Can you believe it's been 927 days since I last did a top lingerie brand post?! I feel like the pandi (that's what I call the pandemic) just created a weird timewarp because it feels like yesterday when I wrote this. Clearly, it's time for an updated list, and boy, do I have one for you!
I have gotten into lingerie since the pandemic (and the previous post). I know... I know... I'm a boudoir photographer. Of course, you would be into lingerie, but I have a renewed appreciation for it. Since the pandemic hit, brands really saw how far they could take an everyday staple and flip it all around. Lingerie can be versatile. We can wear teddies as tops just by throwing on a blazer (or, in my case a leather moto jacket) and your best 4 inches heels (I’m obsessed with these Jeffery Campbell slides). Shapewear isn’t a dirty little secret only help by the Hollywood elite. Now has become a staple in every lingerie brand's house.
Furthermore, brands have been hyper-focused on making lingerie more inclusive of skin tone. Additionally, lingerie brands are now focusing on taking maternity to a whole new level. No longer do expecting and nursing women have to wear boring, unflattering, and frankly, ugly beige, black, or white nursing bras. More modern brands are quickly finding this niche and understanding that motherhood is beautiful, and so should the lingerie.
For 2024 I have updated this list and created FIVE sections for my top 24 lingerie brands of 2024.
Top Lingerie: This is just the overall winner in order. Next, we have Super Highend, Budget-friendly, Core, and Maternity lingerie. I'm excited to share this list and SOME of my favorite pieces from each brand!
Top Lingerie Brands of 2024
1.) Savage x Fenty
Savage X Fenty lives it how they spit it. Their brand feels like I'm sitting at the cool kids' table, and we are all the cool kids. From the diversity in models in both size and skin complexion and even showcasing models with disabilities, I feel like I am a part of a brand that cares about its consumers. Savage is a brand not scared to take risk when it comes to creating pieces for their collection. Also, not being scared of diversifying their portfolio. Not only do they have a WIDE variety of pieces, but they also have a wide variety of colors. I also love that with the price point being very reasonable, you are getting excellent quality for what you pay for. What's remarkable is Savage just recently moved from being an eCom brand to having 7 locations nationwide. Going to a store is a great way to feel the quality before you decide to purchast. I won't lie. I have several pieces from Savage x Fenty, and half of my clients bring in elements from Savage that have blown me away. Even though this post is about lingerie, Savage recently launched a Sportswear line I now exclusively wear. It's sexy, and it's functional.
What sets Savage apart from everyone else is the fact that they have sets and bundles. So you don't have to piecemeal things together for some of their most popular items. The bonus is the sets are usually cheaper than the individual pieces.
However, Let's get to my FAVORITE pieces, which you will love. (I know it doesn't look like it, but if you click the names, they are links that take you RIGHT to the product).
My Favorite Pieces:
Surprise Me 2-Piece Set (I OWN this set and wear it as often as possible. I'm thinking about buying a backup set, too)
Flocked Logo Slip (I saw this one in stores, and it was love at first sight)
2.) Honey Birdette
Listen, if you're a lingerie girl and Honey Birdette is not in your top 5, I don't know if I can trust your taste. Honey Birdette is for women who give the main character energy. They know they are the shit. I imagine the Honey Birdette girl as someone younger, married to an older man that made it big in tech and loves to spoil his girl... and she LOVES indulging him back. Honey Birdette gives off the scent of a woman who owns, values, and cultivates her femininity and sexuality for herself and no one else. She is not afraid to be that bitch and doesn't care if people call her that behind her back because she knows who the fuck she is.
That kind of energy.
Honey Birdette is sleek, sexy, modern, fun, kinky, and sophisticated.
Like Savage, Honey Birdette was elevated to this list because they have Lingerie sets. We LOVE a bundle!
3.) Aubade
If you can splurge, then Aubade is for you. The best way to describe the lingerie from Aubade is ethereal. It gives sexy dark academia. This woman listens to Nsee's Frozen Lake while preparing for a hot date. She wears Hareem al Sultan Gold on her wrist before bed. She's a classic beauty that has innovative ways of achieving her goals.
She is a force to be reckoned with.
Aubade has done another fantastic collaboration with one of my favorite designers, Elie Saab. The pieces from this collection give off the most beautiful dark fantasy. If I were doing a shoot in these pieces, she would be lying in a field of tall green grass during the blue light hours of sunset. Picture the moon to the left of her rising. Classical music is playing in the background...
LOL, Maybe I need to get back to shooting.
