Nobody likes to wear uncomfortable clothes!
But Type 2 people have a first-reference to “comfort” due to their more sensitive nature. I teach in my book, It’s Just My Nature, how comfort is so important in the world of a Type 2 woman.
You may be thinking “I like comfort, I must be a Type 2!” But remember what I teach about using all the tools in your profiling toolbox. Preferences like these are just one tool. Consider facial features and body movement first.
In order to continually support you in seeing your Energy Type correctly, I’ve invited the Dressing Your Truth Experts to discuss what comfort means to them. Notice the difference between Type 2 Anne’s description of “comfy” and Type 4 Kalista’s description of finding comfort in an item that fits properly.
What “comfort” feel like for your Type (we jumped around with this one and didn’t go in order):
- (1:12) Type 2
- (4:02) Type 4
- (6:25) Type 3
- (8:32) Type 1
Do you feel comfortable in an item because it supports you in moving around and getting things done? Or how about feeling an item is comfortable because it’s not restrictive or heavy? These can all be keys to assessing yourself correctly.
Dressing Your Truth will support you in feeling more comfortable in yourself and in your clothes. It’s truly as amazing as it sounds.
More tips to finding your perfect level of comfort:
- Yin Yang Style Cheat Sheet for All 4 Types
- Type 1: Want Cute Outfits? Then You Need This 3×5 Formula
- Type 2: Take Every Outfit from “Blah” to Beautiful with the 3×5 Formula
- Type 3: How to Nail Your Outfit Every Day with the 3×5 Formula
- Type 4: This 3×5 Formula Helps You Look (& Feel) Stunning Every Day
ditto 🙂 🙂 🙂 !!!
What you said.. 🙂
Watching this, I noticed that I as a Type1 do a lot of the comfort test things Anne does as a Type2, and that caused me to realize that I do them because of my mother! Growing up, she’d always be asking me about the fit of clothes, moving my arms to see the stretch, and feeling the fabric against my cheek or wrist to tell if it’d be too scratchy on the body. I do them not because for me that’s comfort, but because that was how I was trained to shop. Interesting!
I also do the arm stretch to make sure I can move in jackets. I thought it was because I was a type three that it`s so importaint for me to be able to move like that, but maybe it`s more because of my secondary two.
I am aT3/4, and I have used Anne’s “stretch test” my entire life. But for different reasons. I do it to check fit and movability. Can I move freely and quickly? (T3) Does it fit well? (S4) I want to be able to move quickly and for the garment to return to it’s proper shape and place on my body, without me having to make adjustments. This is why I never wear button down tops or tuck tops in. I don’t want to have to check if the buttons are straight or take the time to retuck a top. It’s all about freedom of movement and fit for me. Great video!
This made me (a T4) chuckle remembering my childhood. I opted for skirts because I HATED jeans. My mom was just buying what was in style at the time – tapered jeans. They had way too much fabric around the butt and thighs for my body. I was so happy when flares came in style because pants finally fit my butt! Now I know that what I was craving as a child, was some tailored, well-fitting pants!
Yep–Type 2! I even chose a job that allows me to wear yoga pants to work! I am curious whether cutting the tags out of clothing is a T2 thing or if other types do that too.
Hi Kim! I am a Type 2 tag cutter, but I also had to cut out many tags for my Type 4 children (I think all 4 of them are Type 4) when they were growing up. Come to think of it, I think it was a bigger deal for my 4/2 son.
I am a 1 and I cut my tags out! Can’t stand the way they feel.
DYT was the first fashion system that validated my need for physical comfort. If I’m wearing clothes that are too tight, especially on the bottom 1/2 of my body, like skinny jeans, I can almost feel frantic, with a sensation akin to claustrophobia. I don’t have that strong a reaction to tight clothes on the upper part of my body, although like Anne and several of the other posters here, I don’t want to be wearing a jeans jacket or anything real tailored.
These 4 Types Beauty Panels are great ways to better understand how other Type’s think and approach life. Keep them coming!
