Pure Natural Shopping Guide From Head to Toe

This article will show you a pure Natural shopping guide — from casual to formal outfits, accessories, makeup, and coloring.

Not sure how a pure Natural looks like? This article will show you with pictures and examples. It will also show you the styling principles.

The following were taken from the book Metamorphosis by David Kibbe, the image professional who created the Kibbe system.

Kibbe Pure Natural Shopping Guide

1. Dresses

Pure Naturals’ dresses should be simple and unconstructed. with a narrow shape and a relaxed outline. Softly tailored styles work well, as do dropped and loose-waisted styles. A softly tailored coatdress with an open neckline or a narrow chemise in a beautifully textured raw silk or linen would be another choice.

Nearly all knits are perfect, as are wrap styles, safari styles, T-shirt styles, and blouson or two piece styles.

Avoid:

• flouncy styles
• ornate styles
• severely tailored styles
• extremely wide, shapeless styles

2. Separates

Separates are extremely exciting on you, and should make up the bulk of your item. Even in conservative suited looks, you’ll do better with an artful mixing of patterns, textures, and colors than you will with an overly matched look, which tends to be extraordinarily dull on you.

The types of articles that are usually described as “Designer Sportswear” (but aren’t actually sporty at all) are an excellent hunting ground for you.

Your look is definitely mix ‘n match in the most sophisticated sense of the word, and you should expend most of your creative energy in this area.

3. Jackets and blazers

Unconstructed. Relaxed shapes. Elongated (ending from the upper thigh on down). Relaxed and easy fit. Soft-edged shoulder pads. Textured surfaces. Patch pockets. Tailored, notched lapels or lapel-less. Long cardigan styles with shoulder pads. Unconstructed double-breasted (left open). Long blouson with dropped waists.

Avoid:

• flouncy styles (peplums and nipped-in waists)
• severely tailored styles
• constructed styles
• cropped styles

4. Skirts

Pure Naturals’ skirts could be simple, straight skirts. Softly tailored styles. Culottes, gauchos. Simple tailored detail (plackets, pockets, trouser pleats, slits, low kick pleats, inverted pleats, button-front). Moderate length (one inch below knee).

Very short skirts for fun/ funky looks. Very slightly flared hemlines (kept flat through the hip area — these will have a longer hemline, mid calf).

Avoid:

• flouncy skirts
• accordion pleats
• full, gathered skirts
• long, pencil-slim skirts
• severely straight skirts

5. Pants

Nearly all styles are excellent from very casual to very dressy. Simple tailored styles with minimal detail. Elasticized or drawstring. Unconstructed styles. Sweats, Jeans. Short, cropped, silky, or satiny evening styles, including pajama styles

Avoid:

• draped, tapered leg styles with gathered waists

6. Blouses

Simple tailored styles with open necklines. Unconstructed styles, smooth surfaced, or light weaves and textures.

Avoid:

• severely tailored blouses
• frilly blouses

7. Sweaters

Nearly any sweater style works well for you. Thick knits, ribbed, nubbies, cable stitching, shaggy mohairs. Any and all lengths. Soft shoulder pads are also a good touch. Solids and wild prints.

Avoid overly delicate and overly fluffy knits with trim.

8. Evening wear

Simple shapes with easy fits. Minimal detail. Bare necklines and shoulders. Smooth to slightly plush fabrics. Glitzy fabrics. Metallics. The following evening wear are flattering for Pure Natural:

• bare sheaths
• evening pants
• evening sarongs
• jersey cocktail dresses
• strapless gowns with stoles and flings
• evening separates (blouses, skirts, pants)

9. Shoes

Simple tailored styles. Low to moderate heel. High heels should be very angular and straight, not tapered. Stacked heel, wedged and all flats. Evening sandals should be very bare, not strappy. Tapered toe, open (plain), or closed.

Avoid:

• overly delicate or strappy styles
• ornamentation and trim

10. Bags

Moderate-sized, unconstructed pouches. Shoulder bags. Simple geometrics in supple leather (envelopes, clutches, etc.). Box-shaped bags for evening.

Avoid:

• overly delicate or ornate styles

11. Belts

Leather belts should be simple and softly geometric. Textured or carved surfaces are excellent. Fabric sashes, ties, and dropped waist details are also good.

Avoid:

• severe, wild belts
• ornate, cinched-waist styles

12. Hats

Unconstructed styles. Large, loose, and floppy. Shaggy-haired fur.

Avoid:

• extremely tailored, crisp styles
• ornate and delicate styles

13. Hosiery

A flesh-toned stocking is best for business. Funky stockings that are brightly colored or printed can be fun for you, and geometric textures can sometimes be effective.

Avoid:

• dark stockings for daytime
• one long line of dark color
• lacy or ornate stockings

14. Jewelry

A Pure Natural’s jewelry should be kept on the chunky side, with soft or rounded geometrics the shapes you use. Your jewelry can either be pieces of “wearable art” (handcrafted and museum quality) made by an artist or taken from another culture, or it can be bright and funky costume pieces that add pizzazz!

Earthy materials are very elegant and sophisticated on you (copper, silver, amber, turquoise, etc.). Hard-finished enamels and glass are fun, especially when used in bold colors for vivid accents (big bright beads, chunky earrings, irregularly shaped pins, etc.).

