Angels Among Us

In chapter three of Shopping for the Real You I offer four methods to help you determine your individual style, based on basic archetypes. The amount of each archetype that is expressed in someone’s personality, facial features, and body type creates an overall picture of their unique style.

One of the more interesting and unusual of these archetypes is the ethereal Angelic type. The others were delineated more than 60 years ago by Grace Margaret Morton, head of the Textiles and Clothing Department of the University of Nebraska. But it was John Kitchener of Personal Style Counselor – my mentor and the current Director of PSC – who identified and codified the Angelic style archetype in the 1980s.

After a lot of observation and research, John, through his very clear and discerning eye, outlined a new style “Essence,” as he describes these categories. This new Essence – the Angelic style archetype – is on the opposite end of the spectrum from the very yang Dramatic archetype. For quite some time he had been concerned that the most yin qualities of style were described only in the Youthful category.I asked John about the genesis of that discovery.

“The Angelic idea had been percolating inside me for some time,” John says. “It wasn’t until I was on leave from PSC in Washington, DC (1987-89) that the Angelic Essence seemed like a reality. During that time the designer Romeo Gigli was introducing ethereal-looking garments in layered chiffons that would later inspire works – even to this day – by Vera Wang and Eileen Fisher. When I layered these designs onto certain Angelic style types such as Vanessa Redgrave and Darryl Hannah the new Angelic style essence gelled easily.”

And thus was born the seventh style type: Angelic. It was a very important addition to the PSC style analysis system and created a beautiful symmetry: Three yang types, three yin types, and Classic in the middle.

What makes the Angelic type interesting is that in their waif-like qualities they present their own kind of drama – you can’t look away from them. They are uniquely mesmerizing. But if you spoke with a quintessential Angelic type you’d probably learn that being mesmerizing is something they don’t care to be. They are, after all – rather unearthly. And although delicate, they are not weak. There’s hidden strength there.

John describes three quintessential contemporary angelic types in the public eye: Darryl Hannah, Tilda Swinton and Cate Blanchett. In Darryl Hannah’s case she is tall and sensuous (which indicates that she has some Dramatic as well as some Romantic) but her overall persona is more like the mermaid she played in Splash – fragile, vulnerable, and other-worldly. It was recently revealed that as a child she was diagnosed on the autism spectrum. All that adds up to describe an individual who is not as grounded in the fast-paced Western world as more yang types.

Calvin Klein Collection Resort 2017

Such an archetype would most likely look and feel out of place wearing something in a wildly bold, dramatic pattern, or a stiff suit, or funky overalls, or a heavy black coat – except, of course, on the runway. Many fashion models have a good amount of “Angelic” in their style. Their very malleability makes them perfect for the runway as they seem to get out of the way of the clothes they are wearing.

But generally, it’s something of a challenge for the very pure Angelic types to find themselves reflected in popular fashion because as an archetype, they are fairly rare. Designers make a living, after all, by creating fashion for as many customers as possible, not for the rare. (Largely the reason I wrote my book!)

Those who have a good deal of the Angelic style type certainly don’t always have to wear floating, diaphanous or shimmering textiles, but at least some part of their ensemble should be soft, shimmer or move gently. If you have a significant percentage of Angelic in your own features and personality, you may find that you already have incorporated many of those elements into your wardrobe. If you haven’t, give them a try. You’ll probably have an “aha” moment.

When I had my own style analyzed by John he explained that I have about 5% of the Angelic/Ethereal style type. Everything else in my features, coloring, and style is pretty much evenly distributed between the Natural, Classical and High Spirited style Essences.

“How can I translate that little amount of Angelic into my wardrobe?” I asked John.