Love this dialog….lol..I am such a 3….the only reason I do the shoulder test is to be sure my reach is not restricted as I move through my day. I do wear long maxi skirts with tights or stretchy leggings under cus I found that I can actually move faster through my day in that than in jeans! Go figure! I have bought a number of them from the DYT store as well as from Target which often has just the right amount of stretch with substance…cus yeah, light fluttery stuff like my T1 dd would pick is so not for me or too much flounce etc….gotta admit even the T3 broomstick gypsy skits are too flouncy for me, and I feel too chunky in that wrong way….I like the A-line maxis….please bring more back again!
I loved this! Thank you for the clarification on something we talk about so much. We all think about comfort so differently but often use the same word. “Comfortable” was something I too used to think I was T2 because I really value soft clothes. Once I found out I was a T4, I realized that my “soft” really meant “smooth.” I hate plush fabrics, but I love smooth fabrics.
I think this week I will pay attention to what qualities make a garment comfortable to me. I had a chat with one of my daughters telling her how comfortable I’d been wearing a new pencil skirt from the DYT Store and how I’d love to have a dozen (some patterns and some solids) for the Spring/Summer that they were more comfortable to me than shorts. She had on shorts-hot in Louisiana. She talked about chafing which shorts prevent for her where the skirts are better for me. I love that DYT is about more than how something looks. However, I am lusting after the jacket Carol is wearing. Could you stock it in Type 1 colors, please? Afterall, it does have the “dots” portrayed as buttons. lol
Funny you should say that because I’m a T1 and Carol’s jacket looked more like a jacket I would wear with a T1 colors. Do T3’s wear that shade of white; always thought it was supposed to look antiqued…
All I can think is that the bright lights they sit beneath makes some colors look different. I should have asked who makes, or where can I get that jacket? To me it looks like a combination of all types with randomness (and dots/buttons), details galore, the substantial quality, and structure. Being a Type 1 myself, I love, love, love that. I am certain Carol is wearing Type 3 colors. She is adamant about that.
I think the colours get distorted in the videos.
Even if the colors she is wearing are T3, with the color of her hair and eyes, more earthy pinks and tanner whites would seem to go better, IMHO… Think a beautiful sunset in the Grand Canyon. She’s got so much grit in her look and voice that the clearer, cutsie colors seem to weaken her bold, edgy personality and image. I love her in the darker, earthier shades with the heavier, natural jewelry–gorgeous! I’m so jealous I’m not supposed to go there anymore as a T1–waaaaa! 🙂 I love and respect whatever she picks to wear for herself, of course! lolol
OK, that’s interesting. I guess she likes to explore the range within her Type 3 tones. I thought some of her tops lately were more like Type 1, but she held her style guide up in one video and stood next to another Type like 1 and I could see the difference. I am a Type 2 and although I love grey, I want more variety, but with colours that pack a punch – I think I have Type 4 secondary, that’s perhaps why! I guess it’s about exploring the range though – finding out what works for us personally. It’s not rules, but guidance.
Yeah, I just got done watching that too, and I just realized I am the one wearing the wrong T1 peach–lolol And I forget that with a secondary 4 maybe Carol feels these 4-leaning brighter, cleaner-looking colors and fabrics are more her style… She made the comment that her style is different than Anna K’s ‘wild’ look, and the difference was clear in their outfits. Maybe if she is evolving her look in that direction, a more conservative hair color would go better with it. Keep the edgy cut though, it looks terrific on her. That might be where something feels kind of ‘off’ when I’m watching her in the videos. (Sorry–lolol–I’m blessed with the urge to critique since my secondary, I think, is a 4–lololo )
That’s a good point, yes, it is a much cleaner-cut style than Anna K. They were more similar before. I have enjoyed Carol’s style lately, to be honest, as I am a secondary 4 too and I am drawn to those bolder, neater styles.
I am still stuck on trying to determine what type I fit into. I’m 50 years old and wear jeans and tee shirts most days because that’s what is comfortable to me for my body type. I know I look a little silly dressing like this, but I don’t know what looks good on me. When I do try to dress up, I see pictures of myself and I don’t look as good as I thought when I bought it. Ugh.
