When it comes to mixing patterns, don’t be afraid! The way to make sure that your outfits don’t distract from your beautiful faces and shining personalities is to keep everyone’s wardrobe to the same ‘style’ and color pallet. Make sure your patterns stand out from one another  instead of meshing together into one blob. If there’s ever any doubt, try it on! The best way to know whether something is going to work is to get the family together and try it out. Your camera phone might not have the megamixels, but you will get the picture ;P

Little Girl Outfits: Jcrew Crew Cuts
Little Boys Ouftifs: Jcrew Pants, BodenUSA Shirt, Converse All Stars Shoes
Toddler/Baby Girls: Tea Collection Clothes, Hannah Anderson Shoes
Toddler/Baby Boys: BodenUSA Whale Outift, Carter’s Grey Stripe Outfit, Old Navy Shoes
Moms:Boden Dress, Jcrew Shoes
Dads: Jcrew Pants and Shirt, Lacoste Shoes

I’m so excited to share this post with you, pulled together by Meg, our graphic designer.  Meg is both a shop-a-holic and Pinterest addict, so I knew she’d be the perfect fashion contributor for our blog.  Enjoy!

As the graphic designer at Heidi Hope Photography, I’ve been keeping my eye out on the spring trends. I’ve been working hard on new card templates and products for photographers and clients and Heidi has been buying fun new props for spring.  All of these colors have made my mind jump right past the cold winter months into the warmer weather.

Brights are definitely back, and if you follow us regularly, you probably already know we all love pink and yellow here at the Heidi Hope Studio. I say bring on spring! A true prep at heart, I’m excited for these spring classics. These are some of our favorites for the season.  Have some fun checking them out- and don’t forget to check out my pinterest board- we have even more fun coordinating pieces there!

It’s only two weeks before Shaun, Giuliana and I have our first professional family portraits taken and I’ve been shopping for our shoot since January.  Outfits have come and gone and I’ve changed my mind at least 100 times.  Now I understand how my clients feel.  You know you’re about to make a big investment on artwork in your home… you want to coordinate, but not overly match… you want to show your style, but still appear timeless… you want colors that flatter you, but also look good on your wall.  So much to consider.  It’s no wonder that clients often resort to all white!

Perhaps my biggest problem in selecting family wardrobe is that I am a match-a-holic.  I want everything to coordinate perfectly.  Unfortunately, that makes for a pretty boring portrait.  So I had to stray from my compulsive need to seek out exact dye lots and choose items that varied in tone, texture, and value.  Well, not surprisingly, me and my credit card were up to the challenge.  Blush was a big color this spring, and given the style and processing of my photographer, and the colors in my home, I decided to run with the color.  It’s also relatively neutral (baby steps with the color mixing!).

Usually my designer Christina comes up with our what to wear guides, but after spending months picking out my family’s outfits for our photo session, I thought I would share them on the blog with you.   So here are my summer portrait picks… well almost… Some of the items that I bought this spring are no longer for sale so I had to find similar replacements when preparing this post.  I also added in my picks for a little boy to round out the selections so they can be applied to any family.  Mom’s wedges wouldn’t be my first pick of all the shoes out there, but I already have them in my closet, so that’s what I’ll be wearing.  Just a note on my love for wedges as I must give them their due respect.  I often refer to wedges, even the 5 inch variety, as my “flats.”  Wedges are my short girl flip flops.  Comfier than stilettos, but still provide me the height I need to not blend in with the 8 year old crowd.  I appear taller, yet can still chase after my daughter if necessary.  Win, win!  If your photoshoot is outdoors and you are mortified by the thought of getting photographed next to your husband in flats, wedges are certainly the way to go.  A few other notes: Giuliana’s actual skirt for our shoot is closer in color to the ruffle chucks and has a bow on the side.  It was originally purchased at Jcrew where I found the similar one pictured below.  I’d make dad and son a bit more casual by cuffing the sleeves of the sport coat and shirt. Even leaving them unbuttoned and layering with a pop of color from a t-shirt underneath would look great.  And of course I still need to decide on accessories… but that’s another can of worms!    You’ll get to see how these outfits look in our portraits in just a few months!

