This year we took our pictures in the fall in a very fun setting, a local market.

I am going to share lots of them next week, but today for a special edition of What I Wore Wednesday, I asked Whitney to talk a little bit about choosing clothes for your family pictures.

Whitney has great style and we always confer about clothes before we head out on a photo shoot.

8 Guidelines For What to Wear for Family Photos

Guest Post by Whitney Loibner

I am often asked for rules for what to wear when being photographed. I don’t like to think about these as rules, so I’m calling them guidelines. Or suggestions. Everyone has different opinions when it comes to clothes, so these are just my thoughts.

1. Talk to your photographer.

Together you should have an idea of the feel you are going for in your pictures. Are you looking for urban or country?  Do you want to be in your home or in a field?  Do you want your pictures to feel dressy or casual? Alison and I usually pick a location first.  However,  occasionally the vision for a shoot has all started with one outfit, something adorable MP has or a crazy beautiful vintage dress that Alison found.  In those cases, the location and everyone else’s clothing grows from that. Your location should, at least in a small way, play into what you are wearing. This year we were really doing a day in the life of the Chinos, so we went super relaxed to be at the market and in their home.

2. Be yourself.

Just like in life, what you wear should reflect who you are. Don’t wear something that you would never wear in real life. Maybe you are going for your Friday night or Sunday morning best self, but it’s still you.

3. Think head to toe.

Think about how your whole body will be photographed. Fix your hair and wear cute shoes.  Cute shoes go a long way in a picture.  Actually, any accessories do. Also, make sure that you can move. Chances are you will be asked to be in different positions, both sitting and standing.

4. Do what fits your family.

It’s not cheesy to think about what fits you and your family. Photographing in a market or at the fair or with a guitar might not fit every family, but if it fits yours, don’t be afraid to go with it.  Ask me if you can bring your picnic basket or your kids’ skateboards.  I love the challenge.

5. Match without being matchy.

In family photos, you should all go together, but don’t worry about matching. I think it is important to make sense together as a family and for the tones and patterns to complement one another, but you don’t have to be matchy.  One year for Alison’s family, Mary Polly had a cute pair of striped tights with lots of colors, so the boys all wore solid shirts that went with the colors in the tights.  This was super cute without everyone having to wear the exact same shirt.

6. Avoid stark white or all black.

This is not a hard and fast rule, and weddings are exceptions, but generally it is best to try to have a little color.  Choose your favorite color or one that goes with your eyes and skin tone.  Also along these same lines, text on clothing can be hard to work with.  You can see we had some of that in these photos, but it is kept to a minimum.

7. Try your clothes on before the day of the shoot.

At the very least, lay out all the clothes together to be sure you like the way everything goes.  I am always open to questions and texts of pictures with clothes from clients asking for opinions.  Getting everything out together helps you have a vision, but also it shows you if something is missing.  It became very apparent that one Chino was going to have to borrow or buy new shoes for the shoot once we got all everything put together.  Sometimes an item like that will be overlooked if you don’t pull everything together ahead of time.

8. Have fun!

As a mom I know how stressful it can be to get everyone together and keep them unwrinkled or stain free.  Take a deep breathe and try to enjoy it.  Even if you have everything perfectly planned, people in your family might not cooperate.  On the day of these pictures, Alison’s oldest son, Cole, was very late to the shoot (it might have slipped his mind) and everyone was so frustrated by the time he arrived that it could have ruined the whole evening.  I went ahead and shot some individuals of the younger three kids while Taido and Alison tracked him down, took deep breaths and decided to laugh about it.

You just have to relax and remember that you’re trying to capture a season in the life of your family.  So you forget the big fight you had about which headband your daughter wants to wear.  I recommend having a glass of wine or a little snack before a photo shoot. And of course, I love to try new things that make the whole experience more fun for everyone involved.

Whitney Loibner is a local Little Rock photographer.  She specializes in shooting families, newborns, kids, couples, weddings and individual portraits.  I especially love her ideas for styled couple shoots.  See her most recent one here.  Thanks so much Whitney for your advice on choosing clothes!  And for our family pictures, which I always treasure!

We’re linking up with Lindsey at The Pleated Poppy for WIWW.

The post 8 Guidelines For What to Wear for Family Photos {WIWW} appeared first on Alison Chino.

I love new beginnings of almost any sort, which is part of why I am excited about starting Month 2 of Seven: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess.  This month’s area of excess is clothing.

Of course I am also giddy about having had a cup of coffee this morning, and it feels like the whole world is open to me today as I consider what I will eat. All the choices!

