Choosing the perfect boudoir outfit for your photo shoot can help you feel confident and look your best. Use the interactive boudoir outfit adviser below to get personalized style and brand recommendations based on your body type and budget.
Boudoir Lingerie Adviser
How to measure (soft tape only)
All in inches. Stand straight, breathe normally, measure over bare skin or thin layer.
Key Takeaways
- Most women fall into one of four primary body shapes: hourglass, rectangle, pear, or apple.
- Hour glass silhouette’s have a waist that measures 9 inches or more less than the bust or hips.
- For those with rectangle, pear, or apple body shapes, the key is to select lingerie that helps define the waist while balancing the bust and hips. This approach creates the illusion of roughly equal proportions between the bust and hips, bringing the overall silhouette closer to an hourglass figure.
- All body types should avoid lingerie styles that don’t bring the body closer to an hourglass silhouette.
- None of the above rules apply to pregnant women who should instead focus on lingerie that highlights the size of their belly.
Hour Glass
The hourglass shape features balanced bust and hip measurements with a defined narrower waist. Women with an hour glass body shape benefit from gentle highlights and support, that don’t overly shape the body.
Characteristics of the Hourglass Body Shape
The hourglass body shape is defined by the following characteristics:
- Hip and bust measurements are nearly equal in size.
- A defined waist that is 9 inches (or more) smaller than the hip or bust measurements.
Best Boudoir Outfits For Hour Glass Body Types
The following styles enhance the balanced proportions of the hourglass body shape by accentuating the waist and curves and providing general support:
- Corsets and waist cinchers to further highlight your curves.
- Balconette and demi bras for structured support.
- High-rise thongs and garter sets to gently highlight your natural curves.
Lingerie That Hour Glass Body Types Should Avoid
Avoid the following lingerie to preserve the natural balance of the hourglass body shape’s proportions:
- Overly padded bras that may disrupt your natural proportions.
- Loose fitting outfits that obscure your body lines.
Recommended Lingerie Brands For Women With An Hour Glass Figure
The following brands specialize in lingerie that complements the hourglass body shape’s defined waist and balanced measurements, offering light shaping and support:
- Agent Provocateur: This lingerie brand is perfect for women with a hourglass shape. The style is luxurious, elegant, and playful with prices in the high-end range.
- I.D. Sarrieri: This lingerie brand is perfect for women with an hourglass figure. The style is luxurious, elegant, and lace-focused with prices in the high range.
- Lise Charmel: This brand offers luxurious lingerie with simple yet elegant designs, perfect for women with hourglass curves. This lingerie is price in the premium range to match it’s quality.
Rectangle
Women with the rectangle body shape have less hip to waist ratio than women with hourglass shapes, however their bust and hips are still balanced. The best way to enhance this body type is to choose lingerie that will make the bust and hips look larger and or the waist smaller.
Characteristics of the Rectangle Body Shape
The rectangle body shape is defined by the following characteristics:
- A less defined waist that is 8 inches or less smaller than the hips or bust.
- Bust and hips are balanced appearing neither bottom nor top heavy.
Best Boudoir Outfits For Rectangle Body Types
The following boudoir outfits will exaggerate your hip to waist ratio by either enhancing the size of your hips and bust or making your waist smaller:
- Corsets, waspies and waist cinchers will all make your waist smaller.
- Babydolls with good bust support and an empire waist will exaggerate the hips and bust
- Under-bust corsets paired with a well-fitted bra for maximum enhancement waist to bust ratio.
- Deep plunge teddies with high leg opening make your bust and hips appear larger.
- Panties with high leg hole designs that can be pulled over your hip bones.
Lingerie Styles That Rectangle Body Shapes Should Avoid
Rectangle body shapes should avoid the following lingerie to best enhance your natural curves:
- Loose fitting chemises that obscure your waist.
- Shaping bustiers that don’t cinch like a corset.
- Panties with straight tops that aren’t designed to be pulled over your hip bones.
Recommended Lingerie Brands For Women With A Rectangle Figure
These brands all have great options to exaggerate the silhouette of the rectangle body shape. Seek out the aggressive waist cinchers, high leg holes and tops that make your chest look fuller.
