If you are planning to book, or have already booked, a boudoir session, then you are undoubtedly thinking about what you should wear in your boudoir photos. You may also be feeling a little overwhelmed by all the different types of lingerie that are available, which is understandable considering the fact that, not only are there tons of styles and colors to choose from, but you also want to consider how each piece of lingerie is going to fit AND photograph. That’s a lot to think about!

Well, never fear, because your friendly, all-female Adore Girls boudoir photography team is here! (We are Jamie Pfister and Lindsey Gregory-Caldwell.) Not only will we spend some time with you on the day of your photo shoot looking over the wardrobe options you’ve brought and giving you our opinions about which pieces we think will photograph best, but in today’s blog we are also going to give you our list of Pros and Cons from a photography standpoint for three of the most popular lingerie options that our clients often bring into our Nashville boudoir studio - corsets, bra & panty sets, and teddies/bodysuits!

Corsets have been worn by women since the 1600’s, so it’s no wonder why the corset has practically become synonymous with the word “lingerie.” Women are often drawn towards the idea of wearing a corset for their boudoir sessions, and for good reason! They’re gorgeous! However, from a photography perspective, there are a few things you may want to consider before deciding if this garment is the right choice to bring for your boudoir session.

Pros of Wearing a Corset

• The corset was designed to cinch in a woman’s waist, lift her breasts, flatten her stomach, and encourage good posture, and what woman doesn’t want to have an hourglass figure?

• Corsets usually fully cover (or hide) the stomach and waist area, which is appealing to many women. For those who are concerned about their mid-sections, wearing a corset can make you feel more confident and comfortable.

• There are several different styles of corsets available today, with designs that range from classic and vintage-inspired to over-the-top sexy and even domineering! So, no matter what type of mood you want to convey in your boudoir images, there is almost certainly a perfect corset out there for you.

Cons of Wearing a Corset

• Modern corsets use rigid metal, steel, or even plastic boning to achieve the hourglass shape described above, which looks great when a woman is standing up straight or lying down flat. However, if you sit down or bend at the waist at all, the boning will also bend and “pop out” from the rest of the garment, which not only looks odd, but it can actually emphasize certain areas that you may have been hoping to de-emphasize by wearing the corset in the first place. It is for this reason that a corset limits the types of poses we are able to photograph while you are wearing it.

• As mentioned, women often like the idea of a corset because they think it will flatten/hide their stomach and also create great cleavage, both of which are usually true! However, what many do not realize is that some “spill over” can also sometimes occur in the armpit area, around the top of the corset in the back, and even from the bottom of the corset, and these things cannot always be entirely fixed with Photoshop (although, we will do what we can).

Corset Alternatives

If you love the idea of wearing a corset for your session, but you don’t want to limit your posing options or risk creating the “spill over” effect mentioned above, you may want to consider wearing a sexy little cami set or tank top with panties instead (like this cami set we found on HipsAndCurves.com). You’ll still get the mid-section coverage that a corset provides, but without the rigid boning of a corset pressing into your skin.

If you aren’t as concerned about revealing some of your mid-section, but you still love the idea of lifting your breasts to create more cleavage, another great alternative to the corset is a longline bra. Longline bras are different from regular bras in that they have an underband that extends down the ribcage a bit farther. The extra long band provides a little extra shaping at the waist, but your mid-section is free to move and bend without restriction.

Because most women wear bras and panties on a daily basis, these items are usually the first things that come to mind when trying to decide what lingerie to wear for a boudoir session. As photographers, here some reasons why we love photographing bra and panty sets, but also some reasons why you may decide to consider some other options.

Pros of Wearing a Bra & Panty Set

• Shopping for a new bra and panty set is pretty easy because you already know your bra and panty size! With other types of lingerie that you may not wear as often (such as corsets and teddies), ordering a certain size and fit can be a gamble. If you decide to purchase a sexy new bra and panty set for your boudoir session, however, you’re much less likely to buy the wrong size and then have to worry about returning or exchanging it before your photo shoot.

• Photographically speaking, bra and panty sets provide the most versatility in terms of posing. Depending on your comfort level, we can photograph you pulling up or pushing down your bra strap(s), tugging on the side of your panties, unhooking your bra, or even pushing your panties down over your booty, just to name a few posing options. You can also really kick the sexy up a notch by removing your bra completely for some topless shots (with or without covering your breasts with your hands), or you can do a really bold and unexpected move and go bottom-less for a few photos! (Please note that we always keep our nude photography very tasteful by strategically placing legs, hands, sheets, etc. so the vagina is never fully exposed in a photo.)

