See iconic model Twiggy now at 73
Step back in time to the swinging sixties, where fashion was bold, and Twiggy was about to make her mark on the world. Reluctantly, but with a sense of destiny, Twiggy decided to take her appearance to the next level. With her elfin-like face and mesmerizing big blue eyes, she knew she needed a hairstyle that would match her unique beauty. And so, she embarked on a journey that would forever change the fashion industry.
Twiggy, the legendary cover girl, recently revealed the truth behind her iconic pixie hairstyle. Contrary to popular belief, she didn’t desire the androgynous buzz that became synonymous with the Swinging Sixties. In fact, she was simply too shy to refuse the work of a famous hairstylist in a posh salon. Sometimes, fate has a way of pushing us towards our destiny, even when we resist it.
As Twiggy celebrates her 74th birthday on September 19, it’s time to transport ourselves back to the vibrant era of the 1960s. It was during this time that Twiggy first inspired the famous baby doll styles that still captivate us today. A trendsetter in her own right, the British-born beauty, whose birth name is Lesley Hornby, was determined to find a trendy new look that would help launch her modeling career.
Standing at only 5-foot-6, Twiggy faced relentless criticism and was repeatedly told that she was too short to succeed in the cutthroat world of fashion. But she refused to let that deter her. With unwavering determination and an unwritten belief in her own potential, she sought out a hairstylist who could transform her image.
In 1966, Twiggy walked through the doors of London’s House of Leonard, her shoulder-length hair ready for a transformation. Little did she know that her encounter with the famed British stylist, Leonard Lewis, would change the course of her life forever. Leonard was on the lookout for models bold enough to try out his revolutionary crop haircut, and Twiggy’s unique features made her the perfect candidate.
With trepidation and excitement coursing through her veins, Twiggy sat in the salon chair, her fate hanging in the balance. As Leonard began to work his magic, Twiggy’s apprehension transformed into anticipation. The sound of scissors cutting through her hair was like the symphony of a new chapter unfolding. And when the final strands fell to the floor, Twiggy emerged with her iconic pixie hairstyle.
Little did she know that this look would not only define her career but also become a timeless symbol of beauty and rebellion. Twiggy had unwittingly revolutionized the fashion industry, proving that unconventional beauty could captivate the world. Her elfin-like face and those mesmerizing big blue eyes were now framed by a hairstyle that would be replicated and imitated for decades to come.
As we celebrate Twiggy’s 74th birthday, let us remember the young girl who defied expectations and paved the way for future generations of models and fashion icons. Her pixie hairstyle may have been born out of shyness, but it became a statement of empowerment, a symbol of breaking free from societal norms.
So, here’s to Twiggy, the trailblazer who transformed the fashion industry, all while staying true to herself. Happy birthday to the woman who inspired a generation and gave us a hairstyle that will forever be etched in our collective memory.
In her recent guest appearance on Jessie Ware’s podcast, “Table Manners,” the former style icon revealed that she never wanted to have her hair cut short.
“I went in to have it shampooed and set and Leonard saw me, and he said, ‘Let me do my new haircut on you,’” Twiggy told Ware during the podcast. “I’d been growing my hair, for a moment I kind of went, ‘I don’t know whether I want my hair cut.’ But I was in this very posh salon in Mayfair so I was a bit too shy to say I don’t want it done, and I kind of nodded.”
The next day, Twiggy returned to the salon and sat in Lewis’ chair, bracing herself for what was coming.
“I went back the next day and I was in there for seven hours, where he cut it and then I went out and had it colored and then re-cut. Oh, it was mad,” she said with a laugh.
And though the androgynous look wasn’t what Twiggy was chasing, she quickly understood why Lewis earned notoriety as a stylist.
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After perfecting her golden blonde crop, Lewis had British photographer, Barry Lategan, snapped Twiggy’s pictures.
“Leonard put it up in the salon and a journalist saw it,” Twiggy said, referring to the Daily Express fashion editor Deirdre McSharry, who while having Lewis style her hair, saw Twiggy’s daring do in the photos. “That’s how it all happened…When that haircut started, when that photograph was taken, that was the pivotal moment.”
The pixie cut highlighted her large blue eyes, which she emphasized with mascara on her lower eyelashes.
In a conversation with Vogue, Twiggy explained the inspiration behind her doe eyes: “I was also constantly playing around with make-up at home. I had a rag doll that had those spikey eyelashes, so I bought false eyelashes for myself and created what became known as my sort of ‘look.’”
The former supermodel also said as a youngster, when she wasn’t in the strict confines of her school, that she rebelled by wearing makeup and miniskirts to Saturday night mod clubs with her friends.
“I went to a grammar school, so it was quite strict. We wore uniforms and makeup was not allowed. So, on the weekends, me and my friends would sit like most teenage girls and play with makeup.” She continued “And that’s how that makeup evolved.”
And the eyes became part of her signature look.
A few weeks after the shoot for the Daily Express, several pictures–now iconic black and white images that launched her modeling career–along with the headline “Twiggy–The Face Of ‘66” appeared on the pages of the paper.
The following month, she did her first shoot for Vogue and her “life became a whirlwind.”
The quintessential mold for mod fashion, Twiggy was the role model to many women and, still in her teens, she became the first celebrity that Mattel used as a blueprint for a Twiggy Barbie.
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Over the next several years, Twiggy’s name became synonymous with the trailblazing British designer Mary Quant, who revolutionized fashion with short hemlines, freeing the female leg.
After only a handful years of modelling, Twiggy retired in 1970 and explored stage and screen acting, along with singing.
Her movies include starring roles in 1971s The Boy Friend–a performance that earned her two Golden Globes–and Club Paradise (1986), where she played the lead alongside the late Robin Williams.
The America’s Next Top Model judge also worked on a fashion line exclusive to Marks & Spencer and ppeared on several of the brand’s billboard ads.
In 2011, she released the album “Romantically Yours,” that features cover songs like “Blue Moon,” “They Can’t Take That Away from Me” and “Right Here Waiting.” Her only daughter, Carly Lawson (born 1978) is a guest vocalist on some of the tracks.
Still on the frontlines of fashion, the stunning woman was ambassador for L’Oreal and she partners with other brands as a designer.
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These days the icon is keeping busy with her own podcast, Tea with Twiggy, where each week she has intimate chats with her famous friends.
And despite all her achievements, Twiggy, one of the most recognizable faces of her generation, said her success can only be measured by the bond she shares with her incredible daughter.
After her father, actor Michael Witney, died at 52 at her fifth birthday celebration, Carly was raised by her mom and second husband, Leigh Lawson, whom Twiggy married in 1988.
“My number one is family. It always has been, even when Carly was little. If it didn’t work for Carly, I didn’t do it,” said Twiggy, who’s also a grandmother. “We went everywhere together but that’s why we’re so close now. The other day, she was saying, ‘I can’t remember a time when you weren’t there, Mum’ and it’s because I was always there. Even when I travelled, she came with me.”
Twiggy is the envy of many women for being able to pull off that pixie cut from the 1960s! She looked, and still looks, gorgeous!
What are your memories of the Swinging Sixties? What is the most daring hairstyle you’ve tried?
Please share this story and let’s show Twiggy some love on her birthday!
