In 2012, the lovely ladies from Vintage Life Magazine contacted me for permission to use some of my images of burlesque performer Banbury Cross for a feature in the magazine on burlesque performer’s homes. ‘Not a problem’, said I, ‘but if you can give me a couple of days, Banbury Cross and I will shoot something new and exclusive just for you’. So of course, cut to later that week and I’m standing once again in Banbury’s stunning boudoir unpacking a mountain of photography equipment…

Banbury’s North London home is in a lovely listed building. Decorated with floor-to-ceiling red velvet curtains, a dark wood four-poster bed, vintage furniture and a collection of ornate items collected from all over the world, the place is wonderfully full of character. We had previously shot here the year before, where the main focus had been on the Chesterfield sofas in the living area and one of the giant double ballroom doorways. However, this time we decided to shoot in the boudoir for a more intimate collection of photographs.

We shot a number of outfits that afternoon, however my absolute favourite was this one featured below from UK  based lingerie designer Made By Niki. Banbury Cross also posed with her enormous five foot white feather fans. These were the images that made their way into the issue.