Here are my Favorite pieces (another brand that does sets!):
4.) For Love and Lemons
Whimsical Femininity. Light Bright Colors. Playfulness. Innocence. All the adjectives when it comes to For Love and Lemons. For Love and Lemons is like the adolescent sister of Aubade. She's naive but full of optimism, leaving the seriousness to someone else. This type of lingerie is for a Spring bridal boudoir session. The pieces are so easy on the eyes, youthful, and give great movement.
5.) Bluebella
As a photographer, out of all the top brands today, Bluebella has the best photography. It's not overly photoshopped and helps tell a dynamic story of how the looks fit. Bluebella steps it up by adding video to see the look and breath of the human form, bringing it to the three-dimensional realm. Bluebella knows how to show off products properly.
Favorite Pieces:
TOP SUPER HIGH-END LINGERIE OF 2024
This is the section for the girls who have a bit of extra coin to spend... or who love splurging on quality pieces that will last you a long time.
6.) Fluer du Mal
Fleur du Mal places a modern spin on traditional looks. I couldn't place this brand higher because they take little risk when it comes to style, but they stick to what they know they do best. Hey, I can't knock them for that. There is a sophistication in simplicity. They do a fantastic job balancing every day with after-five sexy.
My Favorite Pieces:
7.) Coco de Mer
Another brand that knows how to do the classics correctly. This brand is luxury. The type of girl that would rock Coco de Mer lingerie has read Great Gatsby every year since her freshman year of high school. It's very art deco, and I can appreciate that. Silk lingerie is just an elevated sense of sex. A woman who is buying silk bras is buying it for HER enjoyment.
My Favorite Pieces:
8.) Nusi Quero
New to the list. New to you. But not new to Beyonce. Trust me. You have seen Nusi Quero... you didn't know it. Beyonce tapped this designer for her "Renaissance" album cover piece. Nusi Quero's work is just pure art.
Innovative. Futuristic. Risk-taker. Fearless.
I would place them higher on this list had the website been just as impressive as the Instagram page. Your website is your portfolio and should work for you when you sleep. I would love to see extended photos on the site you can't see on Instagram.
What do I know? Most of the pieces are marked as sold out, so clearly, they are doing something right.
Be sure to see the art behind the beautiful piece on IG.
My Favorite Piece:
NQV1XICE – Nusi Quero (Hyperlink not provided in the original text)
9.) I.D. Sarrieri
I love how I.D. Sarrieri designs its lingerie way in a way that's supposed to be seen. Lingerie shouldn't be a secret (especially if you spend over $500 on a piece). This brand has found a way to be innovative while staying within its origins. I can only imagine how hard it has to be to compete with fast fashion brands, but then again, the I.D. Sarrieri customer isn’t buying fast fashion. They are purchasing quality pieces.
Ps: I love how sheer is sooooo in this year!
My Favorite Pieces:
10.) Agent Provocateur
Agent Provocateur was founded in 1994, but you want to know by who? The ICONIC Vivienne Westwood's son, Joseph Corré, and (his then-wife) Serena Rees. What I love about the brand is that they tell women that they control their destinies. This is super important during a time when it feels so politically different.
If the pieces are out of your price range, I have news for you. They have an outlet page where you can score some beautiful pieces for great value (https://www.agentprovocateur.com/us_en/sale).
My Favorite Pieces:
Top Budget-Friendly Lingerie of 2024
11.) Gooseberry
Gooseberry is a Bali-based lingerie company. You can tell they lean into their Bali-based birthright from the carefree design that is uniquely feminine. Unlike so many lingerie brands, Gooseberry is still rocking high-waisted bottoms. This is a must-have if you're a woman looking to make the lower abdomen appear smaller. The brand does a fantastic job of building comfort in fashion. It feels so approachable and inviting. I could see myself lying by the pool in this lingerie.
My Favorite Pieces:
12.) Thistle & Spire
Like Gooseberry, Thistle & Spire is a relatively younger brand. The company is only eight years old and already has cultivated a culture of highly sought pieces. One of my favorite things on the site is how much detail you can get from their zoom feature. This means so much because it allows the customer to examine the piece's details.
My Favorite Pieces:
13.) Lounge
Before we begin, shout outs to Lounge for not overly photoshopping its models! It's refreshing to see REAL skin on models. It gives the lingerie such an approachable feel to it. Kendrick Lamar said it best, "Show me somethin' natural like ass with some stretch marks."
PS. Stretch marks are hot af. Stop letting people tell you they are not.
Getting back to it, Lounge is the perfect type of lingerie for a photoshoot if you're going for the minimalist look. It's still very sexy without stealing the spotlight. I love that some bras add lift while still being subtle.
My Favorite Pieces:
14.) Moxy
If you're looking for cute photo-ready lingerie sets, this site is for you. Quaint, fresh, and dainty, perfect for women looking for lingerie for a bridal boudoir session.
