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Coordinating apparel
Will, I have a couple on my website here at SOG. Maybe it is one of the ones you didn't like, nevertheless I will give you some ideas that have worked for me.
If you have a background as complex as you are proposing, the couple should have clothing in closely related colors. They should form a strong single shape against the very busy background. Breaking up the colors too much, fractionates the composition. I think the overall shape of your figures are not dynamic enough, they should be bolder considering the drama of the landscape. I always go through my clients wardrobe with them before I start. I explain to them that their clothing is a very important part of the picture, it should be chosen for color harmony, suitability, and of course, personal style. If their clothes harmonize in some way it gives them also more unity as a couple.
Catherine Muhly is a very fine painter, her couple figure is lovely. However they are not up against a complicated background. You can get more complex figure arrangments against simpler backgrounds than against busy ones. Mary Cassat has a wonderful painting of a father and son, both form a unified black shape. Sargent did a son and his mother, both their outfits were different, but he had them against black.
I hope this helps. Sincerely,
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