Okay, so you've decided you want to buy something new for your boudoir session.
First of all, you absolutely do not HAVE to. We have a Client Closet at the studio with a shit ton of lingerie, robes, accessories, shoes, and other pieces in sizes XXS through 6XL. You can use pieces from my closet, bring things you already own, buy something new, or do a combination of all three.
But if you've decided this session is also an excuse to buy yourself some lingerie? I fully support your decisions.
The problem is figuring out where the hell to shop.
There are thousands of lingerie stores online, wildly different price points, completely unhinged sizing from one brand to another, and product photos that don't always tell you what something is actually going to look like when it arrives at your house.
After years of helping clients plan what to wear for boudoir sessions here in Jacksonville, I've learned that where I send you depends a whole lot more on what you're looking for than how much you want to spend.
So instead of giving you one giant list of lingerie stores and telling you good luck, let's talk about where I'd actually start depending on what you're looking for.
Before You Buy Anything, Read This
Please try your lingerie on before your session.
I know that sounds painfully obvious, but a lot of clients are buying lingerie for the first time and don't really know what they like yet. Something can look amazing online and then you put it on and immediately realize the torso is too short, you hate the fabric, the cups don't fit, or the entire thing makes you feel like you're wearing somebody else's personality.
That's useful information.
If you're ordering online, read the reviews and LOOK AT THE CUSTOMER PHOTOS. Seeing how a piece fits on different bodies can be way more useful than relying entirely on professionally styled product images.
And don't decide an entire style isn't for you because one piece didn't fit.
One shitty bodysuit does not mean you can't wear bodysuits.
Sometimes you need more torso length. Sometimes you need a different cut. Sometimes you need a different size. Sometimes that particular piece just isn't for you.
We're shopping for something you like, not trying to prove your body can successfully pass a lingerie test.
Complete What to Wear for Your Boudoir Session Guide
If You're Plus-Size, Start With Torrid
Torrid is one of the first places I'll recommend to plus-size clients, especially when you're looking for bodysuits, bras, bralettes, panties, and lingerie with actual consideration given to plus-size proportions.
They also tend to be one of my favorite places to look when someone tells me she tried a bodysuit and couldn't get enough torso coverage.
Torrid currently carries extended sizing through size 6/30 and offers different fit and sizing information across its intimates.
This is also a perfect example of why I don't want you deciding bodysuits aren't for you after trying one random bodysuit that barely made it past your boobs.
Try a different damn bodysuit.
If You Have a Fuller Bust, Look at Playful Promises
If finding lingerie that accommodates your boobs is usually the problem, Playful Promises is absolutely worth browsing.
They offer an especially broad range of bra sizing along with lingerie, bodysuits, corsets, stockings, and sets that are considerably more interesting than the three beige bras you usually get offered when you need an extended cup size.
That doesn't mean you NEED something incredibly supportive for boudoir, by the way. I can do a lot with boobs through posing.
But if you specifically want a bra or lingerie set where the cups actually correspond to your bra size, shopping somewhere that gives you more options makes life a hell of a lot easier.
If You Want Dark, Edgy or Statement Lingerie
This is where shopping gets fun.
If your Pinterest board looks less “soft bridal morning” and more “possibly the villain, definitely hot,” I would start looking at brands with more mesh, embroidery, harness details, body lines, dramatic cuts, and interesting silhouettes.
A few places I'd browse:
Thistle & Spire is especially fun when you want something that doesn't look like every other piece of lingerie you've already seen 900 times. Think dramatic mesh, embroidery, strappy details, interesting designs, and pieces that can basically become the entire aesthetic of the photograph.
If You Want Soft, Romantic or Extra Feminine
Maybe leather and harnesses aren't your thing at all. Maybe you want lace, florals, bows, soft colors, delicate details, and something that feels romantic as hell.
I'd browse:
Mentionables is actually one of my personal favorites. Their stuff tends to have that really pretty, girly feel while still being romantic and sexy, so I find myself coming back to them a lot when that's the vibe we're going for.
And remember, feminine doesn't automatically mean pastel pink. You can do romantic in black, deep jewel tones, florals, white, sheer fabrics, or whatever else actually feels like you.
If You Want to Splurge
There is absolutely no requirement that you spend hundreds of dollars on lingerie for your boudoir session.
But sometimes the shopping is part of the experience.
If you've always wanted some ridiculously gorgeous lingerie and this is your excuse to finally buy it, I'm not going to stop you.
For higher-end pieces, I'd browse:
This is where you can find more elaborate construction, statement pieces, embroidery, hardware, dramatic corsetry, and lingerie that feels like an entire LOOK instead of just underwear.
But expensive doesn't automatically mean better for your session.
If you feel hotter in a $25 bodysuit than a $250 one, I want the $25 bodysuit.
If You Want Lots of Options Without Going Full Luxury
This is probably where most people are going to shop.
You want choices. You want different styles. You'd like to buy something cute without needing financing.
