What to Wear for Fall Family Photos: Easy, Sustainable Outfit Ideas

Fall is officially here and it’s time for everyone’s FAVORITE fall tradition: family photos!

It’s one of those things that simply must be done for posterity’s sake. The men will grumble, the children will act like this is the first time they’ve ever been in public, and you will provide approximately 1000 snacks and bribes. And it will all be worth it! Surely!

For the low price of your sanity and the high (but deserved) cost of your photographer’s work and talent, you’ll capture this moment in time for the generations to come. These are the photos you’ll use as your phone background, your profile picture, and your holiday card. They’ll earn framed space in your home and make their way into albums you’ll look at decades from now.

No pressure, but what everyone wears is kind of a big deal.

Since we work with patterns and colors every day, we’re here to offer a few tips for choosing outfits for fall family photos. Our main philosophy is simple: coordinating a family doesn’t mean everyone has to match. Start with one outfit you love, build a color palette around it, mix prints and solids, and choose pieces everyone will feel good wearing.

Simple, right? Let’s break it down.

Start with one outfit. I’ll be honest – in my family, it’s usually mine. I choose a dress that I love and know I’ll wear again, and then use it to form a color palette for everyone else. Pick 3-4 colors from that first outfit and use them as a guide while you pull together the rest of the family.
Coordinate, don’t match. You’ve seen the jeans + white t-shirt on the beach look. I’m here to tell you, we’re moving on!

We are not putting every person in the same outfit unless they’re matching pajamas on Christmas morning. Each person in your family has their own taste, looks good in their own colors, and may even have their own sensory needs.

The exception to this rule is Mommy & Me dresses and tops. When done right, coordinating pieces can be a super cute way to make family pics even more fun and special.

Instead of matching, mix complementary colors, textures, prints, and solids.

For example, my family photo dress this year is forest green with a very dainty navy plaid. Everyone else will be wearing some combination of green, brown, navy, or tan, and there are a mix of stripes and solids, knits and woven fabrics. My kid who exclusively wears pajamas will wear a sweatsuit that coordinates shockingly well with everyone else. He gets to be himself and part of the family.
Mix prints and solids. You don’t need to be afraid of patterns in family photos. A beautiful print can actually be the easiest place to start. Choose one as your anchor, then pull colors from it for everyone else.

If you’re mixing more than one pattern, vary the scale and give each print some breathing room with solid pieces in between. Avoid piling several bold, high-contrast patterns together, and be careful with extremely fine stripes or checks. These don’t always translate well on camera.

Texture is another way to add dimension without adding more pattern. Think organic cotton, denim, linen, knits, corduroy, or a lightweight jacket.

Passion Lilie block prints and ikat designs work especially well as anchor pieces because they give you a ready-made palette to build around.
Think about your location. Where you’re planning on taking your photos is very important when thinking about family photo outfit ideas.

You probably don’t want to be wearing red while posing in front of the Canal Street Streetcar, or dark green in front of the St. Charles Streetcar. (That’s a New Orleans deep cut for you).

If you’re taking photos among fall leaves, think about earthy greens, rust, navy, cream, mustard, and other rich natural tones.

If you’re in New Orleans, there’s absolutely no point in pretending it’s sweater weather. That’s a fast track to capturing your family at their most irritable.

Instead, bring fall into your photos through color rather than temperature: rich greens, browns, rust, burgundy in lightweight cotton, breathable dresses, short sleeves, and other pieces that won’t leave anyone sweating before the first photo is snapped.
Choose clothes that feel like your family. We mentioned this a bit, but it’s worth reiterating: nobody is going to look relaxed and happy in an outfit they hate.

Kids especially should be able to move, sit, run and play in whatever they’re wearing. Skip anything itchy, stiff, tight, or fussy if you already know your child won’t tolerate it.

Don’t forget the shoes! They may seem like an afterthought, but they’ll be in plenty of your full-body photos. Choose something comfortable that works with the overall palette. Save the light-up sneakers for another day unless, you know, that’s the vibe.

The goal for the day is to capture your family’s natural sweetness. Choose outfits that they’d actually wear and feel comfortable in. You’ll be capturing their personalities in this moment in time, and that is a treasure.
Skip anything that will steal the show. Speaking of light-up shoes…

The stars of your family photos should be the people, not the clothes. Steer away from large logos, graphic tees, characters, and bright neon colors that pull your eye away from faces. Unless something is an intentional part of your family’s personality or the story you’re trying to capture, leave the loudest elements at home.
Buy something you’ll wear again. Or better yet, shop your closet!

You may not have every piece you need, and if that’s the case, use family photos as an opportunity to fill an actual hole in your wardrobe.

For me, fall photos are an annual opportunity to buy the next size of whatever my kids need anyway. I know that these will be their “nice pants” for the rest of the season.

As for your outfit, it should be so comfortable and so YOU that you’ll happily reach for it for Thanksgiving, dinner out, school events, and any other events when you need a good go-to.
Try everything on together. A few weeks before your photos, have everyone put on their entire outfit, shoes included. Stand together and take a phone picture. This is the easiest way to spot something you didn’t notice while looking at each outfit individually: competing patterns, a color that overpowers the others, pants that are suddenly too short, or the shoes that absolutely do not work.

It’s also much better to discover on Tuesday that your five-year-old considers his new pants a personal attack than 10 minutes before your session on Saturday.

A few easy outfit formulas

If you’re still staring blankly at your closet wondering where to begin, here are a few combinations we love:

Printed dress + neutral/earth-tones
Start with the colors in the dress and pull them into everyone else’s outfits.

Printed men’s shirt + solid dress + coordinating kids
Let his print establish the palette and repeat those colors throughout the family.

One child in a print/or a dog in a bandana print + complementary solids
One little pop of pattern can bring the entire group together

Two subtle prints separated + plenty of solids
Keep both prints within the same color family and separate them with solid pieces so the overall look doesn’t feel too busy.

Finally: plan the reward.

Your family will be hot (if you’re in New Orleans). They will be tired, and they will be cranky. If you want them to remember family photos as something fun, try ending the activity with a treat like beignets or ice cream.

Need help putting it all together?

I always try to remind myself, so I’ll remind you: My goal is not a perfectly styled family. It’s a photograph that captures who we are in this little moment in time – chaos and all.

Planning family photos in New Orleans? Our lightweight organic cotton dresses, tops, and shirts make it easy to dress for fall colors without dressing for fall temperatures. Stop by our Magazine Street or French Quarter shops and we'll be happy to help you choose an anchor piece and build a coordinating color palette around it.

Shop family photo outfits here.