Puff, Bimmer and I just recently wrapped up a quick fall photo shoot with one of my co-workers. While she's not a professional, our normal photographer is back in The Fort, and we won't be there til Christmas, so there wasn't much option in having her do some Christmas card photos for us. (But we definitely plan to do Bimmer's 2 year photos with her!) Alas, it worked out. We got a few sweet photos of our little family to document and remember this time, and that's all that matters!
Anyway... since I'm an OCD planner, I'm already starting to think about what we'll wear for our two 2014 shoots. Yes, even next fall, when I'm thinking a garnet/black/white theme might be in order. This all prompted me to reminiss about what we've already worn for shoots, and I thought I would share my logic and process for picking out photo shoot clothes.
Let's be clear... there will NEVER be any of this business happening...
Before Bimmer, it was a lot simpler. I found an outfit that I loved and hoped Puff had something to match. For our engagement photos, I was madly in love with this dress I found on sale at LOFT. It was a pretty bold pattern, so it was easy to find something in Puff's closet that was more subdued, but in the same color range. You want to coordinate - not match!
Our maternity shoot was a little more difficult, since I was as big as a house. I was hell-bent on not buying a new outfit for the shoot, so I busted out this simple purple dress from Target (size medium - not maternity) and thankfully, my stylish husband already had a shirt from Banana Republic in his closet that had some complimentary purple in it!
The baby was naked in her newborn photos, so I'll skip that session. LOL. I hadn't initially planned to do another photo shoot until Bimmer was about 6 months old, but our amazing photographer offered a quick mini-session for free when we were in The Fort visiting when Bimmer was just 8 weeks old. How could we turn that down?!? (She's amzing - really!) The MIL had gifted Bimmer a pink/white striped dress that I never thought she would have any reason to wear. That became my jumping off point for these outfits. Since I was still not in all normal clothes, I decided to fit my way back into a blousy white LOFT top and Puff already had a pink Polo shirt, so we were all set. This one didn't take much thought, and is my least favorite of all our photo clothes, but I think we look alright!
Bimmer's 7 month photos definitely had a lot more thought (and shopping) behind them! I fell in love with a black/white/pink dress for her at Carter's and had to buy it... not even necessarily knowing when/where she would wear it. When we scheduled our photos, I was on a mad dash to find stuff for Puff and I to wear that coordinated. A trip to the outlet mall yielded about 4 potential options for me (just to be sure... ha ha ha) and I settled on a blouse from Banana Republic that was patterened, but subtle enough not to compete with everything else going on. A pink cardigan from The Gap and then a subtle pink/black/white checked shirt from Banana Republic for Puff and we were ready to go. I love the mixing of patterns here. I think they all work since they're in the same color family, but the scale is all different.
I hadn't planned to go with more pink (since we had already used two different shades in her past photos) but when Bimmer's first birthday shoot was rolling around, it just sorta happened that way. Another trip to the outlets had me coming home with a pink/white gingham shirt from Ralph Lauren. I also snagged some J.Crew shorts in navy, since I thought they would go well together. Puff already had a Polo shirt in navy/white, so I was down to just needing to find Bimmer something that would work. It was a change of pace from us normally working our clothes around the baby's. After striking out at local stores, I hopped on to Etsy and had something made. I had the person custom make this dress with the colors that way (she wasn't selling this as an option - but is now, I just noticed). Again, we're all in patterns, but the colors are spot on. I love these pictures!
This go round, it was back to Bimmer being the center of attention. When I found a seersucker blazer, I couldn't pass it up, even if I did buy it when Puff was out of work. From there it was a few months search for the rest of her outfit. I about screamed when I finally found baby boots at Kohl's for her. I had wanted funky tights, but couldn't find any that worked with the coral of her shirt. Going with navy seemed like a logical choice then for Puff and I.
Wrapping up, here are my thoughts....
(1) Go with outfits you love that fit your personality - We would all wear these outfits again (and do!) in our normal lives
(2) Find an inspiration piece and work the rest of the wardrobe around it
(3) Don't be afraid to mix patterns or go with a bold color
(4) Make sure you coordinate, but don't match - No one wants to see an entire family wearing denim shirts
(5) Talk to your photographer - If you find a good one, they'll have plenty of good tips and suggestions
So, with our fall 2014 photos already decided, I'm thinking Bimmer's 2 year photos may be a purple/gray/turquoise kind of theme. Now to get shopping!
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