Pictured above are my seven items of clothing, finalized this morning.  I am going skiing for spring break, so I am allowing myself to wear ski gear on the mountain, but will change back into these seven items once the ski day is over.

I am excited to see where this month’s journey takes me.

One of the items of clothing I am the most excited about is the Live Generous t-shirt from Pure Charity.  The whole group of us gals will be wearing Pure Charity t-shirts this month in the hopes that our combined effort of wearing practically the same t-shirt every day will mean lots of our friends and family (and blog readers too!) will sign up for a Pure Charity account, where a portion of money that you already spend can go to charities that you choose.

Taido (my husband) and Cole (my oldest son) are doing the clothes month along with me, which makes me smile.  They might both be feeling a little left out that I forgot about getting them t-shirts. Oops.  Just one more reason I should never, ever give up coffee again. Ever.

The post Month 2: Clothes + Pure Charity appeared first on Alison Chino.

I think that might partly be because my Grandmother was one of the only people in the world who cared whether or not I showed up for all of life in jeans and a t-shirt.

Actually it would have been ok with my Grandmother if jeans had never been invented.  (Perish the thought!)  Jeans were the epitome of casual to my Grandmother, and the fact that I wore them weekly to church growing up was one of life’s small agonies for her.

Let’s not even talk about jeans with holes.

If I did take the time and effort to put myself together to go and meet my Grandmother, she would always notice.  I could always count on her for a compliment.

One of the many therapeutic activities we did over Christmas was to go through Grandmother’s clothes, shoes and jewelry.  Every grandchild, every cousin, even lots of close friends chose keepsakes from Grandmother’s boxes of possessions.  She really did love clothes, and she loved all kinds of beads even more.

We each wore something of hers to her funeral.

Since then, whenever I get dressed, and especially on Sundays, I often grab something of hers to add.  These pictures are a collection of some of Grandmother’s treasures that I am wearing these days to try to keep her close.

Pearls, a beaded handbag, a scarf, a sweater, Mary Jane Keens.

Grandmother loved Keens.  She felt that they were both comfortable and trendy, and she would go regularly to the funky Ozark Outdoor shop in Little Rock to see what they had new in the way of Keens.

I have also been carrying her handkerchiefs.  They have come in very handy when I am missing her.

Which is still so very often.

The post WIWW: Grandmother’s Treasures appeared first on Alison Chino.

hello, Whitney here, posting for Alison today while she’s away on vacation. I took these pictures of her and Mary Polly as they were packing for their trip and thought they would be a perfect way to link up with Lindsey from the Pleated Poppy for WIWW. This is in fact what Al and MP are wearing as they cruise the Mediterranean and today as they walk the streets of Venice.

The post What We’re Wearing in Europe: WIWW appeared first on Alison Chino.

photos by Whitney Loibner

blouse and skirt: The Loft

Ariat Boots: Country Outfitter

photos by Whitney Loibner

skirt: Anthropologie

tank: J. Jill

shoes: TJ Maxx

photos by Whitney Loibner

Jeans: Gap

Top: Anthropologie

Earrings: bday present!

Shoes: Dillard’s

Funny story: My grandmother bought me the top (above) and the striped skirt (day 2) from Anthropologie last year for my birthday.  She usually tries to take me to one of her favorite places to shop (like Talbot’s) but she knows I like Anthropologie so on my birthday last year she was all, Honey, I want to take you to that store you like.  You know, the one about the animals?

Eventually we figured out that she was talking about Anthropologie, so we made our way over there and she was not sure about anything I tried on except for this turquoise and black striped top.  She loved it.  As we were checking out, she told me to run back and get her one too.

My grandmother always does this.  She loves to buy herself the same thing you already picked out.  Or to buy you something that she already bought and likes.  This funny little habit of hers is precious to me.  I said, Grandmother, if you want that shirt, just get it.  I don’t have to have it too. 

But she insisted.  She promised she would never wear it to church or anywhere that I might be to avoid our appearing somewhere in the same top.  Not that I would even mind!  She has been true to her word.  She only wears it to bridge parties and around her retirement home.  Love it!

photos by Whitney Loibner

tank: Target

skirt: so old I don’t remember

belt: Francesca’s

cardi: Gap

sandals: Madden Girl

photos by Whitney Loibner

shorts: J Jill

tank, blouse and flip flops: Old Navy

Hope you are having a great week!  Happy Wednesday!

The post WIWW: Birthday Weekend Style appeared first on Alison Chino.