What to Wear for a Boudoir Photoshoot | Sacramento Boudoir Photographer

What to Wear for a Boudoir Photoshoot: 15 Ideas That Aren’t Just Lingerie

So you booked a boudoir session. Or maybe you’re still in the phase where you keep looking at boudoir photos, saving ideas, and thinking, okay, maybe someday I’ll actually do this.

Either way, one of the first questions that usually comes up is: What the hell am I supposed to wear?

When most people think about what to wear for a boudoir photoshoot, their brain immediately goes to tiny black lingerie, stockings, and maybe a pair of heels. And while I absolutely love beautiful lingerie, it’s only one option. Some of my favorite images I’ve created over the years have involved very simple pieces, unexpected wardrobe choices, or barely any wardrobe at all.

Your boudoir session doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s. It can be soft and romantic, dark and moody, colorful, bridal, editorial, playful, artistic, or a mixture of all of those things. You also don’t need to walk into my studio already knowing how to style yourself for photographs. Helping you figure out what works is part of the experience.

If you’ve been searching for what to wear for a boudoir photoshoot, here are 15 ideas to get you started, including quite a few that aren’t traditional lingerie.

1. Start With a Bodysuit

If you have absolutely no idea what to bring to your boudoir session, a bodysuit is one of the easiest places to start. They photograph beautifully because they create a continuous silhouette, and there are so many different styles that we can usually find something that fits the overall feeling you want for your session.

A sheer black bodysuit can feel completely different from a soft lace one. Something structured can feel sexy and editorial, while a long-sleeved bodysuit can create gorgeous shapes without showing a ton of skin.

And please don’t get hung up on whether you have the “right body” for a bodysuit. You don’t need a flat stomach or an hourglass figure, and you definitely don’t need to wait until you lose ten pounds. Clothing is only one small part of how a photograph comes together. Lighting, posing, perspective, movement and styling make a huge difference.

2. An Oversized Button Down

There is something ridiculously good about a simple oversized button-down shirt in boudoir photographs. You can wear it open over lingerie, button only a few buttons, let it fall off one shoulder, pair it with underwear, or use the shirt itself to strategically cover what you don’t want visible.

A crisp white button down gives photographs a soft, intimate, morning-after feeling, while a darker shirt can make everything feel moodier and more editorial. If the shirt belongs to your partner, it can also be a subtle way to incorporate something personal into the session without making the entire shoot about them.

3. Your Favorite Bra and Panty Set

Of course lingerie is still on the list, but it doesn’t need to be complicated. A simple black bra and underwear set that fits you beautifully can photograph better than an elaborate strappy contraption you bought specifically for your photoshoot and spend half the session adjusting.

Fit matters much more than the number on the tag. If you’re looking for plus size boudoir outfit ideas or wondering what lingerie photographs best on a curvier body, don’t automatically assume you need something that covers your stomach. Sometimes adding more fabric because you’re trying to hide an area can actually draw more attention to it. We can use posing, wardrobe and lighting to work with your body instead of trying to disguise it.

4. Bring a Robe

Robes are one of my favorite boudoir wardrobe pieces because we can get so much variety out of one item. You can wear it normally, let it slide off your shoulders, open it over lingerie, wrap it around your body, or use it to create movement in an image.

The fabric also changes the entire feeling. Sheer lace can feel romantic and delicate, satin feels a little more glamorous, velvet can become dark and dramatic, and something long and flowy can photograph beautifully in movement. A robe is also a great option if you want boudoir photos that feel sexy without showing a lot of skin.

5. A Tank Top, T-Shirt or Something You Actually Wear

A tank top with underwear can be hot as hell. So can a cropped tee, vintage band shirt, fitted white tank or something else you already own.

Boudoir doesn’t require dressing like a completely different version of yourself. In fact, sometimes an everyday piece makes a photograph feel even more intimate because it actually feels like you. If lace and complicated lingerie aren’t your thing, you don’t suddenly have to become a lace person because you booked a boudoir session.

6. Your Wedding Veil

If you’re planning a bridal boudoir photoshoot in Sacramento, bring the veil. Seriously.

A veil can turn a very simple white or ivory lingerie set into something unmistakably bridal, and there are so many ways we can photograph it. We can drape it over your body, trail it behind you, wrap it around you, photograph through it, or use it to soften the light around your face.

If you’re creating a boudoir album as a wedding gift, I also recommend scheduling your session well before your wedding. You do not need “finish secret sexy photo album” added to the list of things you’re trying to accomplish three days before getting married.