- Dark Garden Corsets – High-quality, custom corsets.
- Bordelle: This lingerie designer offers tastefully sexy designs that are perfect for women with hourglass and square shaped silhouettes. These pieces are quality made and priced accordingly.
- For Love & Lemons: For Love & Lemons: This lingerie brand is perfect for women with an hourglass shape. The style is romantic, playful, and feminine with prices in the mid-range.
Pear
Women with pear shaped bodies have a well defined waist with larger hips and a smaller bust. This bottom heavy distribution can be balanced with lingerie the exaggerates the size of your bust or makes your hips and thighs appear smaller.
Characteristics of the Pear Body Shape
The pear body shape is defined by the following characteristics:
- Larger hips measurement compared to bust.
- Well-defined waist smaller than the hips.
Best Boudoir Outfits for Women With Pear Shape
The following are some good ways for women with pear body shapes to enhance their bust and balance their proportions.
- Mix-and-match sizing: shop tops from petite-friendly brands and bottoms from curvy-fit lines.
- Push-up bras and bralettes to add volume to the bust.
- High-waisted panties to slim the hips and make them appear smaller.
- Midriff sweaters or other high cut flowy tops that show off your waist line while adding size to your upper body
Lingerie Styles That Pear Body Shapes Should Avoid
Pear body shapes should choose lingerie that balances their proportions by making their bust appear larger and/or their hips appear smaller, explicitly addressing the bottom-heavy distribution where hips are larger than the bust. This body type can also benefit from waist cinching but should avoid styles that make the bust appear smaller or the hips larger. To enhance the upper body and minimize the lower body emphasis, avoid the following styles:
- Plunge bras or other non-structured bras that don’t enhance cleavage.
- Under bust corsets without a bra.
- Open cup bras that don’t improve lift or cleavage.
Recommended Lingerie Brands for Women With a Pear Figure
The following brands provide lingerie options that enhance the bust and balance proportions for pear body shapes, emphasizing top-heavy illusions and hip minimization:
- Else: This brand offers boudoir outfits that are well suited for women with a pear silhouette. With unique, soft lace designs, this designer has a variety of sets with high waist bottoms and volume enhance tops which are perfect for bringing pear shapes into balance.
- Simone Perele : Boudoir outfits with elegant, sophisticated designs well suited for women with a pear figure. Prices fall in the quality high range with focus on comfort.
- Thistle & Spire: These boudoir outfits are perfect for women with pear shaped bodies with their extensive collection of high rise panties and shape enhancing tops. The style is bold, edgy, and playful with competitive prices.
Apple
Women with an apple body shape have broader shoulders and bust compared to their hips. Apple body shapes benefit most from lingerie that adds volume to the hips, while also defining the waist. By adding volume to the hips the upper and lower body will appear more balanced.
Characteristics of the Apple Body Shape
Apple body shapes have the following characteristics:
- Bust that measure larger than the hips
- Less difference between the waist and hips than between the waist and bust.
- Often less defined waistline.
Best Boudoir Outfits for Apple Body Types
Women with apple body shapes will benefit from boudoir outfits that embellish the size of the hips while also clearly defining the waist. The following lingerie will balance the proportions women with an apple body shape:
- Corsets to define the waist.
- Demi or 3/4 cup bra for structure and support.
- Under-bust corsets to define the waist and showcase the bust.
- Empire waist babydolls to add volume to the hips.
- Tulle skirts that poof out at the hips.
- Mix and match sets like bodysuits with skirts to smooth the midsection while also enhancing the hip line.
Lingerie That Apple Body Types Should Avoid
Apple body types should avoid lingerie styles that fail to define the waist or add volume to the hips, as these do not balance the broader upper body with narrower lower body proportions. Specific styles to avoid include:
- Bustiers that shape but don’t cinch the waist.
- Bodysuits by themselves that don’t exaggerate the hip line.
- Loose fitting chemises that obscure the waist without providing definition.
- Low rise, flat top panties that don’t visually enhance the hips.
