With everyone getting ready for their holiday portraits and asking me what to wear – I thought I’d give you a few do’s and don’ts for dressing you and your family. I spent three days doing in-store holiday photos at Janie and Jack in Manhattan Beach last week for qualifying customers – and Janie and Jack has such cute clothing, perfect for that interesting outfit that adds an additional element other than the subject. I took snapshots of some of the outfits that said “holiday portrait” to me – and then here are some additional tips:
Do: Bright colors that are not overpowering.
Don’t: Wear black or ultra bright yellows and reads that will compete for attention.
Do: Patterns that are interesting yet not distracting.
Don’t: wear stripes, pads, graphic tees (for example, when someone is wearing a striped shirt in a photo, your eye can’t help but be drawn to the pattern and away from the person’s face)
Do: Interesting textures and embellishments that add another interesting element and “cute” factor to the shot.
Don’t: make your child wear a crazy knit sweater with a bug animal crochet in the middle just because Aunt Suzie made it.
Do: Layering. Jackets, sweaters, matching yet different colors add depth, three dimension and interest.
Don’t: layer more than 2 layers of clothing.
Do. Cute details such as striped socks, headbands, funny hats – things that, again, add more dimension and fun.
Don’t: over-do it with too many busy patterns and mis-matched colors.