Does anyone feel “comfortable” looking at a face shot and telling me which type I fit into? Going through all of the initial videos which are geared more personality didn’t really make me lean one way or another. I saw Carol quickly analyze face shapes to determine a type, but I feel like I don’t fit into any one type.
Hi Glenda, I wish that someone would do that for me too. I chose type 1 but would like help confirming!
If you find anyone to help you, please let me know. I really have no idea what type I am.
I know what you mean Michele. It takes more time for some people I think. I am still not sure and would like confirmation. I know it is giving our power away and there are issues that stop us recognising our true selves, but maybe we just need to give ourselves a little time and keep chwcking out the resources.
I can relate completely. I’m beginning to think that some people fit the categories quite well and others of us simply do not. There are so many things from each type that I love that I cannot settle on one choice. My facial features may be like type 1, but my personality is anything but.
I agree completely. Same here!
You could be another Type 1! Or a Type 2 who questions herself.
Carol always says it is in the facial features, but personality can be shaped by something else. You look like a star Type 1 to me – it is also typical of Type 1 to relate to all the Types!
It could be an indication that you are a Type 1 or 2. This is what I think anyway. I initially thought I was Type 2, but recently I have started to question that. Apparently , this is typical of Type 2! The more I know, the more I question! In the end we are all the energies, but one dominates, as you know. The Type that sees themselves in all the Types tends to be Type 1.
Thanks. I’ll have to go back and look at type 1 more closely.
I got a publicity video from Chanel in my emails recently and there was a makeup discussion between one of Chanel’s stylists and Gisele Buendchen. She wears very simple clothes; jeans and tops, trousers and shirts. She also wears minimal make-up and what she does wear is very natural and subtle. OK, she is a professional model and very striking and photogenic, but looks better with ‘low maintenance’! A lot of her beauty comes from her confidence and presence, then using makeup and products that bring out what is naturally there, rather then trying to paint it on. If you feel good in jeans and t-shirts, then there must be a way of working with that – applying the styling from DYT. I am 50 and I wear jeans more than any other clothing item, because I work from home. I don;t see it as dressing too young! I would think someone who feels best in jeans and T-shirt would be one of the higher energy types though – 1 or 3? That would be between circles/stars or triangles in the facial features? Between a youthful, twinkly-eyed demeanour and a more angular face with deeper lines.
I definitely don’t have soft facial features.
The ‘softness’ is about low contrast and a ‘blended’ look with no marked characteristics that stand out. There will be downward movements and ‘S’ curves. Julia Roberts is a Type 2 and so is Sarah Jessica Parker.
Just had to comment this time on your marvelous video. Love the new look, techniques and vibrancy! Thank you Carol! A 4/3, I relate with Callista’s sharing,
and even now in my 60s appreciate the t3 rough structure of jean jackets with t4 refined solid black look. It was good hearing Anne too. My mother was a t2 and through my growing years i was annoyed always performing the stretch test– bless her heart– I had forgotten all this, my t4/3 was certainly a challenge for her. Dressing my type over this past year has supported me in being well with others and self. Fabulous video and panel!
It has never occurred to me to stretch-test my clothes! My main comfort point is fit. If I’m constantly having to fuss with my clothes because they don’t fit properly, I feel irritable and frustrated. By the way, I do alterations for a living, and alter almost everything I buy for myself! 🙂
I’m a 1/4 and I can totally relate to Anne’s descriptions of trying on clothes. That’s probably my only T2 tendency! LOL But I cannot stand to wear anything tight or with fabrics that are not soft. Seriously, if there was a Gymboree for grown ups I would totally shop there–love how soft the baby clothes are there. I also can’t wear anything too heavy, which is T1, I think.
Hi Julie!
