Twiggy
Born 19th September 1949, London.
Twiggy remains for many an integral part of the 1960's scene. Flower power, love, freedom, rebellion and independence were all elements of what made the swinging sixties so exciting for those who lived and embraced the era. Today, those qualities and the sense of pure fun and liberation of the sixties appeal to new generations who delight in 1960s memorabilia and share a sense of that euphoria through images, video and music of the time.
Twiggy was born in London on 19th September 1949. Named Lesley Hornby, she lived in the suburbs of London with her parents and attended a local school just as most other teenagers of her time. As a teen she worked in a local London hairdresser on a Saturday to earn herself some extra cash. By all accounts, she loved fashion and would keep up with all the latest trends and happenings. Twiggy though, was destined to break free from this life and be catapulted to fame whilst still in her teenage years. At just 16 years of age, she was spotted by Nigel Davies, a local man around ten years older than Twiggy. He saw a potential in her that others may have missed and began to plan with Twiggy a way for them to make fame and fortune. He became her manager, changed his name to Justin de Villenueve and started to work on her image. (Most reports claim that he was responsible for giving her the name Twiggy after they first considered going with the name 'Sticks', her school nickname).
Twiggy's hair was cut into the now famous tomboy-esque urchin crop. The short style of her hair and her waif - like thin figure created an altogether new look for the modelling word - an androgynous style shattered the 1950s glamour puss look before it. Twiggy's was a fresh, young, unique look of youth and fun and coolness, set off by her famous wide eyes with her famous accentuated lashes. Twiggy became the face of youth, the new cool, hip, liberated youth. She was the face of London and London was swingin'.
Twiggy soon became loved around the world. She modelled in Tokyo, was treated like a star in the United States. She modelled mini skirts by Mary Quant and appeared in countless magazines. Everyone loved Twiggy and she became a real phenomena. She was not swept away by her success, even after becoming successful at such a young age. She set up a business with Villenueve, which was later run by her father. She had secured her future financially and had become an icon of her era.
Four years into her amazing success as a model, Twiggy took the daring and confident step of retiring from the modelling world. Since then she has worked in television and film, has raised a daughter and has worked towards promoting animal welfare in society.
