” I have no idea what to wear for a boudoir shoot ” is something I hear all the time. And I get it. If you’re not a dedicated lingerie fan, it’s hard to know where to start. You want to feel like yourself, but let’s be honest, not exactly like yourself either – the goal is you on your best day, not you on a random Thursday, staring bleary eyed into the mirror at 6AM. You might be worried you’ll show up with the wrong thing and waste the whole session. Or maybe buying lingerie is well out of your comfort zone in the first place, and this feels like a step too far.
Here’s the truth: you don’t need a bunch of expensive lingerie to have a great shoot. What you need is a small, considered selection of things that work, allow us to cover a range of moods, and that you actually like. And FIT.
The other day I put together a wardrobe plan for a client, M, who felt completely lost on this. She’s petite, has a classic, understated sense of style, and didn’t really know where to start. Her body has changed a lot recently, so she’s truly starting from scratch. I thought I’d share what I suggested for her, and why.
Everything has been guided by her mood board, her sizes (petite, UK4, 32A), and the overall look and feel we’re going for. Her mood board looked like this:
What to Wear for a Boudoir Photo Shoot – The Basics Look
It was immediately clear to me that at least one look should be built around simple, beautiful basics. Think a great-fitting bralette and briefs, nothing complicated, nothing overdone. It’s the kind of thing that photographs beautifully because there’s nothing competing for attention. It’s the boudoir equivalent of “no makeup” makeup look, you know the one that actually takes 17 products but looks effortless? A bit easier than that though!
For M, I pointed her toward Calvin Klein. They invented this genre after all, so it’s a great place to start. The fit is reliable, the aesthetic is clean, and it photographs really well in both black and white and colour. Skims and Intimissimi are also worth a look for this category.
The key thing I always tell clients: don’t buy anything for this look unless you’d actually wear it in real life. Start from your own wardrobe if you have something that might suit. A great pair of knickers and a simple bralette you already own will often serve you really well.
For variation on this look we can layer things over the top – a white t-shirt, a men’s button-down shirt left open, a big chunky knit, winter socks. These are all things you might already have and they add a different dimension to the shoot without requiring a lot of extra work.
Props can add a nice touch here too – a camera, a mug, a book, etc.
Calvin Klein Brazilian Briefs Icon Cotton Modal: calvinklein.co.uk
Calvin Klein Thong Icon Cotton Modal: calvinklein.co.uk
Skims Fits Everybody Triangle Bralette: skims.com
Intimissimi Boat Neck Modal Cashmere Jumper: intimissimi.com
Calvin Klein Icon Bikini Briefs + matching bra: calvinklein.co.uk
The Lingerie Look
This is where things get a bit more intentional. It’s still simple and understated, but there’s more texture and detail – lace, satin, maybe a little colour. I think for M, this look should feel a bit more special than the basics. It’s not your everyday wear, but also not over the top.
I specifically avoided anything that felt too dramatic or like it was trying hard to be sexy. M’s mood board is mostly elegant and refined, so I kept the suggestions in that zone.
M&S is honestly so good for this type of thing. For most people the sizing is inclusive, the quality is good, and there’s a huge range of options. Their Rosie for Autograph line has been a fav for years. ASOS can also be a good place to look.
For M specifically I pulled together several options across sets and separates, mixing lace and satin, some black and some softer colours. You don’t need all of these, you need ONE. 32A is a little hard, which is a situation many clients run into if standard sizing doesn’t suit you. My advice is to look up your sister sizes, because often one of those will be more widely available. 30B is a sister size for 32A, and including that nearly doubled our options.
For a robe or wrap layer, the For Love and Lemons Delaine robe is beautiful if you want something that photographs well and feels luxurious. There are lots of other places you can find similar things though, so it’s worth having a look around.
- M&S Amarosa Embroidery Set: marksandspencer.com
- M&S Saffron Satin & Lace Wired Plunge Bra + knickers: marksandspencer.com
- M&S Liana Lace Wired Plunge Cami Bra + knickers: marksandspencer.com
- ASOS Kaia Lace Lingerie Set in Ivory: asos.com
- Boux Avenue Daisy Satin Short Cami Set: bouxavenue.com
- M&S Jasmine Lace Wired Balcony Bra: marksandspencer.com
- M&S Peyton Lace Wired Bra: marksandspencer.com
- Intimissimi My Forever Love Baby Doll: intimissimi.com
- For Love and Lemons Delaine Robe: forloveandlemons.com
The Bathtub Look
This one needs no wardrobe planning and is really fun, so I always include it if we’re shooting somewhere with a good tub. We can use a towel and maybe even a bathrobe to extend the story a little too.
You can wear lingerie or a swimsuit, but we often do these nude or faux nude (with enough bubbles you can show as much or as little as you’d like). Sometimes we do flower petals or a bath bomb too.
Props can be really fun here. A pair of sunglasses. A book. A glass of champagne. A piece of cake. A piece of pizza. Whatever really, somehow it all works in a bathtub lol!
The lowest effort way to do this is lingerie and heels in the tub with no water. The highest effort way is probably a milky flower bath (with water, about 5x the number of flowers and milk you think you need, and 20 minutes to fish all the petals back out when we’re done). You know what no, actually I take that back – the glitter bath bombs are the most effort. If we’re using water, we always do this at the end of the shoot because it’s easy to ruin hair and makeup.
The Wild Card
This is optional but worth throwing in if you’ve got something. The idea is you bring a look outside your normal style – a piece you found on sale that you couldn’t resist, something wildly over the top, or something that you love but it doesn’t match the rest of your looks at all. Or nudes, which are mercifully very easy to prepare wardrobe for.
It doesn’t have to be expensive. It doesn’t even have to make sense lol! It just wants to have that “but what if it’s actually amazing?!” potential.
For M, I mentioned Bluebella as a direction – it’s a step up in drama and more in your face, but still wearable and refined. A trench coat also works brilliantly in this slot if you have one (or you can borrow mine if you’re a bit taller than M). Another idea for this is the outlet sale at AP; all kinds of madness on there.
A Note on Wardrobe Planning: What to Wear for a Boudoir Shoot
If the thing stopping you from booking a shoot is wardrobe planning, please email me immediately because there is NO NEED. I am more than happy to walk you all through it, you certainly don’t need to spend weeks worrying about it or letting it stop you. We always chat about wardrobe during your pre-shoot consultation, and if what to wear is stressing you out just tell me and I’ll make it easy.
It’s also worth remembering that it’s not that big of a deal. I once had a client turn up with nothing. Literally nothing. She had pre-packed her bag with everything the night before, it ended up in the wrong car, and she didn’t realise until it was too late. And do you know what? We had a knockout shoot anyway! We used the well worn basics she was wearing for the journey there, my oversized jumper and a coffee mug we found in a cabinet, a trench we borrowed from the makeup artist, and faux nudes with a curtain and some bed sheets. We did miss having some heels, but she just did a lot of toe pointing and it was absolutely fine. So don’t panic about this, you can turn up starkers and we’ll make it work.
It’s also not a think you need to set aside a bunch of the budget for. Most of the time, you end up buying maybe one or two new things (and often it’s more because it’s such a good excuse rather than you actually need them lol!). Shoes are a non-issue. If you have some killer heels, great. If you don’t, you can go for a premium luxury brand or a Primani special and both will get the job done well.
So don’t let this hold you back! Just get in touch and we will go through what to wear for a boudoir shoot together – complete with links and picture references as needed! You can drop me a message anytime.
