What to wear? That is a great question. Even for my family, I ponder this question a long time. I believe what you wear makes a statement. Personally I want to look fun, relaxed, casual and stylish. I want everyone to have on nice clothes but I don't want to look like we are in the 'uniform' - You know, the khaki pants and the white shirts. I don't want to look like we are an advertisement for some brand. But I don't want to look kind of crappy either. This guide is to help you decide what to wear for every one who will participate in the photo session. Rules: Rule #1: There are no rules! Really what you want to wear is your personal choice. Don't feel obligated to wear or not wear an item. Definitely there are general thoughts on how clothes look so I will give the general rules. Rule #2: The best advice I can give is this. Make sure the clothes fit! And the better the fit the better they will look. For everyone. Clothes that are too baggy or too tight fitting do not work well. For adults, they often make an adult fat. For kids … often times a lot of fabric can show up and not the child. Also, some kids are sensitive … ill fitting clothes just make people cranky. Make sure the clothes fit first. For moms, watch out the neck lines… if you are sitting down, does the cleavage show, does the shirt pull up? Unless you are ok with this, often times things like this can make the difference between a picture you will want to keep vs one you will not. Rule #3: Style. Think about this. Whats your family's style? Stylish? Casual? Dressy? Sporty? Think about a style and then a good idea is to look online (or in your closet) and choose a look that looks real to your family. A bad choice is obvious if you look at the pics and think - why did I wear that?! If you are not trendy, don't pick out something too trendy. If you are not dressy, don't buy a super dressed up look. But don't go overboard and be completely 'style agonistic'. I think part of the photograph is to get a feel for who you are / who your family is at that time. A style that will look good for 5 years is stylish. One that will look good for 1 year only or 100 years is not good. No styles last 100 years and things that only last 1 year are probably too trendy. Rule #4: Color. I LOVE color. Any color can work. Here's some general thoughts: WHITE: Generally white is not a good color for pale skin tones. It tends to wash the skin out. Also, white tends to easily lose detail in photos. It can be a tricky color to work with and often will reflect /take on surrounding colors. So if you are next to a green tree.. A green cast will appear. BLACK: If you wear black, often times the details can get lost. Black can look great and can be slimming. LIGHT TONES: Light tones tend to wash out very light skin. They can also be kind of a distraction for very dark skin. MID TONES: My preference is mid tones. Mid tones are great because they look great in photos if they are adjust a little darker or lighter. DARK TONES: Dark tones can also be like dark ones. They tend to blur together and detail can be lost. BRIGHT COLOR: I say - do not steer away! I love bright colors and they look great with my style. So I really like it. STRIPES: Pin stripes. Horizontal stripes. White w/ dark stripes. For the most part I'd steer away. These types of styles will draw attention away from the person's face and to the stripes. Pin stripes can mesh together and create psychadelic look. Probably not what you are looking for. PLAIDS: I love plaid and say go for it. Just be careful to not match too much or to clash too much. As long as the tones of plaid match. The pattern and designs can differ. COLOR & SKIN : A color that compliments the family's skin tones is the best. My favorite color is a light sky blue /green color. Looks great on almost any family. GREEN: I often do sessions during summe outside. There are a lot of trees/ greenery. I suggest not to wear green because there is just too much of it. Rule#5:SHOES: Shoes with a little bit of style are great. Ballet flats, cute shoes, plaid flip flops, sandals, all work. For women … a styish shoe works … You can dress up the shoe a little and still wear relatively casual clothes. Sometimes the shoe can make the outfit. But then again I'm a real shoe lover!! Rule #6: Make up & Hair: Try to put a lighter concealer / foundation color around the eyes and the cracks of the nose… it will lighten up the shadows and make women appear more flattering. For kids .. Some lotion on the skin after their bath will help with any dry skin and make their skin seem smoother (easier to photograph). Hair … A little hair spray, hair smoother, a little bit of root lifter. All do miracles. My favorite products are Frederick Fekkai… Expensive but worth it. For girls with hair .. A small clip or a pony tail works great. Its horrible if I have to ask the child to keep moving her hair around. It ruins the moment often times. Examples of outfits I think go together: The family session ….. A girl, a boy , a mom and a dad TOP PICKS: Dress for Mom (purple ..cool color of the season)
http://www.bodenusa.com/en-US/Womens-Dresses/WH168/Womens-Flirty-Ruffle-Dress.html?orcid=-50#jf9
Outfit for Dad: Dark grey sweater.. Small details .. Khaki pants or jeans .
http://www.jcrew.com/AST/Browse/MensBrowse/Men_Shop_By_Category/sweaters/wool/PRDOVR~98322/98322.jsp
Outfit for daughter: Pin dot skirt
http://www.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=6286&vid=1&pid=678595
Shirt .. Cool shirt
http://www.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=6292&vid=1&pid=687813
Outfit for son: Cute grey pants /w star: Matching shirt :
2 boys: Jeans and seasonal color shirt
Similar shirt .. Different colors
A Girl and Boy: (colorful)
http://www.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=49687&vid=1&pid=664063&scid=664063012
Cute shirt /w stripes
Cool sunshine dress
http://www.bodenusa.com/en-US/Girls-Dresses/33107/Girls-Cord-Applique-Dress.html
A girl and boy: (more relaxed) Brown polo or henley
http://www.abercrombiekids.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/category1_10101_10851_12110_-1_12102
Jeans
http://www.abercrombiekids.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_10101_10851_426877_-1_12130_12102
Dark Blue sweater. Brown shirt or grey Jeans / jean skirt
http://www.abercrombiekids.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_10101_10851_532759_-1_12165_12103
Girls: Pants
Add a sweater or vest
Skirt
Brown Dress
Gypsy Skirt
http://www.bodenusa.com/en-US/Girls-Skirts/32268/Girls-Raw-Edge-Gypsy-Skirt.html
Cardigan
Some favorite places for me to find clothes:
H&M Kids
MiniBoden USA
Crewcuts (jcrew)
Gap Kids
Janie & Jack
Abercrombie & Fitch
Children's Place
Nordstroms
Gymboree
And as always, feel free to bring multiple outfits or ask my opinion. This info is meant to help only. Not to point to one item or another as 'the item' ... These are just ideas :)
Hope to see you soon!
