welcome to my blog

Before diving into this advanced styling guide, be sure to read https://randiidellephotography.com/2021/12/13/styling-for-beginners/!

So now that you know your husband should probably leave his cargo shorts and flip flops at home (sorry husbands!), you’re probably wondering…now what? How do I dress my entire family and make it look cohesive but different from the last time I took photos? Here are my best advanced styling tips to take you from good to great!

Dress for the season

Spring is the perfect time to dress your family in pastels! I promise you won’t look like an easter basket as long as you throw in some sophisticated light grey to tie everything together. Honestly I think that Spring and Fall are the most fun seasons to dress for, which works out because those are also my most popular seasons! You can also use spring to break out floral patterns, light pinks and chambray.

Summer is the perfect time to dress in sun dresses, eyelet dresses and lighter shades. I know it’s hard to resist the bright bold colors especially in the summer but there’s a method to my madness. How many people do you know who say their eyes change color? It’s not that their eyes are changing color, it’s that the color and their environment are reflecting onto their eyes and gives them the illusion of change! This can be fun for eyes but I don’t know anyone who wants their skin to look green or overly pink. Of course you can still incorporate color! Blush pinks, dusty blues and sage greens photograph beautifully!

Fall might be my absolute favorite because there are so many directions you can go with it! If you want to stand out from the colorful backgrounds, light whites, creams and ivories will do the trick. If you want a cozy vibe, navy, mustard and burgundy paired with some lighter pieces look amazing!

In winter I think our instinct is to dress a little darker so that we stand out from the snow. I won’t say that’s a bad idea but I do think it would be a bummer to completely discredit wearing light colors! I’ve seen so many gorgeous winter weddings and the brides always look straight out of a story book. Winter is another very versatile season depending on the look you want to achieve! Of course you can always go with some classic, cozy plaid in red or white for a snuggly family session or for a more romanic look you can opt for light blues and whites!

Skip the black

I get it, I LOVE black. I wear it at least 6 days a week! Plus we go our entire lives hearing that it makes us look thinner. Here’s the catch with black clothes: they show everything! If you lived with a white cat 8 years ago, I’m going to know it. If you have 3 pieces of mystery glitter stuck to your back, I will see it. I also have to mention that if you like my style (and if you’re here I’m guessing you do) a HUGE part of that is based on using overall light colors in the images I create. If you LOVE black and no other color feels right to you, please wear black! Just bring a lint roller 😉

The dress that works for EVERYONE

I swear wrap dresses are MAGIC. If you have any body insecurities at all, this dress will make you forget all about them! This dress literally wraps around your waist at its smallest point and falls perfectly into place without creating any bulges where you don’t want them. I will say that if you’re a little more conservative, you may want to wear a slip with it since they tend to be low cut in the chest and high in the leg. When I got my first wrap dress I was very confused on why there was a small hole in the side and how the heck I was supposed to wrap it so if you’re curious, here’s the video that saved me from tying it like a shoe and calling it a day.

Warm or cool?

No I’m not talking about temperature! This trick is one that I learned recently when I was helping a friend pick outfits for her upcoming photos. All of the outfits individually were GORGEOUS but when they were all together, something looked a little off. It took me a while before realizing that half of the family was wearing warm colors and the other half was wearing cool!

Complementary colors CAN work but they can also make things a little more tricky when aiming for consistency. Analogous and monochromatic colors are my personal favorites! Of course you can always mix in neutrals with any color palette to break it up.

Neutrals include:

Resources

For a more visual representation of these advanced styling tips, check out my Pinterest board for families here: https://www.pinterest.com/randiidelle/family-outfit-inspiration/

and for couples here: https://www.pinterest.com/randiidelle/couples-outfit-inspiration/

I LOVE helping pick out outfits so if you ever need help, please don’t hesitate to ask!

Until next time,

Randi Idelle