Precious Ruby
October 7, 2008
When your whole family is madly creative, modeling is just the beginning...
It's hard not to notice Ruby Aldridge when she enters a room. It's not that she's loud, or showy; in fact, she comes across pretty self-effacing. At 5'10", she's tall, but not freakishly so. But she's so darn beautiful - not "pretty" but beautiful - it's tough to look away.
And her legs probably belong in the Guinness Book of World Records - they're that long.
"I took endless grief for my height in school," she says with a shrug. "People were always making fun." You get the impression it didn't bother her much; that even barely into her teens, Ruby already saw a world after school that would be far more interesting and it was that world she had her eye on.
When you meet her parents, and learn a little about her family, Ruby's wider worldview becomes a bit easier to understand. Her mom, Laura, still stunning in her Fifties, was Playboy's February, 1976 Playmate of the Month, and worked as a flight attendant on the official Playboy jet "Big Bunny."
To travel on Big Bunny was no small thing back then. Playboy publisher Hugh Hefner knew everyone who was anyone from rock royalty to jazz greats, to literary giants. "It was a fabulous opportunity," says Laura. "I met incredible people," including Elvis, who bought her a necklace she has to this day.
Ruby's dad, Alan is a legend in art direction and illustration especially well-known for his wild, intricate, illustration and design work on album covers for the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Who and Elton John, as well as book jackets, posters, magazine illustrations, children's books and all kinds of rock paraphernalia. He's still in high demand: GQ just published an article featuring his work, and the latest Incubus album cover is also his work. A children's book "The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast" is being re-issued by Templar Publishing just in time for the holidays, and next spring, Harry N. Abrams will release "The Man With Kaleidoscope Eyes; The Art of Alan Aldridge," a survey of his work since the 60s.
That's just the beginning: Ruby's half-sister, Saffron is a model-turned-author, her half-brother is fashion photographer Miles Aldridge. Her sister, Lilly, is a successful model herself, her brother Toby Joe Jackson does special effects for film and television, brother Pim manages composers, and James is studying electronic musical composition.
As her very proud dad (who joined Laura and Ruby during the shoot) puts it, "I think we're kind of a dynasty at this point."
So putting on wild clothes and getting in front of a camera just seems like a perfectly natural thing for seventeen-year-old Ruby Aldridge to do.
"Ruby! You've got to loosen up in front of the camera" her mother jokes as she watches her daughter bend and contort her incredibly long limbs to make the perfect picture [see this month's fashion feature].
For her part, when the camera's rolling, Ruby takes care of business, and if you think that's easy, try hitting the pose on this month's cover. On a chair. Again and again. For half an hour.
Her first modeling gig came four years ago, with Elle Girl. "I was still in school. I wasn't planning on being a model," she explains. "My sister, who's a little older than me, had booked the job, and they found out Lilly had a younger sister."
Apparently, the Elle Girl crew took a look at Ruby, and decided that two Aldridges were better than one and "the rest is history," she laughs.
She's since completed school and devotes herself to modeling fulltime with her mom doubling as traveling companion and manager.
At this stage of the game that means being willing to pick up and go where the work is for weeks at a time.
Which suits her just fine. She recently returned from a month in Tokyo where "I modeled my heart out and got to see the culture first-hand. I've always wanted to go there and I love the fact that I get paid to travel the world and it's fun to dress up! It's just insane to be able to do this! What a blessing."
She acknowledges that modeling has a downside as well. "You have to have very thick skin to do this," she explains. "I don't mind when I don't get booked for a job - I understand it's a process. But when it becomes 'Oh, we don't like her face,' or 'she's a little overweight' I don't like that. It's how girls become anorexic. It's one thing to say 'she's not right for the job,' it's not necessary to say stuff like 'Her feet are too big!'"
For the record, Ruby's feet are perfectly fine.
When she's not working, she hangs out with her friends, listens to music, goes to concerts and writes songs. "I think I'd like to pursue something in music later in life," she says.
She's also started taking pictures of her own, so who knows? The Aldridge Family Business seems to be a lot of different things; in front of the camera, behind the camera, drawing, designing, making music, listening to music, sky's the limit.
Her father thinks she'll be a photographer. "She's got a very good eye," he says, proudly.
But whatever she does, she has her family's encouragement and for now, it's modeling. "When I said I wanted to try modeling, both my parents were all for it," she says. "The only thing they said was 'Go for it, be the best you can be.'" Pretty good advice no matter what you want to do.
The Loves of Ruby Aldridge
Music: "Ariel Pink, Vampire Weekend, Nine Inch Nails. I like strange, weird, electronic, rock - and Little Wayne."
Love Interest: "No one at the moment."
Designers: "I like vintage clothes. I only shop in vintage stores. I have a few Marc Jacobs and some Vivienne Westwood pieces I love."
Shoes: "Flats. I'm too tall to wear heels."
Food: "I love vegetarian baloney sandwiches. I love being a vegetarian. I feel good. I love animals. I do eat dairy and eggs, but no fish."