Recommended Lingerie Brands for Women With an Apple Figure
The following brands specialize in lingerie that complements the apple body shape’s broader upper body and narrower hips, focusing on waist definition and hip-enhancing designs:
- Dita Von Teese Lingerie: This lingerie brand is perfect for women with apple body types due to it’s “curvy edit” collection. It’s vintage-inspired style is elegant, glamorous with high-end prices.
- Playful Promises: These boudoir outfits are perfect for women with apple body types with bra sizes up to 46H. The designer has a style that is both ornate and tasteful with mid range prices.
- City Chic: This brand offers plus size boudoir outfits that are ideal for women with apple body shapes. The wide range of bra sizes in particular make this brand well suited busty women.
Boudoir Outfits for Pregnant Women
Unlike the other body types mentioned above that are looking to maximize waist control, pregnant women should instead focus on highlighting their full belly. Focus on elastic designs that hug your body and show off your bump, or expose it directly with open front designs for best results.
Best Boudoir Outfits for Pregnant Women
The best lingerie for expecting mothers are styles that either expose your belly or clearly define your shape, so the curves of pregnancy are highlighted—not hidden. The following styles will help define your silhouette and bring attention to your belly where it belongs:
• Babydoll lingerie with a parted front is almost always a good choice.
• Open-front maternity gowns that expose your bump.
• Stretchy lace bodysuits and gowns that hug your belly and curves
• Soft, non-shaping, demi or plunge bras for support.
Places to Rent Maternity Boudoir Outfits
Renting outfits for your maternity boudoir session is generally better than buying because you’ll likely only wear the outfit once for your photo shoot. The following are my favorite maternity boudoir outfit rental services to help you save some money:
- Mama Bump Rentals: is an online service that rents maternity gowns and accessories to pregnant women. They offer a variety of luxury styles with convenient scheduling and return options.
- Mom2B: Generous rental periods of 5-10 days with a wide selection of luxury collections. They also offer tossing fabrics to accompany your rental for extra movement in your photos.
- Bella Bello Bump: If you’re located near Ceres, California, Bella Bello Bump offers in person fittings so you can find the best fitting dress for the perfect fit. Although shipping is available in the U.S., this company primarily caters to local customers with no option to order online.
Boudoir Outfit FAQ
The following are common questions I get from my clients when styling their boudoir outfits.
Where Are The Best Places to Buy Boudoir Outfits?
For best results, choose bespoke lingerie that are made to your measurements. Examples include: Dark Garden Corsets, Corset Story, and select Etsy shops.
For quality off the rack options, look at brands like: Agent Provocateur, Bordelle, or Thistle & Spire.
If you’re on a budget, you can find affordable boudoir outfits at: Amazon, Yandy & Fredericks of Hollywood.
For more ideas and my favorite local boutiques in Northern California, you can check out my complete list of where to buy boudoir outfits in this post.
What Colors Are Most Recommended For Boudoir Outfits?
The most versatile colors are black, cream, and ivory. These colors work well in most settings and look good with most skin tones. If you want to use bolder colors for your boudoir photos, first find out which colors suit your features best. Then think about the colors in the background of your photos.
For example, jewel tones (emerald, burgundy, sapphire, ruby, etc) often work best for women with darker and warmer skin tones. Women with pale or cool skin tones usually look best with pastel colors.
To make your photos look professionally styled, try to pick similar colors from the shooting location that also go well with your skin tone, eye color, and hair color.
What Are the Best Boudoir Outfits for Plus Size Women?
Corsets are the most flattering boudoir outfits for plus size women. This is because corsets are the only style that can effectively shape your waist with boning and lacing. These features make corsets the best boudoir outfit for making your waist look smaller.
Other good styles can include high-waist panties, empire-waist babydolls, bodysuits and demi bras. To find the most effective styles for you, first identify if you have more of a pear or apple body shape. Then balance your proportions by enhancing either your bust or hips to make them appear proportionate to the other.
I am a boudoir photographer located in Sonoma, California, with over 10 years of experience and 500+ sessions captured. Author of posing women for boudoir photos. View my boudoir photos and read clients testimonials to see how my work has helped these women change the way they see themselves.