I found the dress first and fell in love – just love the vibrant color (I may have to work on a tan). And while it breaks my general rule to avoid sleeveless, it would be perfect paired with a darker denim jean jacket (which I conveniently already own!)

I have to admit, I am going to have to convince my hubby to wear the dark plum shirt.  To up the casual factor a bit, I will likely pair it with a white shirt underneath and he can wear it open.  For the kids – well, comfort is the key and while I found an ADORABLE dress for Sarah, she simply won’t have anything to do with dresses at this point, so I stuck with a magenta top and dark denim capris.

Hopefully this inspires you! (oh, and the dress is on sale this weekend! Whoohoo!)

For those who want to venture out into the world of color for their family suggestions but don’t want to be “matchy matchy” I suggest working towards coordination of the clothing – a good rule of thumb is to put mom & dad into solids and then let there be some subtle color in the kids clothes. As shown below – the daughter’s sundress is establishing the color pallet for the other family members – by keeping the shirts of the other members in the same family as those contained within the sundress, the results should be pleasing.

This is how I shop for my own family when I want some color in our portraits – I generally start with the girls – either for myself or my daughter.  I prefer to be in solids, so I will scout out the girls section for a outfit for Sarah that has colors that will compliment the whole family. Once I’ve found a few pieces that might work, I will take those to the women’s section to look for myself. The boys are last and usually end up with a solid polo or sweater, depending on the season.

So, some basic rules:

1. Dark wash jeans are always an excellent choice. Avoid short dresses or skirts for the girls.
2. Find one or two pieces that have some color/interest to them (nothing too crazy though) and build from there.
3. Monochromatic is also a good choice – you can stay within the same color family, but mix/match the textures/fabrics of the clothing
4. Dark solids are perfect for anyone who wishes to hide a little bit of extra weight.
5. Dark shoes/socks are a must if you don’t want to be barefoot
6. Stay away from sleeveless shirts tops you have Michelle Obama-style upper arms.

If you have any questions on how to dress for a family session, definitley let me know! Clothing choices are an essential part of ensuring that your portraits will be cherished and I am always available to help!

Note: The outfits shown today would work really well for sessions for individual children. Next week I will focus on putting together clothing for siblings and families!

These outfits I found online at Gymboree and Janie & Jack -two of my favorite places to shop. I love their warm colors and have my eye on the Gymboree Desert Flower outfit with the brown hat from J&J for a summer sunset session with my Sarah.

I’ve also determined the little cardigan shrugs are a girl’s best friend because while I LOVE the patterned dresses, I also like to have the option to tone down the pattern as it gets closer to the face so that the subject’s expression remain the focus of the image.

And don’t worry – I didn’t forget the boys. Stay tuned!