How many times have you scheduled a portrait session only to be left wondering “what do I wear”? It’s a question I get often so after a little brainstorming I thought it would be fun to start a series of ‘What to Wear’ posts. It also provided the perfect opportunity to collaborate with my friend and stylist Jamie to provide some inspiration and tips for choosing the perfect portrait wardrobe. She’s always impeccably dressed and has been styling family and friends for nearly a decade. I value her fashion expertise and I’m thrilled to have her be a part of this.
In this post we’re focusing on families. Fall is probably the most popular season for family portraits. Jamie has come up with four looks that work beautifully for families (whether it's a large or small group). My hope is that you feel more confident and inspired when choosing your outfits after reading this post. But, enough about what I think...
JAMIE'S THOUGHTS:
I know first hand that it can be stressful and overwhelming when deciding what you and your family should wear when having pictures taken. You want to look like yourself, if you had access to a professional stylist, hairdresser and makeup artist. Yourself, only better. Believe me, it is worth the time and effort to put some thought into your look. Gone are the days of being super matchy with white shirts and jeans. Coordination is the key. It really is okay not to have everyone match (and is also more visually pleasing). You can plan for each family member’s personal style but tie the look together with a few select colors. As a general rule, I recommend staying around 3 or 4 colors. When in doubt, start with a neutral base and work in a couple of your favorite colors.
FAMILIES: SMALL GROUPS {around 4}
Small family shots can be so fun to dress for. I usually like to let my kids stand out so I will plan the color palate around a great outfit or item that they own. Dark, deep colors such as burgundy, gold, deep teal green, and navy look fabulous for the fall and winter months. I suggest staying with just a few colors so as to keep the overall look cohesive and pulled together.
Another thing to think about is tones of color. If most everyone wears dark colors and one person wears a light color, your eye will automatically be drawn to the person in the light color (or visa versa). Try to stay within the same tone or spread your lights and darks equally throughout your group. Don’t be afraid to get creative and show some of your family’s personality with how you dress. Props can be fabulous with this as well. Some of the best pictures I have seen are when the family does something a little different and outside of the box.
FAMILIES: LARGE GROUPS {8 or more}
Working with a large group of people can be a challenge. With large groups lots of color can be overwhelming and can even end up clashing. Neutrals in either the gray family (black, gray, white) or the brown family (brown, tan, cream, khaki) are great options. Make it interesting by using lots of different textures and accessories. You can even choose to bring in one or two muted colors such as olive green, dark blue or a mustard yellow, which are all great for fall. Everyone doesn’t have to be in a color but it can be a nice addition in small doses.
Consider everyone when having photos taken with a large group. The photographer may take shots taken of the entire group as well as several different combinations of people. Each person’s outfit will need to work both alone and in the group. Yet another reason why it’s often best to work with neutrals.
The color board photos (and credits) can be found on my Color Schemes board over on Pinterest. Clothing and shoe suggestions came primarily from J.Crew, Anthroplogie, Piperlime, Ralph Lauren & Nordstrom.
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Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 3:44PM 
