Top 5 tips for selecting boudoir wardrobe | Seattle boudoir photography
I know from personal experience that choosing what to wear for your session isn't always easy. For some, it is a fun process, and for others, it is downright daunting!
The first thing I want you to know, is that when you book a session with me, I will provide you with a lingerie guide! This guide explains the different options that are out there in the lingerie world, what looks best, what to avoid, and where to shop! I always get great feedback on how helpful the guide is!
For today, I thought I would share my top 5 pieces of advice for choosing wardrobe for your shoot!!!
01. MAKE SURE IT FITS! I feel like this is a given, but you would be surprised with how many women show up to their session with ill fitting lingerie. Here are a few rules of thumb that I would like you to remember as you are trying pieces on.
Let’s start with bras! Make sure that the band of the bra is not cutting into you sides and that it is laying flat on your back. Another sure fire way to know that your bra is too small is how it looks around the armpit area. Things should be smooth in this area as well! You also want to make sure that your cup size fits just right. You don't want to be spilling out of the cups! However, you also don't want to be swimming in the cups either. One way to know if the cup is too big, is to lay down in the bra. Are the cups hovering over the girls? Is there excessive or bunching fabric? If that is the case, your cups are too big. When in doubt, get yourself properly fitted by a professional!
Second item that is often fitted improperly is undies! I would say that 85% of you are wearing underwear that is too small!!!! Is the waistband cutting into you, creating a muffin top? TOO SMALL! I recommend choosing something with a slightly thicker waistband and they should sit on your hips or waist (or gently hug them), but they should not be holding onto your body for dear life! This concept is especially important if you are choosing something super strappy—which is a big trend in lingerie right now! I am not saying don't wear them, I am just pleading for you to try on a size bigger than you think you should!
02. BODYSUITS ARE YOUR BEST FRIEND! I cannot stress this one enough! So many women are self conscious about their mid section, and often times the stretch marks that live there. IF this is an area that you are not comfortable showing off, a body suit is the answer to your prayers! It covers the areas you aren't quite confident in, but it still flatters by showing off the outline of your body and your curves! Bodysuit styles and colors are endless.
04. ALL OF THE FABRICS! All fabrics are not created equally. Different fabrics create different looks, but they can also do wonders for your figure if chosen correctly. Lace is BEAUTIFUL!!!! Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE IT. Bring me all of the lace! However, a lighter and more delicate lace won’t provide as much coverage or support as a thicker and stretchier lace might. Keep that in mind if you are in need of a little more support! Also, sheer fabrics are great and will certainly help with your sexy vibes. BUT opaque fabrics can be just as sexy! Again, opaque fabrics tend to provide more support, the thicker the fabric the more support and smoothing will be provided by the garment. And for all of my ladies who are less than thrilled with your stretch marks…opaque fabrics provide the coverage that you are looking for! The last fabric that I would encourage you to be careful with, is satin. Because satin reflects light, in SOME cases, satin can highlight trouble areas. Just make sure that you are looking out for this when trying on satin pieces.
Photo of me, taken by Jen Rozenbaum, www.jenerations.com.
03. SHOES, SHOES, SHOES! This is something that we don't always put too much thought into, but can make a big impact on how fierce you look for your session! All of my vertically challenged beauties listen up! NUDE HEELS! I do my very best to make legs look their longest by using the right posing techniques, and proper camera angles. That being said, a great pair of nude heels can add inches to the appearance of your leg length and overall height! The other thing that is important when packing shoes for your session—the higher the better! Now, that doesn't mean that you have to find something EXTREME. I just wouldn't recommend bring your comfortable 2 inch heels that you wear to the office. A shoe like this creates a lingerie look mullet! Party on top, business on bottom. The shoes I wore for my session (pictured here), were not functional AT ALL. I didn't really walk in the shoes during my session…so I may or may not have returned them the next day!
05. CLOTHES MAKE GREAT “LINGERIE”. Some of my favorite looks in the studio have been clothing items. Think of a cozy off the shoulder sweater or your hubby’s favorite flannel, paired with some cheeky undies and maybe some tall comfy socks. A sexy bra coupled with your favorite ripped jeans can be just as hot as a barely there piece of lingerie. Take a look through your closet, you might already own some fun pieces to play with!
BONUS TIP: I am here for you! If you have ANY questions about what to wear, ask away. Heck—send me pictures from the dressing room if you need to! Also, you can NEVER bring too many options with you to the session. Once you arrive in the studio, I will help you to edit your looks based on my years of experience with what photographs best, and what looks will flatter you the most!
Now that you know my top 5 tips, remember rules are meant to be broken! If you try on a delicate lace bodysuit, with a satin panel down the front and you feel like a million bucks wearing it??? Then rock it! I hope that you will follow my advice, BUT the way you feel wearing your items, is SO much more important!
XOXO—Erinn
Erinn Hargis is a boudoir photographer servicing Seattle, Tacoma, Puyallup and the greater puget sound area. Erinn Hargis Boudoir has a studio located in the heart of downtown Puyallup, WA.