I'd browse:
These are good places to browse when you don't necessarily know what you want yet because you can look at bodysuits, two-piece sets, bralettes, corsets, robes, and completely different aesthetics without bouncing between 37 websites.
While you're browsing, pay attention to what you keep clicking.
If every single thing you've saved is black mesh, we have our answer.
If You're Shopping on a Budget
You do not need to spend $300 on lingerie to take good boudoir photographs.
I promise the camera does not check your receipt.
For budget-friendly shopping, I'd look at places like:
Budget shopping is where I REALLY want you reading reviews and looking at customer photos. Quality and sizing can vary dramatically from piece to piece, especially on huge marketplaces.
If something has 2,000 reviews and women are repeatedly saying the torso is three inches long and the straps snap when you breathe too aggressively, believe them.
My Amazon Storefront
If the thought of searching Amazon for “boudoir lingerie” makes you want to throw your phone across the room, I've already done some of the digging for you.
My storefront is where I collect pieces and finds that catch my attention without making you sort through approximately nine billion search results yourself.
Still read the listing. Still check the sizing. Still look at reviews. Still try the damn thing on when it arrives.
My storefront can give you a starting point, but your body gets the final vote.
A Note for My Itty-Bitty-Titty Committee
Girl, I'm right there with you.
If you have a smaller chest, pay attention to structured and molded cups while you're shopping. Sometimes there simply isn't enough boob to fill them the way the garment was designed, and you end up with a weird empty cup situation.
That doesn't mean lingerie doesn't work on small boobs.
Try bralettes, mesh, lace, bodysuits, triangle tops, and other pieces without heavily structured cups. Those styles can sit against a smaller chest beautifully without asking your boobs to fill a shape they don't naturally have.
And no, you don't need to create giant cleavage for your session.
Small boobs are allowed to just be small boobs.
If You Want More Coverage Through Your Stomach
Look at bodysuits and high-waisted bottoms. That's probably where I'd start.
But pay attention to the leg opening on bodysuits. A really high-cut piece can expose more of the lower stomach and hip area, so if that's specifically something you DON'T want visible in your photographs, look for a cut that gives you more coverage there.
Again, this isn't about what your body should or shouldn't show. It's about whether YOU are going to be comfortable seeing it.
If You're Worried About Straps Digging In
Bodies are soft. Elastic pressing against a soft body is going to create some indentation.
That's normal.
But if you already know you're going to fixate on that when you see your photographs, look at pieces with wider bands and thicker straps. They may sit more smoothly than tiny elastic straps.
That doesn't mean you can't wear strappy lingerie. It means we're thinking about the things YOU care about before you spend money.
What Would I Buy If I Had Absolutely No Idea What I Was Doing?
If you are currently standing in a store having a full lingerie-related identity crisis and just want me to tell you what to grab, start with:
One bodysuit in a color, texture, or style you genuinely like
One cute bralette with matching high-waisted underwear
One baggy T-shirt that feels like you
Boom.
You've got three completely usable directions.
That doesn't mean those have to become your final three outfits. Bring more if you want. Bring fifteen things. Bring your whole damn closet.
We'll figure it out.
You Don't Actually Have to Shop
I know this is a shopping guide, but this part matters.
You do not need to buy lingerie for your boudoir session.
Our Hype Girl Client Closet has lingerie, robes, accessories, shoes, and statement pieces in sizes XXS through 6XL that clients can use during their sessions.
Technically, all three of your outfits could come from the Client Closet. I still recommend bringing at least one outfit of your own that you already know you're comfortable in because my anxiety says, “But what if she gets here and hates everything I own?”
What If I Have Nothing to Wear? A Guide to Our Boudoir Client Closet
And You Don't Have to Wear Lingerie Either
If you've made it through this entire shopping guide thinking, “Yeahhhhh, none of this is me,” good. Now we know something.
Wear something else.
Bring your favorite concert tee, your partner's button-down, jeans, a crop top, a dress, a jersey, a sweater, swimwear, or whatever actually feels like you.
Boudoir isn't synonymous with lingerie.
What to Wear When Lingerie Isn't Your Thing
Shop for What You Like, Not What You're Supposed to Wear
That's really what I want you to take away from this.
Don't open Google and type “best lingerie for my body type” and let some random article convince you that your hips require a particular type of underwear.
Start with what you like.
What colors keep catching your eye? Do you love lace? Mesh? Leather? Sparkles? Flowers? Straps everywhere? Barely anything? Lots of coverage?
Look at the pieces you're naturally drawn to first, and then try them on.
Some are going to look completely different than you imagined. Some aren't going to fit. Some are going to surprise the hell out of you.
That's shopping.
You don't need to find the lingerie that makes your body “correct.” You just need to find something that feels like you.
And if you're still staring at 400 bodysuits wondering what the hell you're supposed to choose, go read my complete What to Wear Guide next. That's where we'll figure out what you actually want before you spend another three hours adding shit to your cart.