7. A Jacket or Blazer

A leather jacket, denim jacket, oversized blazer or even your partner’s jacket can completely change the feeling of your session. Wear it over lingerie, pair it with underwear, or wear nothing underneath.

I especially love this option for women who want something a little more editorial and less traditionally feminine. Boudoir doesn’t have to mean lace, bows and soft pink everything. A structured jacket against bare skin can be incredibly sexy while still feeling cool and effortless.

8. Sheets

Technically you aren’t wearing them, but I’m counting them.

Some of the most beautiful boudoir photographs are also the simplest. Skin, sheets and beautiful light can be enough. Sheets also give us a ton of control over how much you want to show, which makes them perfect for implied nude photographs.

Implied nude does not mean everything has to be visible. Strategic posing, hands, fabric, shadows and camera angles can create images that feel incredibly intimate while keeping everything you want covered.

9. An Oversized Sweater

An oversized sweater with bare legs is such an underrated boudoir outfit. It gives the photographs a softer, cozier feeling while still being incredibly sensual.

You can pull it off one shoulder, pair it with cute underwear, wear nothing underneath, or let it fall naturally around your body. This is especially good if you want photographs that feel intimate and relaxed rather than overtly sexy.

10. Stockings, Thigh Highs or Fishnets

You don’t need an entirely new lingerie set to create another look. Sometimes adding thigh highs or fishnets to something you already have changes the entire outfit.

Stockings can feel romantic, classic, playful or vintage depending on how we style the rest of the look. Fishnets can make a simple bodysuit or underwear set feel a little edgier. You also don’t automatically need a garter belt unless that’s specifically the aesthetic you want.

11. Something Sheer

Sheer pieces photograph beautifully, especially in a darker, moodier boudoir setting. Mesh bodysuits, lace robes, sheer dresses and translucent fabrics allow light to move through the material while still showing the shape of the body underneath.

They’re also a great middle ground if you want to show your body without feeling completely exposed. Depending on the lighting and pose, the same sheer piece can look soft and romantic in one photograph and much more dramatic in another.

12. Something Personal

Your boudoir wardrobe doesn’t have to come entirely from a lingerie store. Bringing something personal can make the finished gallery feel much more like you instead of a collection of pretty photographs that could belong to anyone.

Maybe it’s your wedding veil, your partner’s shirt, a jacket you feel amazing in, a piece you’ve owned forever, or something connected to a hobby or an important chapter of your life. It doesn’t even necessarily have to make sense as an “outfit.” Sometimes those are the pieces that give us the most interesting ideas.

13. Absolutely Nothing

Yep, wearing nothing is also an option.

Nude and implied nude boudoir can be incredibly beautiful without being explicit. We can use shadows, silhouettes, sheets, hands, backs, shoulders, curves and strategic angles to create images that feel intimate and artistic.

You also do not have to decide before your session that you’re going to shoot nude. Sometimes someone gets halfway through a session, becomes more comfortable, and decides they want to try it. Other people know from the beginning that it isn’t for them. Both are completely fine. You are always in control of how much you want photographed and how much you want visible.

14. Something You Think You’re “Not Supposed” to Wear

This might actually be my favorite category.

Maybe it’s the bodysuit you love but think your stomach isn’t flat enough for. Maybe it’s the tiny lingerie set you bought but keep telling yourself you’ll wear after you lose weight. Maybe it’s something sheer that you would never in a million years wear outside your house.

Bring it anyway.

You don’t have to love every photograph we create in every outfit. That’s part of the reason we create an entire gallery. Sometimes the piece a client is the most nervous about wearing ends up creating some of her favorite images.

15. Something Completely Unexpected

Boudoir does not have to mean lingerie and a bed. I love when someone wants to get a little weird or creative with their session.

Flowers, dramatic jewelry, body chains, fabric, headpieces, bridal accessories, celestial pieces, vintage clothing or something you bought because you loved it even though you had absolutely nowhere to wear it can all become part of a boudoir session.

If you find something and immediately think, Where the hell would I ever wear this? there is a pretty good chance I want you to bring it.

What Should You Avoid Wearing to a Boudoir Photoshoot?

There really aren’t many hard rules about what not to wear for boudoir, but I do recommend being careful with anything that is significantly too small, painfully digs into your body, or needs to be constantly adjusted. I also wouldn’t recommend buying five completely new outfits and waiting until the day of your session to try them on.

