turtleneck, a mock neck, or low and plunging.

Kibbe doesn’t say this, but you can pull off longer dresses if they have a mock neck or a turtle neck and if they are above the ankle. Heels help too.

The waist should be slightly dropped or slightly bloused over. It can be eliminated in very clingy, skinny styles that reveal the shape of the body underneath.

Dropped-waist trim (sashes, ropes, bold detail, etc.) is always nice as long as it is asymmetric and not overly fussy or flouncy. 

Pleats are rarely effective and should be kept low and stitched down. 

Narrow styles that are cut close to the body and sculpt to the contours of the body (like ribbed-knit dresses) are excellent for you.

1920’s flapper styles and 1960’s twiggy dresses look great on you.

You can also wear a wide stiff belt in a contrasting color.

However, you should avoid frilly, flouncy dresses, full flowing dresses, traditional symmetrical dresses (shirtwaists, etc.), wide unconstructed dresses, elongated detail that is not broken up, and minimal detail. 

Gamine Skirts

Your basic straight skirt should be short (no lower than mid knee) and slim, either severely tailored or sculpted into a clean taper at the hemline and have a slit.

You can wear a long straight skirt (above the ankle) if it tapers at the knee slightly and then flares out very subtly (not into a trumpet skirt).

Pleated skirts are okay as long as the pleats are stitched down through the hip area. This has an uneven hemline, and will be longer (mid calf). 

Bias-cut skirts can also be worn as long as they are very narrow and close to the body. This also has an uneven hemline, and reaches the mid-calf area. 

Asymmetrical hems are always flattering on you.

Kibbe says “dropped-waist detail is stunning as long as it is asymmetric and never flouncy or fussy!”

You should avoid A-lines, wide unconstructed styles, full flowing styles, deep gathers and soft folds, bouffant skirts, and sharp pleats that are not stitched down through the hips.

Pants 

Pants should show your ankle and can be cropped as short as you want. 

Skin-tight pants like skinny jeans look great on you and so do pencil trousers.

Boldly man-tailored pants, in heavy fabric with deep pleats, plackets, and cuffs also look good on you.

Avoid wide unconstructed styles that are shapeless, symmetrically tailored styles, draped clingy slacks that are gathered at the waist and tapered gently at the ankle. 

Flamboyant Gamine Audrey Hepburn posing on a chair

Blouses

Blouses should be narrow, sculpted, and clean with simple necklines and geometric trim.

Fabric should be of moderate weight and slightly crisp or flat, and should either be matte finished or ultrashiny (charmeuse).

Any asymmetrical detail is excellent. Contrasting trim is also great (collars, cuffs, piping, buttons, etc.) as long as it is bold, not delicate. 

Lapels should be sharp and defined, wide and notched, or clean and sculpted-but not delicate and fussy. 

You should avoid frilly blouses, ultraclingy blouses, symmetrically traditional styles. 

Sweaters

Sweaters should have a sculpted shape in skinny ribbed knits and worn in shorter cropped styles that are body hugging.

Thick, heavy, or bulky knit sweaters are excellent in if cropped.

But you can wear them long if you combine them with something very clingy on the bottom (like an oversized sweater worn over leggings or tights). 

Kibbe says “patterns should be bold and geometric with irregular shapes. Animated patterns are excellent as are highly original styling and details that show your wit and humor to advantage.”

You should avoid traditional symmetrical styles (crew-necked shetlands, cardigans). 

Jackets

Jackets should be short and boxy, emphasizing a cropped and horizontal line.

The shoulders should be extended, either very sharp and crisp or a streamlined, sculpted curve.

The length should range from the bottom of the rib cage to the top of the hips.

A longer jacket is occasionally possible, but only when worn as a separate over a very skinny bottom or extra short skirt (or cropped pants).

A jacket that is fitted through the waist is also a good choice, as long as ends at the top of the hips. Again, the shape for the jacket is sculpted, asymmetrical, and irregular. 