• The style options available for bra and panty sets are practically endless - everything from soft and sweet to hot and seductive. You can even find sets that are made out of less conventional materials, such as candy or even rhinestones!

Cons of Wearing a Bra & Panty Set

• When you wear a bra and panty set, your mid-section is going to be exposed, which is only a Con if you are very self-conscious about this area of your body. As boudoir photographers, first and foremost, we want you to love your body exactly as it is, but we also respect any concerns you may have because we want you to feel as comfortable as possible during your session. However, if you tell us that you don’t want your stomach to show as much in your photos, but then you wear a bra and panty set, it will be much more difficult for us to honor your wishes.

• There is actually only one other Con, and it only pertains to one particular style of underwear - the “boy cut” or “boy short” style of panties. This style typically sits low on the hips and has wider strips of material on both sides. In photographs, this style of panties tends to make a woman’s hips look more “boxy” or square. Panties that sit higher on the hips to create a “V” shape make the legs look longer, the waist look smaller, and the body look more curvaceous overall.

Bra & Panty Set Alternatives

If you are uncomfortable with how much of your body will be seen if you wear just a bra and panty set, there are literally dozens of accessories you can add for a little more body coverage that will still look extremely sexy and not too “covered up.” The most popular accessories we’ve photographed with bra and panty sets are actually items that you may already own or can easily find on Amazon.com, like sheer robes or kimonos, button-up shirts, scarves or shawls, and blazers or jackets.

Finally, we’ve come to what is probably the most popular style of lingerie that is brought into our studio on a regular basis, teddies and bodysuits! We’ve put these two into the same category because they are, essentially, the same type of garment. However, a “teddy” is usually worn solely as lingerie (as seen in the photos on the bottom and far right above), while a “bodysuit” can actually be worn as clothing with a pair of jeans, skirt, etc. (as seen in the photos on the far left and top above). And while we are happy to tell you why this is one of our favorite wardrobe pieces to photograph, we also want to give you a heads up about why a teddy or bodysuit may not necessarily be the best option for you.

Pros of Wearing Teddies & Bodysuits

• Unlike the other types of lingerie we’ve discussed today, teddies and bodysuits provide varying levels of mid-section, arm, cleavage, and booty coverage, depending on the cut and style you choose, which means you have complete control over how revealing you want the garment to be! The best part is that, no matter how much coverage you choose, teddies and bodysuits always look sexy as hell (even the ones we’ve seen that have long sleeves and high necklines)! It’s no wonder our clients love to wear them for their boudoir sessions!

• As photographers, what we love most about teddies and bodysuits is that, for all the reasons just mentioned above, they are the one style of garment that seems to instill confidence in just about every woman who wears one for her boudoir session, and, as we’ve said time and time again, confidence is the sexiest thing a woman can wear. (The sexier you feel during your boudoir session, the sexier you will look in your photos. Trust us on that!)

The Only Con of Wearing Teddies & Bodysuits

• We really cannot stress enough the importance of TRYING ON your teddy or bodysuit BEFORE you bring it to wear during your boudoir session, because this is the one garment that truly fits every single woman differently due to our varying torso lengths. Our photographer, Courtney Bell, for example, has a very short torso. Therefore, whenever she puts on a teddy or bodysuit, many times she finds that either the crotch of the garment hangs down to her thighs, or if she puts the crotch of the garment where it’s supposed to go, then the bra cups actually sit high above her breasts. Other clients have told us that, because of their long torsos, they have a hard time finding a teddy or bodysuit that doesn’t end up looking like vaginal dental floss after they’ve put it on. However, this doesn’t mean that women with short or long torsos cannot wear teddies or bodysuits! Not at all! The good news is that you CAN find the proper fit if you’re willing to look hard enough and try on several different options in the process.

Teddies & Bodysuits Alternative

If you know that you have a short or long torso and you either don’t have time to spend finding the right fit, or you simply don’t want to go through that hassle (hey, we get it), but you still love the overall look of a teddy or bodysuit, then a great alternative you may want to consider trying is a Merrywidow set. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this strangely-named piece of lingerie, a Merrywidow basically looks like a bodysuit, only it doesn’t go between your legs and snap together in the crotch. (My apologies if that sounded crude, I just couldn’t think of any other way to describe it. Haha!) A Merrywidow is open at the bottom and usually has garters attached. The reason it’s a set is because most of these garments also come with a matching thong or G-string. (Here is an example of a Merrywidow Set from Yandy.com.)

We hope you will find this information to be helpful as you begin your search for the perfect wardrobe items to wear for your upcoming boudoir photo session! Happy Shopping!

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