Styling Alliyah's Grad pictures

Graduation pictures are the final step before actually walking the stage. A culmination of the journey through your college years. When Alliyah asked me to style her for her pictures I was so excited. I would not call myself fashionable, but more stylish. In our family, I am usually the go-to for all outfit inspo or ideas. Alliyah wanted a retro feel, she wanted her pictures to bring an old school vibe with a new school twist. She didn't want her pictures to look cliche or the same as everyone else. The only issue is she had no idea of what exactly she wanted to wear. She had colors and a vision of the space she would have the pictures taken but we literally started with a completely blank canvas. I brainstormed a bit and sent Alliyah three separate lookbooks for each idea

FIRST LOOK

Women's suits are hot right now and Alliyah continuously reminded me she wanted to look sexy. I loved the idea of a fitted low cut blazer in blue and wide leg trousers. Incorporating her school colors of course. Alliyah is tall (5'9) so finding something that fit lengthwise of her arms and legs was a little tricky. Fab'rik had a beautiful blue and white pinstriped suit with a bell bottom shaped pant. The jacket was meant to be worn with a shirt underneath but we found a yellow thin belt to wear around the bodice and give the illusion of the jacket being closed and give some cleavage. We paired this look with a blue mule with light blue tassels.

Second Look

Fisk University is an HBCU (historically black college or university) and we wanted to pay homage to that. I saw lots of cute shirts dotting HBCU culture but none that were what we were looking for. Sticking with the retro feel, Alliyah wanted a varsity style letterman. We ran out of time to get the custom jacket we designed. I found a yellow crewneck sweater and asked Alliyah if she knew anyone that could print this design because the picture I found was in the wrong color. I ended up pairing the sweater with a white pleated tennis skirt and white Louboutins. 

Last look

The last look was aimed at a more grown-up vibe. Starting college as a young adult and finishing as a woman. This look Alliyah voiced she wanted something that showed her figure but was sophisticated and tasteful. We tried on literally every dress in the city but none were exactly what we envisioned.  We finally moved away from the idea of a dress and looked for a jumpsuit that was fitted through the waist and low cut in the cleavage.  

XO,
Jasmine