What is the Gamine Style Essence?
The gamine style essence is the combination of yang and playful theatricality, also known as the playfully dramatic yang essence.
Consequently, individuals with the gamine style essence tend to create an overall visual impression of rebelliousness and playful boldness. Although this style essence is yang like the dramatic essence, it is a youthful, playful boldness as opposed to the mature, dignified intensity of the Dramatic. Adjectives like boyish, rebellious, and creative could be used to describe people of the gamine style essence.
Abstractly, we can associate the gamine style essence with the themes of rebelliousness, creativity, and playfulness. This essence conjures up images of toys and wild baby animals.



Characteristics
Note: The following characteristics are typically associated with this style essence. Don't get hung up on them. You may look different but still have this style essence.
Individuals with the gamine style essence tend to have a petite or short body type, as it is this smallness of the body parts that makes gamine clothing look great on them. This doesn't necessarily mean that only short people can have the gamine style essence, but the body is compact in a way that makes long and oversized clothing overwhelming.
Gamines often have a whimsical looks. Their facial features tend to remain childlike even in adulthood. However, this childlike look is not really cute or innocent. It's more of a boyishness that let's you know they've been up to no good.
Compared to others, individuals with the gamine style essence tend to look 'whimsical.' They tend to be energetic and impish and poke fun at fashion. The gamine style essence communicates youthful rebelliousness. Take a look at the following ladies and pay attention to their whimsical looks and the hint of non-conformity in their features.

Do you have the gamine style essence?
Individuals with the gamine style essence can credibly pull off boyish looks. Where other types would look like they're wearing children'c clothes, a Gamine portrays coolness and self-assurance.
This essence is all about a playful, rebellious image (not to be confused with the expressive intensity of the Dramatic).
If you can carry off a boyish outfit without looking slightly ridiculous, there's a good chance you have some gamine essence in you.
What does this mean?
A signature style of the gamine essence is patterns and fits traditionally associated with boys' clothing. Someone who has the gamine style essence does not look like an adult trapped in boys' clothing. On the contrary, they look nothing short of cool. Check out Emma Watson:

Does Emma look like a boy in these outfits? No. On the contrary, she looks nothing short of cool and self-assured.
Now let's see what boyish clothing does to someone who does not have the gamine style essence.

Well, this does look slightly odd. Emma looks comfortable and effortless in this kind of style, but Scarlett Johansson does look a bit like a woman trapped in boys' clothing.
Pay attention to how separate and disharmonious the clothes on look on Scarlett, whereas on Emma they look like they belong there. Emma looks very natural and comfortable. Scarlett looks like she doesn't want to grow up because she does not have the gamine style essence.
Let's take a look at another signature style of the gamine style essence: compact clothing and playful, creative patterns. Can you pull them off without looking a child? You probably have the gamine style essence.

Yes, Emma looks credible even in compact clothing and creative patterns. She doesn't look like she's wearing a fancy dress costume and she doesn't look manly. This is a serious look, and she can pull it off comfortably.

On Scarlett, again, these looks don't have the same effect. They look quite unnatural on her, and they do in fact make her appear more masculine than she is. So why do boyish clothes do this to Scarlett but not to Emma? It's because Scarlett has predominantly yin features. So the boyish clothes clash with her natural femininity and the result is a somewhat more masculine appearance.
This does not happen on Emma because she naturally has a boyish appearance. The effect of boyish clothing on her then is the opposite. Instead of making her look more masculine, it makes her look more feminine because it brings out her gamine beauty.
To make the effect even more visible, let's look at Scarlett when she's wearing her essences:

Wow, this mix of ingenue with romantic looks so amazing on Scarlett. Quite the contrast to what she looks like in gamine clothing!
Emma's best look, on the other hand, is the gamine style. She looks stunning, cool, and very comfortable in the playful looks of the gamine style essence.
Dressing the Gamine Style Essence
The right clothing for any style essence aims at mimicking the natural lines of that style essence's physical characteristics.
For the gamine style essence that means following the delicate, petite, rounded lines and soft curves of individuals with this style essence. In addition, we said that the ingenue style essence is associated with youthful innocence and gentle delicacy. These themes will be reflected in ingenue clothing.
To achieve this look in clothing, Ingenues look best when they incorporate the following clothing styles into their outfits:
Compact Shapes
The gamine style essence is a petite essence. Therefore, gamines look best in compact, small-scale designs and shapes. Long and oversized garments will overwhelm this type. Shorter dresses and jackets, short skirts, and shorts are all better suited than long and narrow designs.
Accessories are also best when they are compact and not overly big.


Boyish Designs
Part of the gamine essence's signature look is its affinity to boyish tailoring. While still compact, garments are straight and narrow rather than rounded and soft. Leather jackets, dungarees, boy caps, boots etc all work well on this style essence.


Creative Patterns & Prints
The gamine style essence is a bold one. Creative patterns and prints are a must and the more, the merrier. Nothing is too unconventional for this essence. Just make sure that the designs aren't too big, as compactness is still important.


Elaborate Details
While jewellery is not really something that Gamines wear well, details are incredibly important. Be it buttons, creative collars, cuffs or anything that adds extra interest is preferable over plain designs.


Mix & Match
The creativity of the gamine style essence is not only expressed through unusual patterns, but also through mixing and matching colours and patterns in unexpected and wild ways. The more colourful and unexpected, the more impactful.

Vintage Designs
Due to their playful and creative designs, retro and vintage styles work extremely well on the gamine style essence.

