Choose Outfits That Feel Like You
The best senior picture outfits aren’t necessarily the trendiest ones: They’re the ones that make you feel confident and comfortable.
Your senior photos should capture who you are during your senior year, so don’t feel like you need to completely change your style just for your session. If you’re usually a jeans and sneakers person, let’s incorporate that. If you love dresses, boots, layered jewelry, or a more polished look, bring those too.
A good place to start is your own closet. Think about the outfits you already reach for when you want to look and feel your best.
Your senior pictures should feel elevated, but they should still feel like you.
Bring a Mix of Casual and Dressy
One of the easiest ways to create variety in your senior gallery is to choose outfits that look noticeably different from one another.
Instead of bringing three pairs of jeans with three similar tops, think in terms of different looks.
For example, you might bring:
- A casual outfit with jeans, a simple top, and sneakers
- A dressier outfit with a dress, skirt, button down, or blazer
- A third outfit that shows more personality maybe something trendy, sporty, or connected to an activity you love
This allows your final gallery to have completely different moods while still feeling cohesive.
For seniors who have multiple outfit changes included in their session, I especially recommend using those changes to create variety rather than simply changing colors.
Think About Your Senior Picture Location
Your location should play a role in deciding what to wear for senior pictures.
If we’re photographing your session at a natural location like Fabyan Forest Preserve in Geneva, Leroy Oakes Forest Preserve in St. Charles, or Mallard Lake in Hanover Park, outfits with softer colors, denim, sweaters, dresses, boots, and natural textures tend to work beautifully.
For an urban session in Downtown West Dundee, Geneva, St. Charles, Batavia, or Long Grove, you can lean into a more modern look. Denim jackets, leather jackets, bold shoes, structured dresses, jeans, blazers, or trendier pieces can work really well against brick, architecture, sidewalks, and storefronts.
And if you’re heading to Lighthouse Beach in Evanston, think about movement. Flowy dresses, skirts, light fabrics, soft neutrals, blues, denim, and bare feet near the water can create a completely different feel.
You don’t need to literally match your surroundings. Instead, think about whether your outfit and location tell the same visual story.
Choose Colors That Photograph Well
There’s no single list of “best colors for senior pictures” because the right colors depend on your skin tone, hair color, eye color, location, and personal style.
Neutrals such as cream, ivory, tan, camel, gray, black, and denim are timeless and easy to photograph.
Earthy colors like olive, rust, burgundy, chocolate, and mustard can be especially beautiful for late-summer and fall senior pictures.
Soft shades such as dusty blue, sage, blush, and lavender can create a lighter, romantic look, while richer colors like navy, emerald, plum, and deep red can add contrast and make an outfit stand out.
And you absolutely don’t have to avoid color. If bright or bold colors are part of your personality, bring them.
The goal isn’t to choose a color because someone said it’s “good for photos.” It’s to choose colors that flatter you and work with the overall look of your session.
Add Layers and Texture
Sometimes the difference between a good outfit and a great senior picture outfit is one extra layer.
A simple top and jeans can look completely different when you add a denim jacket, leather jacket, cardigan, blazer, or oversized sweater.
Layers also give us more variety without requiring another full outfit change. We can photograph the jacket on, take it off, wear it over your shoulders, or use it differently for a few poses.
Texture is another easy way to add visual interest. Think about fabrics like:
- Denim
- Knit sweaters
- Linen
- Leather
- Lace
- Corduroy
Accessories can help too. Simple jewelry, a belt, boots, a hat, or a favorite pair of shoes can finish an outfit without overpowering it.
The key is not to add everything at once. We want the styling to complement you, not compete with you.
What Should You Avoid Wearing for Senior Pictures?
I’m not a fan of giving seniors a giant list of wardrobe rules. If you love something and feel amazing in it, that’s important.
There are, however, a few things worth thinking twice about.
Be careful with neon colors, extremely busy patterns, very tiny prints, large logos, graphics, and clothing that wrinkles easily. These can sometimes become distracting in photographs.
I’d also avoid anything that doesn’t fit comfortably. If you’re constantly pulling a shirt down, adjusting a strap, or worrying about how something looks from certain angles, you’ll probably be thinking about it during your session too.
Try your entire outfit on before your session including shoes and undergarments, and move around in it.
Sit. Walk. Bend. Raise your arms.
If you feel confident and comfortable from different angles, you’ve probably found a winner.
What Should Senior Guys Wear for Senior Pictures?
Senior guys don’t need an elaborate wardrobe to get a lot of variety from their session.
I usually recommend choosing two or three looks that range from casual to more polished.
Some easy combinations include:
- Jeans + solid T-shirt
- Jeans + polo
- Chinos + button-down
- Jeans + sweater
- Button-down + jacket
- Sport coat or suit
- Varsity jacket
- Team jersey or uniform
Layers work especially well for guys. A tee shirt with an open button down or jacket gives us multiple looks without requiring a full change.
Shoes matter too. Clean sneakers can look great with a casual outfit, while boots or dress shoes can immediately make another outfit feel more polished.
And if sports are a major part of your high school experience, bring the uniform, jersey, ball, glove, bat, or other gear.
You don’t have to make the entire session about your sport. A handful of those images can be enough to document something that has been a big part of your life.
What Should Senior Girls Wear for Senior Pictures?
For senior girls, I recommend creating variety through different silhouettes, textures, and styles rather than bringing several versions of essentially the same outfit.
For example, instead of three jeans-and-top combinations, consider:
- Jeans + fitted top
- Flowy dress
- Skirt + simple top
- Sweater + jeans
- Short dress + boots
- Jumpsuit
- Denim or leather jacket
- A favorite trendy outfit
- Sports, dance, or school-related clothing
Dresses and skirts can photograph especially well because they add movement. A little wind or motion can completely change the feel of an image.
But don’t feel like you have to wear a dress for senior pictures. If dresses aren’t your thing, skip them.
Your session should reflect your personal style, not a checklist of what senior girls are “supposed” to wear.
Accessories can also help complete your look, but I recommend keeping them intentional. A few pieces of jewelry or one statement accessory usually photographs better than piling on several competing pieces.
When Should I Start Planning My Senior Picture Outfits?
I recommend starting to plan your outfits about two to three weeks before your senior session.
That gives you enough time to go through your closet, try everything on, order something if you’re missing a piece, and make changes without scrambling the night before your photos.
A few days before your session, try on every complete outfit again.
That means everything:
Top + bottom + shoes + jewelry + accessories + undergarments.
Take a quick phone photo of yourself in each complete outfit. Sometimes you’ll notice things in a photo that you didn’t notice while looking in the mirror.
Then hang each outfit together so everything is ready to go on session day.
And if you’re stuck between outfits, bring the options with you. I’m happy to help you decide which ones will photograph best with your location and give you the most variety.
Senior Pictures in Elgin & the Chicago Suburbs
Choosing what to wear is only one part of creating a senior session that feels like you.
At LibbyLou Images, senior sessions are designed to be a guided experience from choosing your location and planning outfits to helping you pose naturally once you’re in front of the camera.
I photograph seniors in Elgin, Geneva, St. Charles, West Dundee, Batavia, and throughout the Chicago suburbs, with locations ranging from wildflower fields and forest preserves to downtown streets and Lake Michigan beaches.
Whether you’re picturing something natural and relaxed, urban and modern, classic and polished or a combination of all three, we can choose a location and wardrobe that work together to create a session that feels personal to you.
Ready to plan your senior pictures?
Explore the LibbyLou Images Senior Experience to see session options, senior photo locations, and everything you need to start planning your session.