I am also a 1/4 with a 2 tendency for fabrics in their weight and texture. Although I like the look on occasion, overly tailored items make me feel claustrophobic. All the tags have to come out of my clothes if I can feel them even slightly. Lightweight stretchy knits are my favorite or anything rayon that is cool and flows over the body. Pants have to have stretch and fit smoothly. Most of mine don’t have any pockets, belt loops or anything that could bind. My job is active so at work I wear athletic shoes but at home it’s something that I can slip on and off. I think as 1’s anything that feels constricted or inhibits our high movement is so against our nature. My type 4 (and some 3 tendencies) comes out in my work attitude (task/detail oriented, full steam ahead get ‘er done!) and I feel like my type 1 attitude with soft type 2 fabrics helps me accomplish that. I currently work with all men and I frequently hear “don’t you ever sit down?” I am tempted to say “of course not, I’m a type 1” but I don’t think they would understand. =;-D Thanks for sharing your info!
I am type 1 and comfort for me is definitely the mix of colors and the circular patterns. I am a teacher and my students respond to me differently when I am dressing my truth. Also, I love wearing stretchy jeans and leggings with flats or slip on sneakers that allow me to move fast and sit on the floor! I am not comfortable in heels. My energy is high when I am wearing the right clothes for me!
I identify with this as I have been a teacher too. This is when I absolutely have to feel right in my clothes or nothing will work. I have found that this impacts energy as well. I am a Type 2 and so I can relate to what you say about wanting to move around easily. My feet are especially important!
I’m a type 1/2. Comfort for me is clothes that are light and soft, not droopy or rough or heavy. I love crisp blouses and skirts that hang well and I hate linen that creases easily.
I’m a T1…not sure of my secondary though. I also relate comfort to bedding. Everything has to feel soft (pyjamas too -and not tight). I found micro flannel sheets and use them year round as they are just so soft. I also need to have a lightweight quilt otherwise I cannot get comfy enough to drift off to sleep. I always cut tags off clothes, too! And I can’t stand anything scratchy against my skin, and need enough room in jackets and tops – this ‘test’ was always done growing up, but I still do it as I can’t deal with any feeling of restriction. I love lightweight puffer jackets and parkas in the winter as they are warm without being heavy. As for shoes, they need to be slip on and easy to walk in. I also need pants to be stretchy and preferably as smooth as possible, though I need pockets – as I can’t stand a handbag/shoulder bag to be too heavy either, so having somewhere extra to stash things, even if just tissues, is something I find very handy, particularly if I’m not wearing a jacket.
I have an example of how it’s not possible to use a single concept to determine your DYT Type. For years I owned a gorgeous pure white blouse. It was a firmly woven white cotton with just a little bit of spandex in it that made it fit close to my body but still allow adequate movement. There were some beautiful pleats inset in parallel lines on the front. It looked great paired with every other bold colored skirt or trouser or jean in my closet. And yet, when I put it on my body, I hated it!! Hated the way it looked. Hated the way it felt. Hated wearing it. Everything about this blouse was type 4, but I rejected it because it wasn’t comfortable. It was too stiff. It felt restrictive. It was too formal and fussy. Now, there is no doubt in my mind that I am a Type 4 with a capital T and 4. 🙂 Logically, I could not and should not hate this perfectly type 4 blouse. And yet I did. So the whole determination of type issue cannot be pinned to a single concept… or a single garment! We are each individuals that fall within our Dominant Type in some kind of range (or maybe some kind of random pattern!) And yes, my secondary is Type 1 (note the smiley emoticon and liberal application of exclamation points in this comment). I’m happy to report that lovely Type 4 blouse has been donated to charity. I hope some other Type 4 woman is now finding its firm fabrication, its bold white color, and its parallel line pattern perfectly comfortable.
That’s interesting. Maybe it just wasn’t fun enough for you – too formal, given your Type 1 secondary. Some Type 4s can carry off really hard lines and they flatter them, but if you have a very strong Type 1 secondary, this might have an effect.
I am a Type 4, secondary 1 (and Jeffrey the cat’s mother, not Jeffrey.) I have a very square shape to my body, despite also being plus-sized and round. The square parts come in around the shoulder and upper body, making it difficult to fit comfortably into blouses like the ones Susan describes. Perhaps it depends where our ‘squares’ are.
