Arguably the most famous fashion face of the late 1960’s was Twiggy. At a time when the majority of models came from an upper class background and resembled an ultra feminine aesthetic, along came Miss Lesley Hornby or Twiggy as she was nick named. The daughter of working class parents, doe-eyed, super skinny, with a boyish frame. At the age of 16 she took London, and then the world by storm.

Twiggy’s androgynous figure, short hair cut, courtesy of hairdresser Leonard Lewis and her penchant for graphic liner and painted lashes called “twiggies”catapulted her into almost overnight stardom. Within a year she was the most internationally recognized model. Twiggy was the “London Look” she represented what London was all about in the late 1960’s and her fame quickly grew.

It started with photographs shot by Barry Lategan which lead to working with some of the most important fashion photographers of the time such as Helmut Newton and Guy Bourdain. Between 1967 and ’68 Vogue published forty-eight pictures shot by Richard Avedon. Twiggy’s influence stretched far beyond editorials in Vogue and other publications. She had her own makeup collaboration with Yardley of London. The line featured eye pencil called Twiggy Stix, eye paint and lashes, as well as her own step-by-step tutorial on how to perfectly replicate her big doll-eyed makeup. There was merchandise like her own clothing line, bags, board games, lunch boxes, a namesake magazine, even a Mattel Barbie doll, the first of its kind to resemble a real person!

Twiggy makeup

Photo Credit Yardley of London

Mattel Twiggy doll & Twiggy magazine

Photo credit Pinterest & Worth Point 

Twiggy clothing line

Photo credit Carnabetian Army 

I think what’s most interesting is that Twiggy gained such success over  a relatively short time span of only four and a half years. By 1970 after a whirl wind career she was mostly retired from modelling. It was a unique moment in time that made such a tremendous impact on the fashion history.

Inglot AMC Eyeliner Gel, Dior Forever Foundation, Red Cherry Lashes “Hon”, MAC Lipstick in Pretty Please, MAC Pigment in Vanilla 

MAKEUP, HAIR, STYLING & CREATIVE DIRECTION: JORDY POON & LEAH ELLISTON
MODEL: ANASTASIA – FAMILY MANAGEMENT
PHOTOGRAPHER: ZENAIDA KWONG
PRODUCTION: INDEPENDANT LABEL CREATIVE