I’ve rewatched Project Runway possibly an alarming number of times, and I came up with a pretty solid excuse for my latest viewing of Season 5:

Contestant Kenley Collins is an Ingenue Classic Gamine—and her personal style is (sometimes) an awesome match for her essences.

Even if you aren’t into vintage, seeing Kenley in fashion that flatters her face might just change your mind.

It might even make you fall in love with retro.

Style Tips for CGI

Here’s inspiration that Classics, Gamines, and Ingenues can take from Kenley’s personal style on Project Runway.

People without these essences might be able to take inspo, too!

1) Be Polished and Precise

Project Runway judge Michael Kors described Kenley’s style as a “very neat, buttoned-up aesthetic.”

What’s fascinating is that this comment also describes her face:

Kenley has a rather compact face shape and features—including a small “button nose” that perfectly matches her “buttoned-up” aesthetic.
Overall, her features appear delicate, balanced, sharp, and symmetrical.
- Meaning, her features appear polished and precise—a fantastic match for her “neat, buttoned-up” signature style.

And for her signature makeup:

This isn’t a photo of Kenley, but the makeup mimics her signature look—Classic creamy red lip with well-groomed brows and Gamine sharp wings.

On a Classic face, this sort of simple and precise makeup is mesmerizing—it highlights the exquisite symmetry and precision of the features.

2) Be in Print

Kenley often wore:

Gamine **stripes** (technically **chevron** here)

These prints all have:

Relatively small shapes
Neat, well-defined borders
Youthful vibes

One of the coolest parts about style analysis is that it honors and accentuates our inherent beauty.

If an Ethereal Dramatic wears polka dots, the reaction might (subconsciously) be, “That print looks childish and out-of-place.”

But when a Classic Gamine Ingenue like Kenley wears polka dots, the reaction is more likely to be, “That print looks really great and right on her.”

And even if only subconsciously, the viewer is also struck by how the youthful, lively, pretty print matches the youthful, lively, pretty vibes of Kenley’s features.

So wearing fashion that connects to the shapes and vibes of your face is like putting an illuminating spotlight on your authentic beauty.

3) Keep it Short and/or Sweet

How do you know if you’re better in cropped or elongated lengths?

The answer seems surprisingly less about your height and more about your face.

For instance, the Olsen twins are petite (sources say 5’1’’ or 5’2’’), but as Ethereal Dramatic Ingenues, they’ve become style icons partly through wearing floor-length fashion that echos their otherworldly beauty.

In contrast, Kenley Collins appears at least average height—notably taller than the Olsens—but she almost never wore maxi skirts or dresses.

Short puff sleeves and above-knee ruffled skirts are so good for Ingenue.

While Ethereals, Dramatics, and Naturals prefer elongation, Ingenues and Gamines love shortening—it suits their figurative youthfulness.

4) Do a Modern Twist

Kenley dubbed her style “Modern Day Calendar Girl,” and the “modern” part is key to why it worked: her aesthetic was timeless, retro, and anchored in the present.

For instance, she often wore skinny jeans and Converse—both very on trend (especially at the time in the 2000s) and highly flattering to her Gamine.

If you want to be inspired by the past while still appearing modern, the simple trick is to mix modern and retro vibes.

This very cropped length keeps a simple plaid dress feeling current—and so do trendy ankle boots with a Gamine pop of color.

5) Keep it Complicated

A recurring star of Kenley’s outfits: sweet and whimsical hair accessories.

Kenley wore many small flower clips (and sometimes actual flowers) and dainty headbands for Ingenue.

She also frequently accessorized with high-contrast polka-dotted hairpieces for Gamine.

She often paired statement accessories with simple Classic outfits, which leads to the next “rule”:

6) Keep it Simple (Sort of)

Kenley’s aesthetic was loud and unique, with vibrant color and pattern-mixing.

But to me, it seldom felt over the top, because she typically balanced more whimsical pieces with Classic restraint, including simple tops and dresses and her signature polished makeup.

7) Break or Bend the Rules

Did Kenley on Project Runway always style herself by her essences? No. But she often did, especially with her makeup and hair (neat, short, rounded bangs).

One of the most helpful things about style analysis is that it allows us to understand exactly which clothing styles (and hairstyles and makeup) do or don’t flatter us.

Style analysis doesn’t remove freedom. It doesn’t say “you must dress by your essences or else.” It actually increases freedom and power, because knowledge is power, and by learning your essences, you’ll acquire powerful knowledge about what does and doesn’t connect to your beauty.

Then, if you want to step outside your style guidelines, you’ll be able to do so with intentionality. And rather than criticizing your face if your outfit isn’t harmonious, you’ll be able to recognize that your styling simply isn’t an ideal match for your features.

You might even be able to find versions of fashion that flatter your essences while simultaneously suiting your personal aesthetic.

For example, if you love wearing flannels but don’t have Natural, you might be able to swap your typical laidback flannel for one with a Gamine print and cropped Gamine silhouette, or a print and silhouette that aligns more closely to one of your other essences.

Style analysis can also boost creativity and problem-solving ability, as you devise an aesthetic that honors both your personal style and your unique beauty.

More Thoughts

Before typing Kenley, I had the sentiment that her personal style was often close to feeling ideal for her face, and sometimes did feel ideal. And sometimes there was something that didn’t seem to connect.

At one point—when I was more focused on watching the show than on learning her essences—I even wondered if wearing a little more laidback Natural would help balance things.

But now I see that from a visual harmony perspective, her least successful outfits tended to be the ones that did incorporate Natural, such as loose flannels.

I think I was also reacting to the fact that sometimes she does incorporate essences beyond CGI, and that sometimes her style can arguably be too complicated for someone with highly Classic beauty.

Once I typed Kenley’s essences, it was like a lightbulb moment. It helped me deeply appreciate the insight she had into what flattered her, and especially how her extremely pretty, polished hair and makeup suited her extremely pretty, polished features.

And while I’d always thought her personal style was cool, realizing its connection to her essences made me like it even more.

Part of what I love about style analysis is that it can spotlight the beauty not just of different kinds of faces (although that in itself is fantastic) but also the beauty of different kinds of fashion.

After observing Kenley in retro looks and seeing how flattered she is by them, I really love retro. It has so many amazing qualities—the whimsy, the polish, the sweetness, the creativity—and you can really appreciate those qualities when you see them in the context of Classic Gamine Ingenue beauty.

For me, and maybe for most people, it’s extremely hard not to see beauty when you see visual harmony. So even if you don’t happen to be personally drawn to a certain aesthetic, when you see a person wearing that aesthetic and looking harmonious in it, it’s almost impossible to not see it as beautiful.

Retro for the Other Essences?

Kenley’s aesthetic borrowed heavily from specific decades and silhouettes (e.g., 50s full circle dresses) that embody her highly Ingenue (and Classic and Gamine) beauty.

But every style essence can find some connection to certain past fashion trends. More on that in the future!

Who Pulls off Retro?