Tami Proffitt: How my stylish friend pulled off a cream wardrobe

Every fall season, photographer's begin the scheduling for the family sessions and start guiding families with their wardrobe planning in hopes a white/cream wardrobe isn't the theme. When a family mentions the thought of a white or cream wardrobe, it's a shuttering feeling of their worst nightmare…. exposing the wardrobe and skin tones with natural light without blowing out the highlights. Any photographer will admit that white and cream are great in a wardrobe but only when used as an accent color and in small amounts.

This fall, I could've almost bet my life that a wardrobe with cream and light tones was going to be THE popular color scheme since the bohemian look is very in…along with the clean color palette that's the decor the majority of homes are decorating with. I was SO wrong with my assumption. I don't remember seeing any cream and natural color palette's in all the family sessions I've seen from the dozens of photographers I follow. Which makes me wonder how my close friend is super stylin' and original, and then there's me that lives in t-shirts, jeans, cardigan and converse…

we couldn't be more opposite.

Since Julie's my best friend, it's standard for her to start planning her wardrobe in the summer just to have it done and ready for when I'll give her maybe a 48 hour notice for her family pictures. This year, she had her entire family wardrobe bought, coordinated and ready by August. When she first told me cream and natural tones were her wardrobe, I was almost scared but knew she is seriously the best when it comes to styling and it's couldn't be what I was imagining. Especially since I knew, and she knows, the majority of her family has fair skin which creams tend to wash out the skin.

And it wasn't. She absolutely nailed her wardrobe. But the trick was how she pulled it off.

Instead of going with basic cream and natural tones she took it to the next level by incorporating textures, layers, complimentary accessories that didn't dominate but accented and subtle patterns.

When you look through these pictures, notice each persons outfit and how it all tied together how it all came together for what I consider one of the BEST styled wardrobes I've seen this year.

1. Her youngest daughter was in an all cream linen type shirt, which could've been too dominating in color but instead she chose a shirt with batwing style sleeves that gave the layered look, added texture with the way it layered whether she was sitting or standing. To break up the cream, she added cream and taupe striped leggings with a lace ruffle at the bottom. I thought her youngest was going to be the hardest because both her skin and hair are very light. But with using backlighting at an angle, her hair didn't wash out but highlighted it's pail color with the curls.

2. Her oldest daughter the only child with her father's olive skin and brown hair. She wore a dress with layered large ruffles, taupe leggings with small dots and a jute style sash as a belt tied in a bow. Then added the headband worn in bohemian style.

3. Her son wore light tan khaki's and a collar style henley with wooden buttons to tie in the natural brown tone.

4. Julie's wardrobe was too die for. But then again, her dress is from Free People which is my ultimate favorite clothing line. Her dress was perfect because of the subtle texture added from the lace overlay. Then adding the small, brown leather belt with a bow in the front as an accessory to break up the solid color of cream in her dress.

5. I swear her husband's outfit (he's probably laughing that I'm even calling it an outfit since he lives in his Ugg slippers, shorts and t-shirts) was the culmination to this wardrobe that tied it all together. I remember his shirt was the hardest for her to find to coordinate with all the creams and natural tones. But, she pulled it off…with a sweater that's natural tones and creams and smaller wooden buttons.

I'm sure there are other details that I forgot to mention but those are what stood out to me when I first saw her wardrobe back in August that gave me relief and telling her it would photograph perfectly. And perfectly photographed at her parent's property that has light I could photograph all day long…with no one there…just the gorgeous light, me and my camera all the while looking the the creeper that never leaves. Hee hee

Julie is my hysterically funny friend that isn't too serious very much. Majority of the times I'm with her, I'm laughing to the point of tears from the things she says and me asking how the heck does she come up with her one line jokes. Seriously so stinking funny. It's only fitting that I have to share my favorite outtakes from her session to get a glimpse of the fun in her family.

Her son is obsessed with WWF right now and during the session he

kept trying to get Ryan into a fun match.

If you look close enough in the picture below, you can see her youngest is chewing on a piece of tall grass. We were dying laughing and her other daughter didn't think it was too funny.