There was a time when family photos meant everyone wore the exact same outfit. Jeans. White shirts. Maybe denim shirts if you were feeling clever.
Today, the best family photos feel much more interesting. They look professionally styled through a mix of colors, patterns, and textures that pop together. Coordinated, not matching.
The stakes have been raised. “Say cheese" is now “say farm-to-fork artisanal cheese board.”
Most of us will not be able to pull this off without a little help. Enter: Armoire stylists. They’re sharing their pro tips and some fresh inspo you haven’t seen on anyone’s holiday card yet.
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In most families, Mom is the hardest person to dress and the person most likely to care about the final photos.
Instead of trying to build everyone’s outfits at once, choose Mom’s outfit first. Once you have a dress, jumpsuit, or outfit you love, pull colors from that look to dress everyone else.
This approach makes outfit planning dramatically easier and helps ensure the person organizing the photos actually feels confident in front of the camera.
Think of your family as a collection rather than a matching set. Choose three complementary colors and dress everyone in different combinations within that palette.
The palettes Armoire stylists are loving right now:
Navy + Cream + Camel
Olive + Ivory + Denim
Blue + White + Tan
Burgundy + Navy + Cream
Black + Camel + Beige
When everyone stays within the same palette, the photo feels coordinated even though no two outfits are identical.
One of the easiest ways to make family photos feel current is to avoid putting everyone in solids. Instead, choose prints that play well together. Before you add patterns, settle on your color palette. Then choose stripes, polka dots, plaids, and checks that stay mostly within those three colors. When it comes to scale, bigger is usually better. Bold prints tend to photograph beautifully, while tiny, busy prints can lose impact.
Not everyone needs to wear a print. Fill in the rest with solids pulled from your palette to create balance and let the prints shine.
Texture photographs beautifully. Consider mixing materials like linen, denim, knitwear, suede, corduroy, eyelet, or cashmere depending on the season. Varied textures help create dimension and keep the image from feeling flat.
One last thing: make sure your outfits make sense for the setting. A business suit will look out of place in the wilderness, just as beachwear and flip flops would be a miss on an urban rooftop.
If your family includes a four-legged member, don’t forget them. A coordinating bandana or sweater makes them part of the story (and let’s be honest, they’ll probably steal the show anyway).
Finally, let personalities shine. It’s okay if you don’t get everyone looking at the camera at the same time. It’s okay if no one is looking at the camera at all. The laughter, the pouting, the eye rolls, and the in-between moments are often the photos you’ll treasure most. They capture your family exactly as you are in this season of life, and that’s something you’ll cherish.
From Our Closet to Yours,
-Armoire
Lookbooks
Annual Trend Report
Jan 27
If you’ve already flipped through Armoire’s Annual Trend Report, you know what we’re about to say next: this year is all about elevated confidence and fearless expression. And if you haven’t yet…well, consider this your official invitation to check it out.
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