I think the most common question I receive is, ‘What on earth do we wear?’
Heck, I’ve asked this question myself. Mostly TO myself, when deciding my own family’s outfits, but hey there’s no proof I talk to myself. 😉
The first thing I tell my clients is to pick 1 or 2 ‘pop’ colors and scatter that throughout the family. A bow, a scarf, stripes in a shirt, shoes… I would not pick more than 2 colors however.
Then, pick 2 or 3 other coordinating base colors. Everyone wear jeans (base color).
Another idea is to mix and match the pops with the base. Example; Baby Girl wears a white dress (base) and Dad wears a white shirt with red and gray stripes (base AND pop).
An exception to this is if everyone is in a bright color. You must make sure they coordinate in some way and please, don’t use red and green unless it’s Christmas time. And even then, it’s iffy.
You also get into trouble when everyone wears the SAME color on top. If the whole group is wearing white shirts you have what I call, ‘floating heads’. Not pretty y’all.
Now, an exception to this rule is if you’re celebrating a special occasion, or on vacation. Then, matching shirts are a MUST. Okay, maybe not necessarily a MUST, but I for one am unfortunately known for making everyone match when on vacation. Or a girls weekend. Or on a camping weekend. 🙂
Another great resource is Pinterest. Simply type in ‘What to Wear Portraits’, or, “Photo clothing’ and you’ll hit on tons of options. Some links even list where you can purchase the clothing.
Polyvore is a good resource for all clothing styles. You can even create, or build, an outfit for each person in your family for inspiration.
Something else to consider is looking through clothing websites or ads in magazines, or even by going IN the stores. Coordinating colors is common, and everything is right there for you to purchase on the spot.
Granted this is not a complete list and really might just be the tip of all the resources out there to consider. But it’s a good start.
Good luck and happy hunting! 😉