Girls’ Spring Photoshoot Outfits

My favorite girls’ spring photoshoot outfits – affordable, classic, and nostalgic

I offer an extensive wardrobe to my clients for every session. It’s overflowing with beautiful pieces for women, babies, and children! The pieces I include are a mix of high-end and affordable items. While there is no substitute for, say, a gorgeous Doen dress for mom, it is very much possible to mix in affordable items if you know what to look for – especially when it comes to children’s clothing.

If you’re on the hunt for beautiful pieces for your client wardrobe or your own family session, here are a couple quick tips on how to find affordable pieces that photograph well:

• Look for natural fabrics, like cotton. Stay away from polyester, viscose/rayon, etc.
• Choose options with texture: linen, chunky knits, muslin, Swiss dot, gauze, quilted fabrics, and so on.
• Pay attention to the little details – this can be a giveaway as to whether something appears to be of high quality or not.
• If it looks like it came from Target, Old Navy, Kohls, etc. – skip it! These stores are absolutely fine for dressing our kids on a day to day basis. Kids grow so quickly and are really rough on clothes, and I don’t for a moment want anyone to think their children can’t wear basic affordable options. But when it comes to family photos, we’re working on an elevated look (whether it’s dressy or casual), and if it feels like a big box store, skip it!
• Watch out for shoes. Shoes can make or break an entire outfit! I always tell parents that if they don’t want to purchase new shoes, we can go barefoot for photos (location permitting, of course). Instead of the shoes that most children already own, I recommend Hunter boots, Saltwater Sandals, real leather cowboy boots, or other elevated options. Even a plain white leather sneaker can look great – but skip athletic shoes, Hey Dudes, flip flops, Crocs, etc.

And don’t forget that styling is hugely important – it’s not just about the items themselves! This is why there are so many popular videos on social media about wearing vs. styling: it makes a really big difference. When it comes to girls, here are a few helpful styling tips to remember:

• Don’t purchase dresses too large – we have a tendency to buy clothes big so our kids can grow into them, but this doesn’t look best for photos. Make sure clothes fit properly!
• Skip the tulle. As mentioned above, natural fibers are best – and tulle is a very cute option that I recommend skipping for pictures. Save it for parties, church, etc.! The same goes for sparkles.
• Add a vintage bow – velvet, gauze, linen, large or small. There are so many darling options! Stay away from large bow headbands on babies, but once girls are older and have enough hair to hold a clip, bows are a wonderful option.
• While pink can be darling, I tend to stay away from it for pictures. Pink can be a difficult color for people to wear – the exact shade matters so much and what is flattering for one person might be awful on another – so I don’t purchase much of it for my client closet. But there is always a time and a place to embrace pink, so don’t overthink this guideline!
• Girls don’t need to wear dresses of course! I have pinned more feminine styles because it’s what I gravitate toward for my girls and the families I’m styling. I happen to think that us ladies get to have a whole lot more fun with clothing than the boys do, and mom’s outfit and any daughters’ outfits tend to determine the vibe of the session more than anything else. But don’t feel obligated to put girls in dresses – they can do pants, shorts, overalls, etc. as well!

Now, without further ado, here are some of my recent favorite finds for baby and little girls’ spring photoshoot outfits! I own some of these and love them, and others I haven’t yet tried but have saved as ideas. These options span the wide range of spring weather – whether it’s chilly or warm, you’ll find something darling here that works wonderfully.

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Baby Girl Photoshoot Outfits

A quick note – many of these are available in other colors as well, so don’t hesitate if a color is not your first choice! I also love to use coffee or tea to antique clothing items that are too bright white for my personal taste. So cheap, and so easy!

My favorite girls’ spring photoshoot outfits – affordable, classic, and nostalgic

Older Girls’ Photoshoot Outfits

Girls Bows and Clips

Zara

For both girls and boys, toddlers through tweens, Zara really is my favorite place to shop. I love their clothing and their styling, and the way they mix both nostalgic and trendy vibes. There are so many great ways to style families for a session, so if you’re looking for something slightly less classic and more on trend than the options above, or for older children, definitely browse Zara – they never disappoint!

The options at Zara change often – unlike Amazon, where we can often purchase the same item for several years – so it’s not as easy to share my favorites because they’ll be gone so soon!

However, Zara does a fantastic job with styling their child models and pairing outfits together in the outfits section or in the recommended items that appear when you click on an item you like. You can definitely use their styling as reliable inspiration! They also recently added a collection called Timelesz that is full of pieces intended to look vintage and stand the test of time. It’s a fantastic collection!

Here are a few current favorite dresses:

Many of these items of clothing would work no matter the season, as long as they’re appropriate for the temperatures. During spring, you can also consider pairing a long sleeved top with shorts, or layering a sweater under overalls but letting kids go barefoot. Spring is about balance, joy, and a fresh outlook after a long season of cold and dreariness. Enjoy your spring photos enormously, friends!

My favorite girls’ spring photoshoot outfits – affordable, classic, and nostalgic