Our Dress Code

You are welcome and encouraged to arrive 15 minutes early with multiple outfit options for our review and to make use of our dressing room. Due to scheduling limitations we can only permit one outfit change.”

Dressier attire is generally more timeless attire. You will want your portrait to age gracefully and be just as loved 10, 20 or 30 years from now as you will love it today. Typically, our work is regarded as a family heirloom, not just a nice picture.

If you are wearing it, it’s best to assume it will be visible in the portrait that ends up on your family’s wall.

In general, we ask that you wear dark clothing so as to keep the light reflecting on the face and eyes; not the clothing.  Our contoured lighting and hand-painted background does not work with light color tops.  Having done over ten thousand portraits, our experience suggest that the following works best:

Recommended Formal Clothing:

Men –

• Dark jackets (tuxedo or suit) white shirt, tie
• dark pants and proper dress shoes.

​Ladies –

• Dark (black, navy, burgundy, dark green, etc.) dress or gown.
• White lace around collar is okay.
• Little or no pattern is preferred in all clothing.  
• Classic Jewelry such as diamonds, pearls, etc. are encouraged. Don’t forget to have fabulous shoes.
• Long sleeves recommended

​Young Girls –

• Dark or jewel toned solid dresses are preferred, but ivory, cream or off white are also acceptable if they are 4 or under.
• Girls usually are preferred to have short or no sleeves. Dress shoes to go with their outfit.

​Young Boys –

• Same as men, or a solid dark sweater. If under 4, a white shirt with bow tie can be appropriate.
• Avoid suspenders if under 6 years old.
• Appropriate length dark socks.

​Note: If you absolutely must be casual, the following guidelines need to be followed for it to be a success:

1. You should still be in something dark and solid; not busy.
2. Choose an outfit style that will look acceptable 20 years down the line, as many people make the mistake of wearing trendy clothing only to regret it when fashions change.
3. Remember it’s your face and eyes that should draw the attention in the portrait not your clothing.

Elegant Casual Clothing Choices:

For men – 

• Clean, dark jeans
• Dark button down shirts with no logos or patterns
• Dress shoes
• Dark blazers
• clean, dark dress shoes, clean cowboy boots acceptable

• Long sleeves are highly recommended, especially if you are at all sensitive about your weight.
• Little or no pattern is preferred in all clothing.  
• Clean, dark jeans, no tears

Prohibited Clothing:

• Torn jeans
• Athletic gear and team apparel
• Shorts
• Flip Flops/sandals
• White clothing (unless under a suit jacket)
• Broad floral prints
• Dirty shoes
• Light colored clothing (whites, pinks, powder blue, pastels)
• Patterns
• Baseball hats
• poorly fitting clothing of any sort

 

We reserve the right to reschedule sessions when the attire is not appropriate for our sessions.