It’s interesting that you use the vocabulary: ‘fit comfortably’, being Type 4! I think some clothes just have to be ‘right’, like altered or designed for the individual’s body shape, and these would be shirts and suits, tailored things. From what I have learned from DYT resources though, it’s in the face that the clues are – our bodies can be more about our secondaries. Being a Type 1 secondary, you perhaps need lighter, less restrictive tailoring.
I have problems with stiff blouses too – and most blouses with buttons, because the front puffs out when I sit and it drives me straight up the wall! I’m a 4/2.
Another great video. Always love the 4 Types of beauty panels. It’s so helpful to hear four perspectives on something we might first think is the same for all. Such a beautiful energy about this video. Great team! Thank you.
Wow, I’m just like the T4 girl when it comes to fit, and loose clothes do bother me! I was wearing a light flowy cardigan the other day, and I kept adjusting it, fussing with it, I just couldn’t forget about it.
I totally agree with the T3 girl on jeans though. I like the denim to be substantial with enough stretch to be comfortable without stretching out or being un-supportive.
If I dress too comfortably in lots of flowy soft clothing I can’t get anything done. I feel immobilized. Might as well go back to bed.
My mom is a T2 and she HATES jean jackets. How unfathomable!
Fun is very important. I find things like long cardigans tend to pull me down. I love the T1 girl’s shoes! Fabulously fun:)
I don’t like long billowy skirts, like ‘gypsy’ style – I completely identify with what you say about ‘not being able to get anything done’. I am very uncomfortable in skirts like that, and in A-line skirts, but very comfortable in a fitted pencil skirt, especially if it has a bit of stretch in it. Fitted and a bit stretchy – the perfect combination! I love long cardigans though, but I am a Type 2.
I like skirts okay, but I don’t dig ‘gypsy’ style either. 🙂
I am a T4/1 and I totally relate to both girls. My clothes have to FIT (T4) correctly, but at the same time they need to be light and open (T1). I like fitted tees for this purpose. My tees have to have some structure to them, not too soft. I have never really like jackets or blazers – I think its a T1 thing. I feel they are heavy and constricting, so I’m constantly fidgeting with them. I like how they look on me, just don’t like how they feel. I have the most problems with pants/jeans. I want them to fit really well and I can’t get that, even though I tailor them. Just something about them. I guess I just haven’t found the right brand I like yet! lol.
Great to see you clarify the comfort factor, thank you!
I totally agree with Jaleah, I love light non restrictive comfort, love being T1!
I guess you like to feel you look bright and cheerful too. I imagine that would be part of the feeling of ‘comfort’ for a Type 1.
I used to get in SO much trouble with my dad when shopping. He’d take me to buy pants and I’d have a meltdown trying them on because they weren’t comfortable. My dad was always baffled. At that time he was a single dad. Raising a little girl by himself wasn’t easy, especially because our types are so different. But that’s my first consideration. Comfy. Or I can’t function!
I think watching this video has really helped me understand my own Type and what has been going on with that recently – after initially typing myself as Type 2 a couple of years ago, I go through these rounds of questioning that, which is very Type 2! I think I have a strong Type 4 energy and have tended towards that – still do sometimes. This is consolidated by the fact being a Brit, we spend a lot of our lives in uniforms! I certainly have anyway. I can’t really do straight bangs and bright red lippy though, so I wouldn’t say Type 4 is my dominant energy. However, in my case, I would say that having a strong secondary complicated my self-assessment. I really needed to know what my secondary was. Now it has clicked into place. Carol once said something about feeling right in yourself, so you can get on with your life without the distraction of not knowing who you are. I think this puts it in a nutshell. I feel very clear and free. It’s a release when you are settled in your type.
So interesting! Definitely, structured fit is imperative for T4 “comfort.” One of the persistent nagging thoughts that finally helped me realize I had mis-Typed myself originally as a T2 was that comfort is not even close to the most important consideration when shopping for clothing – it’s how it looks on and how I feel in it (not as in warm & fuzzy, as in sharp or fabulous or something like that). I remember as far back as 4 years old (I wanted these beautiful shiny white patent leather sandals with silver buckles, little heels and black soles), clear up until I left home, having the same argument with my mother about shoes – her telling me they were “impractical” and wouldn’t be “comfortable” (she’s a 1/2) and me saying, “What does that have to do with anything? They’re pretty!” So funny.
