Linearity in Imagery: A Brief Guide.

Good autumn, dear fellow travelers!

When learning about in-depth styling, many (perhaps everyone) initially feel overwhelmed by the abundance of new information and factors that must be considered when choosing the right frame for their appearance. This overwhelm disappears with practice: over time, all "your" recommendations are divided into those that are style-defining/essential and those that can be ignored without detriment to the image. The brain loves to simplify, and we at our blog love to help it do just that, so today we present you with a short guide on applying linearity in personal style.

So, let's start simplifying.

The main types of lines (and they are called “main” because you can come up with separate associations for each face, but we use these 9 – again, for simplicity) can be divided into groups according to three characteristics:

• structure

• thickness

• direction

The structure is, in general, geometry: angular features or rounded ones.

This parameter affects how healthy you will look.

• The angles can be sharp (like Aggressive), straight or obtuse (like Hard), smoothed (like Solid), large in scale (all three) and small/variegated (like Fragile).

• Rounded lines can be relatively perfect circles (like Flexible and Elastic), ovals (like Smooth), or streamlined irregular shapes (like Slack and Soft).

  
  

Thickness is about the density of materials, first and foremost.

An inappropriate fabric weight will create the appearance of a clumsy figure. You can judge the thickness by the weight of the fabric, the number of folds, and by eye.

• The thinnest and lightest fabrics are for the Fragile and Languid lines. Considering the geometry, the Fragile line is thin but not flowing, but rather "dry" (like tulle), while the Languid line is thin and soft (like chiffon), forming a fine fold in both cases.

• For Aggressive, slightly denser fabrics hold their shape well. In this respect, it's similar to Rigid, but Rigid appears denser due to its static nature. Cotton, linen, and raincoat fabrics effectively capture the essence of the desired visual effect.

• Rigid, Flowing, and Flexible are suitable for dense, heavy-weight but flat, smooth fabrics. Creases are suitable for Rigid, while larger folds are suitable for Flowing and Flexible.

• Elastic, Soft and Solid require fabrics that are dense, voluminous, and practically do not form folds (in the case of Solid), or form large ones - amorphous (for Soft) or hold their shape (for Elastic).

Familiar to many, Direction is the "mood" of a line. This parameter determines the silhouette and shape of details.

Harmony between the “sound” of the features and the frame is a reliable protection against creating the image of a “wolf in sheep’s clothing”.

• Intense lines tend to rise upward, so large diagonals, an inverted triangle silhouette, or a pronounced hourglass figure with a high hip suit them.

• Static lines suit a balanced rectangular silhouette and horizontal, stable details.

  
  

• Falling/relaxed styles “pull the look down to the ground” and are suited to vertical folds, silhouettes, and details that flare out at the bottom.

Just knowing where you stand among these three characteristics (structure, thickness/weight, and direction), even without further ado, helps you bring a lot of harmony to your appearance.

I'll add a few tips on creating an image using lines:

• The outline/shape of the face from the front and ¾ influences the silhouette and large details (cut, hairstyle), and the features (eyes, eyebrows, nose, lips) influence its content (prints, small details, accessories, makeup).

• The shape of the shoe toe can be selected based on the shape of the chin (wide/narrow, round/angular).

• The ideal shape of glasses is one in which the upper arch of the frame follows the line of the eyebrow, and the lower arch follows the cheekbones/cheekbones.

• The scale of details and accessories depends not only on linearity, but also on vertical proportions, but for a pronounced Solid it will most likely be large, and for a pronounced Fragile it will be small.

• If a face combines several lines, you can rely on your desire/inclination to emphasize a particular feature with the corresponding line. Like attracts like: lines accentuated in clothing will also become more noticeable on the face. In this case, it's worth analyzing the impression of the face in a relevant setting (for example, in collages) and choosing the desired one.

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I hope you find this article helpful.

Peace between the outer and inner to each and everyone!

Thank you for your trust, and until next time!