Vendor List

Girl:  Outfit: Jcrew, Shoes: Nordstrom

Mom: Tank top: Gap Skirt: Free People, Shoes: Nine West

Dad: Jcrew

Boy: Jcrew

We recently posted a Spring what-to-wear inspiration guide for girls, but we can’t forget about the boys.  It’s usually so much harder to pick cute outfits for boys but Crewcuts by J.Crew has an amazing boys line.  Soon to come, what-to-wear for the whole family!

Inspired by Heidi’s well deserved tropical vacation, we’ve put together a Spring what-to-wear guide for girls that coordinate nicely with some of the new props here at the studio.  For this what-to-wear we used pieces from the adorable crewcuts collection by  j.Crew.  Check out our other what-to-wear guides here and here.

Hi folks, Christina here.  Just thought I would share my fashion picks for the spring.  Here in Rhode Island we are getting hit with two storm systems back to back!  We love the snow but it’s a bit overwhelming at this point!  We’re trying to think warm thoughts at the studio which means we already have spring sessions on our mind.  We’ve already got a handful of ideas for spring sets and couldn’t help but put together some inspiration for our clients who already have a spring session booked.  This is just a start with outfits from Old Navy.  More to come soon!

You’ve booked your Holiday portrait session for 2010 (go you!) and even thought about your holiday card designs.  Now comes the dreaded question: “what on earth are we going to wear”?  I can’t tell you how often I hear that question.  We send wardrobe advice in all of our welcome packages, but I’m a visual person, and I know sometimes it helps to see something put together for inspiration!  The best Holiday portraits, or any portraits for that matter, are the ones that allow individual personalities to shine through.  Family members outfits should be coordinated but not “uniform.”  Choose items for the entire family as if you were creating one outfit.  If all of your choices were somehow on one person, would they look good together?

If portraits are outdoors, it is important that children are dressed warmly.  Chattering teeth and purple lips do not make for good portraits.  Trust me, I’ve dragged my daughter into the freezing cold in an adorable outfit only to be very disappointed with the images.  Layering is a great way to keep children warm and fashionable.  Make sure coats are clean and co-ordinate with their outfits or dress them in layers including tanks, long-sleeves, cardigans, scarfs and hats.  Throw some tights or thermals under those pants if you need to!

Many photographers post wardrobe advice on their websites and blogs and I’ve always loved reading their advice.  This week, I’ve decided to share what I would pick for family portraits this fall.  I think it is perfect timing for all of the holiday portrait sessions coming up (including 9 families tomorrow!)  All of these selections come from one of my favorite stores (and the creator of the credit card bill my husband curses the most each month… hehe love you hunny):  The Gap.

Lets start with mom!  Belt a flowing sweater (I have this one in love it!) at the waist, pair it with skinny jeans and your favorite boots (so in this fall!) and top off with a colorful scarf!

Dad:  Pair gray cords or dress pants, with a colorful v-neck and rugby stripe scarf.  He probably has this stuff in his closet already!

Baby Girl:  STOP IT RIGHT NOW!  I have a baby clothes shopping addiction.  I’m loving the faux fur this season.  Layer all the classics she’s sure to wear all season with a few trendy items.

Baby Boy:  Love this stuff for the little man.  Cords are a must for cozy style.  Dress them up for the holidays or down for play time.

Girl:  For your little fashionista!  Again, I love lots of layers for girls.  Fur accents, knee high boots, and fingerless gloves are all looks she’ll love.

Boy:  He’ll be thrilled to wear his jeans and you can dress them up with a polo and pea coat!

That’s what I would put together from just one store!  I hope this shows you how many options are out there.  Chances are, you could pull a lot of these items from your closets and simply purchase a few accent pieces to really pull it all together!  Happy Shopping!