It’s possible to get away with very minimal chains, tiny diamond studs, etc., but chances are you won’t be satisfied with this once you experiment with a zippier look!

15. Hair

The best hairstyle for a Pure Natural is tousled, loose, and free — a soft geometric shape with a feathered outline. Layering is essential. Perms and body waves are fine, and your hair can definitely lean to the “wild animal-mane look” for fun or evening wear.

Avoid:

• blunt-edged cuts
• severe geometrics
• ornate or set styles
• smooth, sleek styles
• boyishly cropped cuts
• overly teased and coiffed styles
• overly groomed styles (too stuffy and matronly on you)

16. Haircolor

A Pure Natural’s haircolor should always look natural, with realistic color and shining, subtle highlights. Be very careful with complete color changes. Artificial colors or lights are very unsophisticated on you. Overhighlighting the hair is particularly matronly on you.

17. Makeup

Your makeup should be created to achieve a fresh-faced glow, radiant and healthy. Matte-finished products are best, with just a touch of sparkle added for evening. Smoky eyes with glowing cheeks and shining lips come from a preponderance of neutral color choices, with just a hint of soft color on top.

Note: A minimal makeup look is not the same thing as wearing no makeup! The most careful blending of products is crucial for you; otherwise you’ll appear faded and tired, hardly the picture of health you want to project!

Avoid:

• overly colorful makeup
• overly sparkly makeup
• overly angular or severe makeup
• wearing absolutely no makeup, or only eye makeup
• high-contrast makeup (pale skin, vivid eyes, lips, mouth)

Pure Natural Shopping Guide & Styling Techniques

Yin/ Yang balance

Soft Yang (between the symmetrical balance of the Classic and the sharp-edged Yang of the Dramatic).

Shape

Geometric shapes with soft or rounded edges are key. Rounded-edged rectangles. Soft oblongs, rounded-edged squares, irregular shapes, and soft asymmetrics.

Avoid:

• ornate shapes
• circles and swirls
• sharp geometrics

Line and silhouette

A relaxed, straight line is the outline of your look. Your silhouette is softly tailored, always unconstructed. Your outline should be fairly narrow and slim, in a loose and easy way.

Avoid:

• sharply angular lines
• ornate, intricate lines
• flowing, swirling lines
• severely straight lines
• oversized, shapeless silhouettes
• extremely tailored or constructed silhouettes

Fabric

All soft textures are excellent for you, as is any fabric with a rough or nubby surface. Any wrinkly fabric works well for you, as do all woven fabrics.

Knits are excellent in nearly any weight and thickness, from very finely woven to very heavy and rough. Moderate weights are best, although textures can easily be lighter (raw silks, linens, etc.)

Plush velours, suede, and soft leather are perfect, and drapable fabrics are best kept to heavier weight jerseys. A matte finish is far superior to sheen for daytime (even your best silks are crisp orientals, etc.).

In the evening, you can go very glitzy with hard-finished sheens (especially metallics, lamé, thick brocades, etc.).

Avoid:

• stiff fabrics
• flimsy fabrics
• clingy fabrics (except for knits)

Detail

Details with a Pure Natural’s outfit should be kept minimal. Plain and simple is best for you.

Any unconstructed or loosely tailored detail works well. Simple necklines (soft horizontals, boatnecks, clean slashes, deep V’s, loose cowls, notched collars) are best, and you should concentrate on open necklines for your air of casual chic.

Soft-edged shoulder pads are very good, and lapels should be tailored, notched, or clean (lapel-less). Cuffs should be very plain. Pleats should be soft and deep, and gathers should be minimal.

Dropped aist detail (loose sashes, overbloused tops, ties, etc.) is excellent, as are slightly dropped shoulders. You can use small touches of hand embroidery or rough lace and eyelet for very simple trim.

Avoid:

• any frilly detail
• ornate or intricate detail
• extremely tailored detail
• extremely oversized detail
• any closed or restrictive detail
• extremely sharp or angular detail

Accessories

Pure Natural’s accessories should be kept minimal; plain and simple is your best look here. Unconstructed styles with soft or rounded edged geometric shapes are most effective. You can use bold colors to add spark if you wish, although neutrals are also fine.

Color

Color is an area in which you should have lots of fun! Strive for zip, verve, and lots of pizzazz with bolds, brights, pastels, vivids, and wild color combinations — anything imaginative.

Neutrals work well when they are used in beautifully textured fabric (raw silks, linens, luscious weaves, etc.), but you will feel a little dull without a few bright accents, either in accessories or jewelry. Break all the rules when it comes to color! Mix ‘n match with ease.

Avoid monochromatic color schemes — they are very dull and boring on you unless the fabric is exquisitely textured beyond belief!

Prints

Pure Naturals can wear prints that include casual styles that are soft-edged geometrics (plaids, stripes, paisleys, etc.) and funky prints in irregular shapes (abstract asymmetrics, leaves, animal prints, etc.).

They should be of moderate scale to slightly large and will generally have a softly blended edge. Colors can be very wild and unusual if you wish, or more muted and earthy-looking.

Avoid:

• small prints
• watercolor florals
• symmetrical prints
• ornate and intricate prints
• extremely oversized prints
• extremely angular geometrics