What To Wear For Your Boudoir Session

The biggest question of all: what to wear for your boudoir session?! This question can cause a lot of panic and stress so let me first say —you’re not alone in feeling overwhelmed. I’m here to help! I’m going to walk you through what lingerie sets I recommend, including specific brands and companies I love. I’ll tell you what kinds of lingerie I don’t think look good on camera. And finally, how many different lingerie sets should you bring? By the end of this article I know you’ll feel more confident on what to wear for your boudoir session!

First let me touch on the concept of a client closet and why I don’t offer that. I do have a closet full of hats, oversized jackets and button ups that you’re welcome to wear! However, I don’t have a closet full of used lingerie because I’m not so sure on the safety and cleanliness of that. Lingerie is so delicate. I feel like even if you wash it once on “gentle”, inside a bra bag and everything —it still never looks the same. Having a closet full of used, ratty lingerie just doesn’t sit right with me. So as of this moment in time, I do not offer lingerie to borrow. But I want to help you get some lingerie sets you’ll use for years to come!

What To NOT Wear For Boudoir

Before we get into what to wear, let’s discuss what not to wear!

1. Babydoll Style Lingerie – Here’s an example of babydoll lingerie. While it looks great around the house and I know first hand how comfortable these are, it just doesn’t translate well on camera. In certain light, the babydoll style totally hides your shape and just looks like a bag.
2. Silk Slip Dress – Here’s an example of one. It just looks like a bag and will take a lot of maneuvering the body to show your shape. I’d avoid this.
3. Tight Clothing Hours Leading Up To Your Boudoir Session – This can cause indents on the skin and that’s not something I can take care of in Photoshop. Make sure you remove any hair ties from your wrists as well. On your way to the session, and while you’re getting your hair and makeup done, wear something loose and baggy, nothing pinching the skin. Your skin will thank you for that!
4. Splotchy Spray Tan – I’m going to get much more in depth on this in another article, but it’s important that you know I’m not able to Photoshop a bad spray tan. If your hands are orange or white, or if your back is a different color than your legs, it will look like that in the photos as well. The same goes for natural tan lines. That’s not something I’m able to fix later, so keep that in mind! I’m a Photoshop magician BUT fixing skin is not possible. Trying to patch up a multi colored spray tan or tan lines will take away the shadows on the curves of your body and take away the delicate muscle contrast. Skin is not something you can Photoshop. If that’s something your worried about, skip the spray tan! And if you’re worried about tan lines –don’t be! I’m actually from The Sunshine State and where I come from, tan lines are sexy!

What To Wear For Your Boudoir Session

1. Bodysuits
2. Two-Piece Matching Sets
3. Casual Sets (sporty sets, bralettes, boy shorts)
4. Bra + Thong + Garter Belt
5. Bridal (if applicable)
6. Corsets
7. Lace Dress
8. Colorful Robe/Kimono
9. Oversized Button-Up
10. Baggy Jeans + Bra or White T-Shirt
11. Just a Bed Sheet (I have plenty of those stocked up!)
12. Nothing At All (artful nudes are some people’s favorite!)

How Many Lingerie Sets Should I Wear?

You can wear as many as you want! Typically my clients will wear 3 different sets. And keep in mind that using a bed sheet is a look. And going nude for a few photos is also a look! We will have around 90 min. to 2 hours for your session, so if you want to try to fit in as many looks as you can during that time we totally can! Or if you want to stick to just 3 sets, that will work out just fine.

What If I Don’t Want Nude Photos?

That is 100% OK! I will never pressure you do do anything your not comfortable with. You can be as conservative as you want or as nude as you want! Whatever your preference for your photos, I’m here for!

Brands I Love

Now let’s get into my favorite part! Shopping for lingerie! Wohoo! Starting from the most expensive to the least. Depends on if you really want to splurge or if you’re a gal on a budget! Ok let’s get into it:

1. La Perla $$$$$ Handcrafted, luxury Italian lingerie. If you’re in the mood to splurge on some beautiful pieces, this is the shop for you!
2. Fleur De Mal $$$$ This brand is SEXY. Gorgeous bodysuits and matching bra and panties sets, and some of the sexiest garters I’ve seen! They even have lacy clothing and men’s wear!
3. Honey Birdette $$$$ An Italian lingerie brand that’s a tad more affordable that La Perla. Think luxury sets with amazing quality!
4. Gooseberry $$$ Feminine and delicate. Lacy lingerie sets and even lacy dresses and clothing. Lots of bridal options too!
5. Bluebella $$$ Fun sets and textures like pearls and gold chains.
6. Thistle and Spire $$$ Gorgeous textures and stand out pieces. Best of all, this brand is size inclusive, too!
7. Hello LA Girl $$ This is where I go when I want COLORFUL sets. Pretty affordable options, too!
8. Lulus $$ Not a huge selection, but they have pretty fast shipping if you need it!
9. Calvin Klein $$ Can’t go wrong with this casual, iconic look!
10. Amazon $ Surprisingly Amazon has some options too! Cheap + fast shipping, sometimes that’s what you need.

Is there a brand that you absolutely love that you don’t see on the list? Comment below! I’d love to explore their options. I hope this helped you on your journey to find what to wear for your boudoir session! I’m happy to share my knowledge with you so you feel your absolute best during your photo shoot! If you want to see more inspo for your boudoir session, check out the images on the boudoir page of my website!