Keep it simple

The simplest way that obtains your end results is the best. You do not want to make it even simpler because it then appears too amateurish. Window light is the best on a portrait. A simple reflector is added to make up for film's or the sensor's inability to handle great dynamic range. This type of light is what the great master used when painting and if you go to any portrait gallery you will agree. This is what my teacher Josef Breitenbach stressed.
The two studio shots posted emulate this light by the use of a single umbrella and a reflector. They were shot in my old Manhattan studio on 26th Street. The camera was the Nikon F with the Nikkor 105 mm F 2.5. The film was Tri-X Pan.