Shopping for lingerie should be fun—just like your boudoir session! Whether you’re hunting for luxurious pieces or budget-friendly finds, I’ve got you covered with my short list of where to buy boudoir outfits locally in the San Francisco Bay Area and online.
Where To Buy Boudoir Outfits Locally
The following are the best lingerie boutiques to visit in the San Francisco Bay Area. Note that most sex shops have been omitted from this list in favor of boutiques that carry high quality lingerie and those that have knowledgeable staff that can help with fitting.
- Dark Garden Corsets (San Francisco) – Bespoke corsets custom made to your measurements form the finest materials.
- Alla Prima (San Francisco) – Fine lingerie and swimwear boutique that has really pretty pieces for slender body types.
- Victoria’s Secret (Santa Rosa, San Francisco, Emeryville) – one of the most ubiquitous brands that is easy to find and try on locally. Most of their stuff photographs pretty well. Usually a solid mid tier choice.
- Toujours Lingerie (San Francisco) – Premium grade lingerie outlet carrying brands like Chantelle, Hanky Panky and Simone Perele just to name a few.
Affordable Boudoir Outfits
- Yandy – Again, none of this stuff will blow your mind, but they have more budget friendly options then you’ll know what to do with. It’s one of those places where something’s always on sale. Some of it can photograph well enough and some of it is garbage. Plan accordingly.
- Amazon – Believe it or not, Amazon can actually be a decent place to find lingerie. You can find a ton of trash on amazon too, so make sure and use your best judgment to try and select the higher quality pieces. I’ve found that a good trick here is to search for the style of lingerie by name i.e. “chemise” rather than the generic “lingerie” for higher quality pieces
- WalMart – Often dismissed as a low-quality option, it’s definitely possible to find lingerie that looks good (comparable to Amazon) at an affordable price. Just make sure to try everything on and return anything that doesn’t fit well or meet your quality expectations.
- Fredericks of Hollywood – Not having the best long term reputation for quality or class, I’m beginning to see a lot of clients with pieces from them I don’t hate. These days I’d classify them as a good place to find mid to budget tier lingerie.
Quality Boudoir Outfits
The following lingerie is high quality and will photograph the best for your session. If you’re on a budget, I’d rather see you get fewer, higher quality sets from these retailers rather than more from the budget options mentioned above.
- Agent Provocateur – Premium quality minimalist style. One of my favorite for those that want to show more, without showing everything.
- Bare Necessities – Good quality lingerie with a good selection of safe styles to choose from. This place is really good for for those that want nice outfits, but not stuff that’s over the top fashion forward.
- Bordelle – Very high-quality pieces with strappy styles. The shaping options are strong here also for women who want extra support. All in all it’s top tier quality for a wide range body types.
- Else – High quality lingerie with a good selection of body suits, bras & panty sets. In particular, this brand usually has one of the best selections of wide band bras and high waist panties for those self conscious about skin folds and rolls.
- Etsy – With no real category to fit into, you can find everything from high quality made to order pieces, to low quality trash not worth your time. If you’re up for the hunt, you can also find very decent pieces at un-beatable prices
- For Love & Lemons – High quality lingerie with a plentiful selection for lean and petite body types. This brand has a strong style forward approach for pieces that are uniquely intricate.
- I.D. Sarrieri – Luxury lingerie for women of a leaner body type, this place carries tasteful, traditional styles with a heaping helping of elegance.
- Kix’ies Thigh Highs – Hands down the best place to buy stockings and thigh highs. This is the only brand I know of that sells them in different sizes for a better fit then the one size fits all options everyone else sells.
- Lise Charmel – High quality lingerie with sheer ornate styling. Great selection for petite and lean body types.
- Playful Promises – Middle to upper end online retailer that carries most lingerie styles for all body types. This is one of the most diverse online retailers that truly has something for everyone.
- Thistle & Spire – Thistle & Spire offers quality lingerie at a more affordable price than many premium brands. While their lingerie isn’t as inexpensive as some other brands, it strikes an interesting balance where quality meets affordability.
Where to Get Bespoke Lingerie
- Corset Story – UK based bespoke corsets. You won’t find anything better then these. Lots of helpful how to videos and guides on their website. Worth the visit if you have the time and budget.
- Dark Garden Corsets – Located in San Francisco, they offer bespoke corsets custom made to your measurements. These corsets are as nice as those by corset story with a totally different flavor that’s worth checking out.
Personalized Advice For Choosing Boudoir Outfits
I hope this list helps give you a good starting point if you were wondering where to buy boudoir outfits. My goal with this post was to make your search more fun and less stressful. Whether you love lace, bold straps, or elegant robes, the key is to pick pieces that make you feel confident and highlight your natural beauty.
For more personalized tips on how to pick outfits for a boudoir photo shoot, take a look at my post about lingerie that enhances your body type or check out my boudoir outfit ideas for some style inspiration. If you’re still unsure about what will work best for you, contact me and I’d be happy to help!