A headshot wardrobe should support the face. Clothing that competes — busy patterns, bright logos, distracting jewelry — pulls the eye away from your expression, especially at small sizes like a LinkedIn avatar or a circular team-page crop. The choices below are the ones that translate cleanly across the channels most people publish in.
1. Start with where the photo will be used
Before picking outfits, list the places the image will live. A LinkedIn profile, a company bio page, a press kit, a speaker program — each crops the image differently. A LinkedIn avatar is roughly head-and-shoulders inside a circle. A speaker program might run a horizontal banner. A company bio page might use a vertical 4:5 crop. Wardrobe that works in all three is the goal.
2. Choose one outfit close to how you normally work
The strongest headshot is one a colleague would describe as “you, on a good day.” Pick the outfit that fits cleanly, that you’ve worn comfortably to meetings, and that doesn’t fight your skin tone. Solid colors and simple textures photograph more reliably than seasonal pieces you bought last week.
3. Bring one slightly more polished option
A second outfit gives the photographer a different register — something a click more formal than the first. For executives, that often means a structured blazer. For professionals working in a less formal setting, it might mean a clean knit or a buttoned shirt without a tie. Two clear options is usually enough; more than three starts to slow the session down.
4. Avoid tiny patterns, loud logos, and distracting textures
Tight stripes, small checks, and fine herringbones can produce a moiré pattern on camera. Logos pull the eye to the wrong part of the frame. Heavy textures like loud tweeds or sequins draw attention away from the face. Stick to fabrics with quiet surface detail.
5. Think about background contrast
If you know the session will use a dark background, avoid black wardrobe — your body disappears and the head floats. On a light background, very pale clothing flattens the silhouette. Mid-tone solids and contrasting (but not clashing) tones photograph the cleanest.
6. Keep jewelry and accessories controlled
A small ring or simple earrings won’t fight the portrait. Statement necklaces, oversized watches, and reflective glasses frames usually do. If you wear glasses every day, bring them — the right shot is the version of you that walks into a meeting, not a stylized alternate.
7. What to wear for LinkedIn vs. executive portraits
LinkedIn rewards clarity at very small sizes. A clean collared shirt, a knit, or a structured top in a mid-tone solid almost always reads well. Executive portraits are usually shot wider, so wardrobe can carry more weight — a tailored jacket, a quietly textured suit, or a layered look that survives a wider crop in a press piece. See LinkedIn headshots and executive portraits for the session formats.
8. What teams should tell employees before a headshot day
For a company headshot day, send the wardrobe note a week ahead, not the night before. Three lines are usually enough: bring one outfit you’d wear to an external meeting, bring one slightly more polished alternative, and avoid loud patterns, large logos, and reflective accessories. The full operational checklist lives in the team headshots page.
9. Quick checklist
- One outfit close to how you normally work, one slightly more polished
- Mid-tone solids over busy patterns
- No prominent logos
- Quiet textures
- Background contrast considered
- Jewelry restrained
- Glasses if you wear them daily
- Shoes — even when you think the crop won’t show them, you’ll feel different standing in clean shoes
10. Related sessions
- Professional headshots in Los Angeles — the broad service
- LinkedIn headshots — short, profile-focused session
- Executive portraits — wider, editorial frames for press and investor materials
- Team headshots — the operational day for a five-to-a-hundred-person rollout