Contrasting trim is excellent, as is all angular detail (sharp lapels, piping, plackets, etc.). 

Avoid long jackets that hide the body, standard tailored styles (blazers), symmetrical jackets, and oversized unconstructed jackets. 

Flamboyant Gamine Accessories

Your accessories should be cleanly sculpted and in angular shapes that veer to the asymmetric or irregular.

Jewelry should chunky, asymmetrical, and irregular. Lots of sculpted metal is excellent, as are brightly enameled surfaces and colored glass.

Wild costume jewelry is electric on you, but keep it very contemporary in feeling.

If you have a love of antique, go for the art deco era of sleek streamlined pieces instead of the intricate Victorian or art nouveau pieces.

Lots of vibrant color, sparkle, or the gleam of polished metal pull your look together. 

Bags should be angular and asymmetric in shape (triangles, squares, skinny rectangles, boxes, etc.) and made of crisp leather, stiff and flat.

Belts should be wide and stiff or streamlined and sculpted. Bright colors, patterns, and unique fabrics. Crisp, stiff leather.

Hats should be small and crisp in irregularly sculpted geometric or asymmetrical shapes. Crisp ethnic caps are excellent (berets, Nehru, Spanish, etc.) 

You can wear any type of hosiery as long as it breaks your vertical line, instead of blending with the shoe and hemline.

Ultrasheer stockings are best kept for evening, when they get very sparkly and silky.

Flesh-toned stockings are effective with very bare outfits, particular in the summertime. 

Shoes

Shoes should be angular and irregular in shape. Slightly chunky in style. Low, triangular heels or very straight, high heels. Asymmetrical flats.

You should avoid Plain pumps. Delicate, strappy shoes. Ornate trim. 

Flamboyant Gamine Outfits

Outfits that have opposite styles of tops and bottoms look best on you.

That means a tight short top with loose pants or a large loose shirt over tight pants.

Skinny jeans (high rise and end above the ankle) with a tucked in shirt that is bloused over is a good outfit for you.

Or skinny jeans (high rise and end above the ankle) with a wide cropped sweater.

Or a baggy sweater over skinny jeans or leggings (that end above the ankles).

For work, a blouse with high waisted pencil trousers that end above the ankle looks really tasteful on you.

You can also do it the other way around by wearing a tight top and loose bottoms.

Headshot of Flamboyant Gamine Audrey Hepburn

Flamboyant Gamine Makeup

Kibbe says “a ‘smoky face,’ which combines deep, sultry colors with a touch of vibrancy around your eyes, strong cheeks, and a deep lip color, is your best look.”

He suggests that you don’t choose shades that are overly bright and says that just a hint of color is enough.

Stick to matte colors for the day, with a simple addition of sheer sparkle most effective at night. 

Flamboyant Gamine Hair

Short hair works best because you need to show your face, particularly your eyes. “Boyishly Chic” looks sophisticated on you. 

Asymmetrical dips, sweep, or side pieces are all extremely elegant on you. 

Avoid blunt-edged symmetrical cuts, severe geometric shapes without an asymmetric edge of layered fringe to tousle, overly ornate teased curly styles, wash n’wear styles with no sculpture, long hair, overly “soft” styles, and anything that hides your face. 

Flamboyant Gamine Celebrities

  • Audrey Hepburn
  • Coco Chanel
  • Tina Turner
  • Penelope Cruz
  • Jennifer Love Hewitt
  • Liza Minelli
  • Twiggy Lawson
  • Kelly Osbourne
  • Debbie Allen
  • Gwen Stefani
  • Lea Michele
  • Vanessa Paradis

Soft Gamine vs Flamboyant Gamine

Soft Gamine Betty Davis Posing

Soft Gamines is between a Gamine and a Romantic.

This means the soft gamine looks more delicate and has a fleshier and curvier figure.

The Flamboyant Gamine are between Gamine and Dramatic.

This makes them more angular and geometric with a straight silhouette.