My Favorite Pieces:
15.) intimissimi
Funny story before we get into this. I was dating this guy, and I stayed the night at his place one night. It was super cold that night, so he gave me a shirt to sleep in. The shirt seemed pretty small (like a woman's fit), and I looked at the tab, and it reads "intimissimi." So, of course, like the sane person I am, I turned to him and asked him why he was giving me a shirt that belonged to some other woman. Like, why do you even still have this?! He claims that it was a guy's sleeping shirt. For the longest time, I didn't realize that intimissimi has a men's line... but I will be honest. I still think it was a woman's shirt... but it doesn't matter. We don't date anymore.
intimissimi is suitable for essential intimates. It's for the girlie looking for something cute and a bit above basic without going too risque for a reasonable price.
My Favorite Pieces:
Top Core Lingerie Brands of 2024
16.) Skims
Skims has become a force to be reckoned with. Say what you want about Kim Kardashian, but don't call her a bad businesswoman. Girl has the Midas touch, because everything she touches turns to gold. Skims stands out because it sticks to the basics and does the basics VERY WELL. They have a long array of color tones matching almost every skin complexion. This is so important to women of color. It can be so daunting finding TRULY nude underwear, and Skims just does that so damn well.
My Favorite Pieces:
17.) Yitty
Yitty is a shapewear brand co-created by Lizzo. This brand stands on the foundation of self-love, radical inner confidence, and effortless, everyday wear. The sizing starts from 6X through XS. I admire how they put the bigger girls first when they are an afterthought in many (if not most) fashion houses. Yitty starts with the overlooked and underrepresented first. I love that.
Again, another company is okay with showing stretch marks and cellulite. I love that for us.
My Favorite Pieces:
18.) H&M
Why did H&M make this list? Because their construction of the bras is remarkable for a fast fashion brand. They are comfy as heck. There aren't a lot of frills when it comes to H&M lingerie, but if you're looking for something cheap, fast, and dependable, then H&M is your girl.
My Favorite Pieces:
19.) Nubian Skin
Remember when nude meant peach? When I was younger, the word nude always confused me because the nude on the crayon wasn't the nude on MY skin. When we got older nude in undergarments followed that same confusing pipeline. Good thing fashion woke up after people of color demanded that brands become more inclusive. Before complexion inclusivity became a brand norm, Nubian Skin found a way to solve the problem of what "nude" meant.
"Ade brought a truly innovative product to the market. Nubian Skin managed to do something that had an impact beyond itself. 'Redefining nude' and making the term more inclusive meant that Nubian Skin has had a huge influence, with many other parts of the industry realizing they need to be more inclusive."
Besides the fantastic range of tones for richer skin complexions, I love they have a fuller bust bra. Some of us with DDs and higher have difficulty finding fuller breast coverage.
My Favorite Pieces:
20.) Hanky Panky
Did you know that Hanky Panky has been around since 1977? I didn't. I thought this was a new indie brand. That could be both good and bad, but let's consider it good because it means that Hanky Panky is doing something right to keep up with modern times. Hanky Panky is a higher-end core line for lingerie. Would I consider them incredibly sexy? No. Would they be dependable? Yes. This is the type of lingerie you wear around the house on lazy Sundays... or what you would wear while cleaning. I mean that in a good way because you want to be comfortable.
My Favorite Pieces:
Top Maternity Lingerie Brands of 2024
21.) Kokonberri
Kokonberri is an indie brand and an Etsy shop that offers super cute bodysuits that can double as lingerie for maternity boudoir sessions. Maternity boudoir photography is gaining popularity, and having real options for such occasions is important.
My Favorite Pieces:
22.) Momanda
Momanda offers a beautiful array of maternity lingerie that combines beauty with function. It proves that women can look and feel as sexy as their lingerie, even during pregnancy.
23.) HotMilk
Hotmilk is a brand that revolutionized maternity and nursing wear over 15 years ago. Their lingerie defies norms and pushes boundaries, empowering pregnant and nursing women to have self-confidence as their body shape changes.
My Favorite Pieces:
24.) Bumpsuit
Bumpsuit offers chic and stylish maternity pieces, perfect for fashion-forward expecting mothers. Their designs exude Beverly Hills glamour and are perfect for both pregnancy and non-pregnant wear.
My Favorite Pieces:
CONCLUSION
Maternity lingerie is gaining recognition and appreciation, and these top brands for 2024 offer a range of beautiful and functional options. From indie brands like Kokonberri to established names like Hotmilk, there's something for every expectant mother who wants to feel sexy and empowered during pregnancy. As the fashion industry continues to evolve, I look forward to discovering more independent brands. If you have any recommendations, feel free to share them in the comments below!