You also don’t need to bring a suitcase containing your entire closet. More outfits do not necessarily create more variety. Different lighting, sets, poses, crops, expressions and styling can make the exact same outfit look completely different. I would much rather spend our time creating beautiful photographs in a few great pieces than rushing through ten wardrobe changes.

What If I Don’t Know What Looks Good on My Body?

You don’t need to know. That’s one of the reasons you’re hiring a professional photographer instead of setting up your phone in your bedroom and hoping for the best.

One of the biggest misconceptions about booking a boudoir photoshoot is that you need to arrive knowing how to be photographed. You don’t need to know your angles, where to put your hands, how to pose or what facial expressions to make. You also don’t need to practice being sexy in the bathroom mirror the night before.

A huge part of professional boudoir photography is understanding how lighting, posing, perspective, wardrobe and movement work together. I’m not expecting you to show up knowing how to model. I’m going to photograph the body you bring me.

What Should I Wear for a Plus Size Boudoir Photoshoot?

Whatever you want.

I say that because searching for plus size boudoir outfit ideas online can sometimes make it seem like larger bodies have an entirely different set of wardrobe rules. Suddenly everything is about hiding your stomach, covering your arms, creating a smaller waist or choosing “flattering” pieces.

That isn’t how I approach boudoir.

If you love color, wear color. If you love your stomach showing, show it. If you would rather not emphasize your stomach, tell me and I’ll photograph you accordingly. If you love your butt, fantastic, we are absolutely celebrating the butt.

And if there are parts of your body that you’re still figuring out your relationship with, that’s okay too. My approach to boudoir isn’t about convincing every woman that she has to suddenly adore every inch of herself. Your body does not need to become a project before it deserves to be photographed.

What Should I Wear for a Bridal Boudoir Photoshoot?

For my Sacramento and Northern California bridal boudoir clients, I usually recommend creating variety instead of bringing five different versions of white lingerie.

You might bring one beautiful white or ivory lingerie set, your wedding veil, a sheer robe, your wedding jewelry, something blue, your partner’s button-down shirt, and then one look that has absolutely nothing to do with your wedding but makes you feel incredible.

That gives your bridal boudoir gallery a connection to this particular chapter of your life without making every photograph scream BRIDE. If you’re creating an album as a wedding gift for your partner, you end up with something that still feels like you, not a wedding-themed costume.

Do I Have to Buy Lingerie for My Boudoir Session?

Nope. You certainly can if shopping for something new is part of the fun for you, but you do not need to spend hundreds of dollars on lingerie before your session.

My boudoir studio is located in Cameron Park, California, about 30 minutes outside Sacramento, and I have an extensive client closet with hundreds of pieces in different sizes, colors and styles. We can mix things you bring from home with pieces from the studio and figure out what photographs beautifully once you’re actually here.

Sometimes something that looks completely underwhelming hanging on a hanger looks incredible once it’s on a body, styled correctly and photographed in good light.

What If I Still Have No Idea What to Bring?

Bring a few options and we’ll figure it out together.

You are not being graded on your ability to pack for a boudoir photoshoot. Bring a few things you love, a few things you’re unsure about, and maybe one thing that feels slightly outside your comfort zone. We can go through everything before we start shooting.

Sometimes I’ll tell you to ditch something you were positive we would use. Other times I’ll see some random piece you almost left at home and immediately know exactly what I want to do with it. That’s part of the creative process.

Your Boudoir Session Should Actually Look Like You

This is probably the most important thing I can tell you when you’re deciding what to wear for a boudoir photoshoot.

You don’t need to become some imaginary “boudoir version” of yourself. If you don’t normally like red lipstick, stilettos and black lace, you don’t suddenly need to love those things because you booked a photoshoot. You don’t have to perform someone else’s version of sexy.

Your session can be romantic, dark and moody, soft, colorful, bridal, editorial, playful, artistic, minimal, a little strange, or a combination of all of it.

The clothes are just one part of what we create.

Looking for a Boudoir Photographer Near Sacramento?

My private boudoir studio is located in Cameron Park, California, and I photograph clients from Sacramento, Folsom, El Dorado Hills, Roseville, Granite Bay, Placerville, Auburn and throughout Northern California.

Whether you’re planning a bridal boudoir session, celebrating a birthday or milestone, documenting this particular season of your life, or you’ve simply decided this is the year you’re finally doing the damn thing, your session gets to look like you.

You don’t need modeling experience. You don’t need a “perfect” body. And you definitely don’t need to show up with a suitcase containing $1,000 worth of lingerie.

Bring yourself. We’ll figure out the rest together.