On the video how each type defines comfort, as a dominant type 3, I wanted to add I find it hard to wear very high heels because I cannot walk in my swift movement!!
lol, I initially connected with Anne when she described “comfy”. I love being comfy cozy, and my clothing must pass the stretch test, because I don’t like feeling constricted by my clothing. If I can’t move easily in them, I’m not going to wear them. This factor though me, for a second, questions my T4 a little, but then I heard Kalista’s comfy and I was reassured about my T4ness.
Thanks Kalista for expressing in words what I couldn’t describe myself. I always described it like how Anne did, but it’s not just about the fabric but also about how it lay’s and fit’s on my body. I’ve not gone to the extent of having my clothes tailor. I just simply leave them at the store, because I don’t want to have to fuss with an extra step before I can wear them. I want to wear them now and not have to wait for the Tailor to be done with them.
I so hate when my clothing creates “movement and fuss” where I feel them on. I want the comfort of knowing I’m wearing clothes without having to mess with them. An example is when I swing dance (Lindy Hop or West Coast Swing) I safety pin my bra strap to my top shirt and my layering tank so they all stay “neat” and in place. The few times I tried to swing dance in without using the safety pin was so frustrating having to adjust and the movement. Ugh. I want to feel comfortable that I’m wearing clothes but I don’t want to have to fuss with them.
Again, thanks so much for sharing.
I relate to all of them, lol!! I must be able to move, I hate restriction. Also must be practical so I don’t have to fiddle around after putting it on. I don’t want anything either too heavy or too light. I also need stuff to fit properly. So who knows what that means!
this was great! Is there one on shoes too?
nathalie, yes there is a shoe video in Lifestyle.
I’m a type 3 – but I’m with the type 2 on comfort – I don’t like tight things (it’s part of why I prefer skirts and dresses to pants)…. that said, I really resonated with the practicality piece. Because I prefer skirts and dresses – but work in a job where I have to get on the floor and move around to play with kids, and squat to shelve books, etc. – I’ve created a good stock of leggings and jeggings that I can wear under them so that I can feel completely comfortable moving around to get my work done!
As a T1 the two things that make me comfortable is a “lift” to the fabric when I move. Light Tee’ s that billow off the body feel so good! Another sensation is a crisp button up shirt. Again it’s that sense of lift but with more structure. Something that appeals my s4.
Great discussion! I love Jaleah’s comment on being ‘comfortable in the pattern’. That is sooo true! I hadn’t thought of it that way before, but yeah I’m a t1 and a comfortable pattern is huge for me. But I do also do Anne’s stretch test. lol I’m surprised that Kalista doesn’t do it as a ‘fit test’.
As a 4, I appreciate the fit factor. I never had the luxury or knack to tailor but mini safety pins are a mainstay in my items and I will perfectly pin each side at a waist to have zero gap seeing my waist is a size smaller than my hips. Additionally, I have always done the stretch test since childhood and often use the word “comfy” in my vocabulary. Growing up, my most comfortable outfits were my favorites and they were 2 outfits. Still to this day I cannot wait to get home, throw off my clothing, including tight bra, and put on pjs that are actually type 2.
I like soft,light clothes,almost only cotton except sweaters in winter,preferably a little loose,nothing tight or stretchy.And no shoes at all,except very comfortable sandals.-I think I will go through the whole course again after translating some parts into my language.Seems I mixed up character with energy quite a bit.
Yes! on the Type 1 comments. I want to be able to function in any situation – like leave work for a bit to go on a hike – sort of all-purpose clothing that will work in a variety of situations because I like to be up and about when I need to be. I also wear only cotton because, for me, comfort means feeling casual and not buttoned-up. Polyester makes me feel claustrophobic and I actually start doing that “Type 2 shoulder test” like, “Get off me!” I always feel like polyester is trying to trap me LOL.