What to Wear for a Plus Size Boudoir Photoshoot

I want to be upfront about something before we get into outfit ideas: the question I get most often isn’t really about what to wear. It’s “Will this actually work for someone who looks like me?” 

That’s the real question underneath the wardrobe question.

And the honest answer is: yes.

Not because it sounds good, or just to make you feel better, but because I see it, session after session, across a such a range of body sizes/shapes, ages, and starting points.

Women leave their sessions with photos they love, not because they were confident beforehand, but because they showed up.

Now let’s talk about what to wear.

Start with how you want to feel, not how you want to look

Before you even think about buying anything, answer this: what do you want to feel during your session?

Feminine and soft? Dramatic, edgy, bold? Like yourself, just turned all the way up? Maybe a few of these?

Your answer shapes everything, from the wardrobe pieces we choose, the textures, the silhouette.

What looks good on camera comes from what makes you feel like yourself in the room. When you feel it, the camera catches it. When you’re performing for the camera, it catches that too, and always feels a little off.

I’ll help you figure out the specifics once we’re talking. This is just the first question.

What actually photographs well on curvier bodies

Here’s the practical stuff. These aren’t rules, they’re starting points.

Fabrics with weight and drape

Thin jersey, cheaper lace, and anything that pulls or gaps shows up on camera and distracts from the overall look. Satin, silk, modal, and structured lace move beautifully and hold their shape. When something feels good against your skin, it usually looks good in photos.

Pieces that work with your shape instead of against it

High-waisted bottoms. Wrap silhouettes. Longline bralettes. Bodysuits with a strong waistline. Robes always look good, open, half-open, barely-there. These are pieces that complement your body effortlessly.  

More coverage isn’t always safer

A lot of people assume that wearing more will make the photos feel less exposed. It doesn’t necessarily work that way. Confidence doesn’t depend on what you’re wearing. A well-fitted bodysuit on a woman who feels good will always outperform a loose cover-up on a woman who’s hiding. If you’re unsure, we can talk through it together before your session.

Fit matters more than size

This is something that gets missed so often. Something that technically fits but pulls, rides up, or gaps will be distracting in every photo. Something that fits exactly right and sits where it’s meant to be without being uncomfortable, that’s what photographs well.

Not a size on a tag. Fit.

What to bring to your session

Most clients bring two to four looks. A full session gives us time to move through a few different looks, styles and energies. You can have something softer, something with more edge, something in between and more.

Ideas to consider:

•  A lingerie set or bodysuit that feels like you at your most comfortable

•  A robe or oversized button-down (one of the most versatile pieces in any session)

•  Something sentimental - a piece of jewelry, a garment that means something to you

•  Something that feels a little brave, like you’re trying on a new look or something you wouldn’t maybe normally choose.

You don’t have to have this figured out in advance.

Part of what I do before every session is help you think through looks based on what you actually have and what you actually want.

Nothing about this process requires you to show up already knowing.

The thing I want you to hear before you close this tab

Women who are most surprised by their photos are the ones who almost talked themselves out of it.

The ones who thought: maybe when I’m smaller, more rested, more something. Who looked at photos on my website and thought those results happened for other women, not for them.

But they showed up anyway.

What to wear matters. How your clothes fit matters. But it’s not the thing that determines how your photos turn out. The thing that determines how your photos turn out is whether you let yourself be seen.

That’s the part that I’m here to help with. I’m good at that part. It’s the goal of every session. It’s the why behind what I do.

If you have questions before you’re ready to book

Reach out. I’m always happy to answer questions about the experience, what to expect, and what to wear all the time, no obligation required. Even if you don’t know if you’ll ever book.

If you’re circling this and want to talk it through first, that’s a completely normal place to be.

You can reach me at erin@erinvalknerphotography.com. Or contact me here:

If you want to know what a session actually looks like from start to finish, this post walks through the whole experience.