I remember the Ruby Deshabille and Reducto shoot so well it could almost have taken place last week. We had been planning it for months: waiting for the summer to arrive, arranging with Reducto’s owner to be able to borrow him for the late afternoon to shoot in the local lavender fields. Ruby had acquired some costume pieces especially for the shoot and everything was going to plan… until the day before, when the lavender was harvested much earlier than expected. And then, of course, there was heavy rain on the day of the shoot! I jumped in the car and made the long journey down anyway, bargaining on the unpredictability of Great British weather – and as it turns out we were treated to the most GLORIOUS golden hour spectacle you ever could imagine! Many years later, this shoot is still one of my absolute favourites of all time, and there was no doubt that it HAD to feature in my new book, STRIP/TEASE. Want to know more about Ruby Deshabille? Read on…

Ruby Deshabille

Describe your burlesque persona in exactly 5 words: Unexpected, feminist, playful, sassy, entertaining.

Tell us about your best ever burlesque performer moment. What happened? Who was there? Ooh, there’s lots of lovely moments, I can’t choose. Finding out you’ve been nominated for an award, the debut of a new routine, but for me a lot of the time, are those moments when you’re standing on a stage in a historic venue knowing that so many fabulous icons have graced the same stage, Royal Albert Hall, Café de Paris, Wilton’s Music Hall, a stage erected on top of a swimming pool in a chateau’s tropical hothouse in Cannes…. There have been a fair few celeb clients but we can’t usually talk about them…

Name three things that you always carry with you: Double-sided tape. Swiss army knife. Lady Bonnie, a My Little Pony that sends #PostcardsFromLadyBonnie from my travels.

What inspired your burlesque journey? So many things. Old Hollywood movies, initially, perhaps. But, I was exposed to a whole new world of fabulous performance art in my final year of theatre training and I fell down a burlesque rabbit hole and never came up for air… 

Who would play Ruby Deshabille in a movie of your life? Looks-wise, Reese Witherspoon or Anna Paquin, apparently.

What’s the most interesting thing about you that the internet doesn’t know about you yet? I am on an advert on the tellybox flogging some insurance and rocking a headset…

Tell us about your shoot experience with Tigz! Always wonderful. We’ve done a couple of challenging shoots; one on ice skates and one on horseback. We don’t make it easy for ourselves, do we? But both were fabulous and I adore the results.

What song gets you on the dancefloor? Oh, anything by Guns n Roses. Basically, anything by anyone with big hair who makes a lot of noise. You can probably tell this by a lot of my act music choices.

Best achievement or moment that you’re most proud of in your burlesque career? To be working with great artists and friends and happily performing over twelve years since I started; still loving every minute and finding new ways to be inspired. Also, I teach private and group burlesque classes and I’m so thrilled to be able to work with other people whether it’s for stage or purely walking into the office on Monday with a whole new angle of self-confidence.

What is your top striptease tip? Have fun! Burlesque is NOT serious! Make it fun for yourself.

If you could be a model for any brand, which brand would it be and why? Oh, I’d love to model for Catherine D’Lish gowns. They’d probably need to be taken up by about a foot though. Currently, also digging everything The Blonds do. Also, if I could turn back time and be one of the muses for Bob Mackie, that’d also be swell! So pleased to be able to get a Cher reference in there…

What will your autobiography be called? ‘It Doesn’t Not Go…’

What exciting project are you working on right now? Gorgeous new costume to be unveiled in January from Miss Katie Corsets and Katy Adeney Costumes. And I’m currently having a grand old time crystalling costumes for some very exciting projects, for other fabulous clients such as the Spice Girls and global productions of Six the Musical.

Favourite burlesque festival/show to perform at? I’m so lucky to have performed at so many wonderful shows and historic venues but I would have to say my own shows if I’m honest. I run Not My Circus with Joe Morose and I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved, putting on such glamorous and slightly left-field shows at some truly fabulous venues.

Most inspirational/memorable performer you’ve seen? I recently went to see my gorgeous pal Jessabelle Thunder in Los Angeles and aside from her being always glorious, Jake Dupree was also on the bill and is utterly brilliant!

Support your friendly local burlesque photographer and order your copy of – STRIP/TEASE – now!

Both signed and unsigned copies are available in my online store as well as direct from my publisher in the US.