Even though she was hesitant at first, Twiggy upgraded her appearance by pairing her elfin-like face and big blue eyes with a pixie haircut, creating a distinctive style that has been copied for years.
While she made a big impact on the fashion world with her youthful look, the legendary cover girl recently admitted that she didn’t actually want the androgynous style that was popular in the Swinging Sixties. She confessed that she was just too shy to refuse the famous hairstylist’s work in a fancy salon.
Let’s celebrate Twiggy’s 74th birthday on September 19 by remembering the 1960s when she first popularized the famous baby doll styles that are still around today!
Back in 1966, Twiggy, born Lesley Hornby in Britain, was searching for a cool new style to kickstart her career. Even though she was only 5-foot-6, which some people thought was too short for modeling, she didn’t let that stop her dreams in the tough fashion world.
On her 74th birthday on September 19, the ex-supermodel remembered getting her shoulder-length hair styled for some test “head shots” at London’s House of Leonard. There, she met the famous British stylist Leonard Lewis, also known as Leonard of Mayfair. Lewis was searching for models to try out his new crop haircut.
In a recent interview on Jessie Ware’s podcast “Table Manners,” the former fashion icon shared that she never really wanted to get her hair cut short. Twiggy explained that she went to the salon just to get her hair washed and styled, but when the famous stylist Leonard saw her, he insisted on giving her his new haircut. Despite feeling unsure and wanting to keep her hair long, Twiggy felt too shy to refuse, especially in such a fancy salon, so she ended up agreeing to it.
The next day, Twiggy went back to the salon, feeling a bit nervous about what was going to happen next. She sat in Leonard’s chair, preparing herself. She spent seven hours there, as Leonard cut her hair, then she got it colored, and finally, it was cut again. She found the whole experience pretty crazy and laughed about it.
Even though Twiggy wasn’t originally going for the androgynous look, she soon realized why Leonard was famous as a stylist.
Once Leonard had styled Twiggy’s perfect golden blonde crop, he had British photographer Barry Lategan take her pictures. Twiggy explained that Leonard displayed the photos in his salon, and a journalist named Deirdre McSharry from the Daily Express saw them while getting her hair styled by Leonard. That’s when everything changed. “That’s how it all happened,” Twiggy said. “When that haircut started, when that photograph was taken, that was the pivotal moment.”
The pixie cut made her big blue eyes stand out, especially because she used mascara on her lower lashes to make them pop even more.
In a chat with Vogue magazine, Twiggy talked about where she got the idea for her dramatic eyes: “I used to play with makeup a lot at home. I had a rag doll with long, spiky eyelashes, so I got some false lashes for myself and created what later became my signature ‘look.'”
When Twiggy was young and not in school, she rebelled against the strict rules by wearing makeup and short skirts to mod clubs on Saturday nights with her friends.
She explained, “I went to a strict grammar school where we had to wear uniforms and weren’t allowed to wear makeup. So, on weekends, like most teenage girls, my friends and I would sit around and experiment with makeup.” She added, “And that’s how my signature makeup look evolved.”
Her distinctive eyes soon became a big part of her style.
A few weeks after the photoshoot for the Daily Express, several pictures—now famous black and white images that launched her modeling career—appeared in the paper with the headline “Twiggy—The Face Of ’66.”
The next month, she had her first photo shoot for Vogue, and from then on, her life became very busy and exciting.
Twiggy became the perfect example of mod fashion, inspiring many women. Even when she was still a teenager, she was the model that Mattel used to make the first Twiggy Barbie doll.
For many years after that, Twiggy’s name was closely linked with the pioneering British designer Mary Quant. Quant changed fashion by making short skirts that showed off women’s legs. Twiggy became a symbol of this new style.
After just a few years of modeling, Twiggy retired in 1970. She then tried her hand at acting on stage and screen, as well as singing.
In movies, she had lead roles in films like “The Boy Friend” in 1971, for which she won two Golden Globes, and “Club Paradise” in 1986, where she starred alongside the late Robin Williams.
She also worked on a fashion line exclusively for Marks & Spencer and appeared in many of their billboard ads. Additionally, she served as a judge on the TV show “America’s Next Top Model.”
In 2011, she put out an album called “Romantically Yours.” It has songs like “Blue Moon,” “They Can’t Take That Away from Me,” and “Right Here Waiting,” but they’re all cover versions of other artists’ songs. Her daughter, Carly Lawson, who was born in 1978, sings on some of the songs too.
Even now, she’s still active in the fashion world. She’s been an ambassador for L’Oreal, and she works with other brands as a designer.
Nowadays, Twiggy stays busy with her own podcast called “Tea with Twiggy.” Each week, she has cozy conversations with her famous friends.
Despite all her accomplishments, Twiggy, who is one of the most well-known faces of her time, believes that her true success can only be measured by the close bond she shares with her amazing daughter.
Carly’s father, actor Michael Witney, passed away when Carly was just five years old. After that, Carly was raised by her mom, Twiggy, and her second husband, Leigh Lawson, who Twiggy married in 1988.
Twiggy values family above everything else. She always put Carly first, even when Carly was little. Twiggy and Carly have a really close bond because they did everything together when Carly was growing up. Twiggy even took Carly with her when she traveled.
Many women admire Twiggy for being able to rock that iconic pixie cut from the 1960s. She looked gorgeous then, and she still looks amazing now!
