Twiggy

"At sixteen, I was a funny, skinny little thing, all eyelashes and legs. And then suddenly people told me I was gorgeous. I thought they had gone mad" 

The most distinctive face of the Swinging Sixties was a young English Model who became an international icon whilst still a teenager. Lesley Hornby changed her name to Twiggy and the rest, as they say, is history.

Lesley Hornby was born in London, 1949. Her mother taught her to sew at an early age and she often made her own clothes. When she was sixteen Lesley had her hair cut at the famous hairdressers, Leonard of Mayfair. Leonard wanted to model his new short hairstyle and so he had several pictures taken of Lesley. The photos were noticed by a fashion journalist who arranged to meet Lesley and declared her to be the 'face of '66'. Her boyfriend, Justin de Villeneuve, became her manager and changed her named to 'Twiggy'. The newly christened Twiggy was soon modelling for all the major magazines, and quickly became an international icon. Twiggy even created her own fashion label, which was made especially for the teenage market. Although she was at the height of her fame Twiggy felt that modelling was only a transitory profession and in 1970 she retired from the business. In the following years Twiggy worked extensively in film and TV and had a successful singing career. In 1977 she married actor Michael Witney their daughter, Carly, was born the following year. The couple eventually separated and following Michael's death, Twiggy married Leigh Lawson. She currently lives in London with her husband and has her own fashion range, for older women, at department store Marks and Spencer.

Twiggy was one of the most recognisable and influential faces of Swinging London. Her slim androgynous figure, large eyes and short hair became the 'look' of the decade. She favoured miniskirts and shift dresses in bold colourful patterns, and was influenced by the 1920s. Twiggy was also more accessible to a younger audience, than some of the models of the day, and had a strong teenage following. One of her most distinctive features was her eyelashes, the bottom ones she emphasised by painting them onto her face.

Despite her youth Twiggy was always a dedicated professional and was interested in all aspects of her 'brand'. She was actively involved in her fashion label, collaborating with designers and flying around the world to promote it. She was also prepared for a life after fashion and stretched herself by pursuing acting and singing. She didn't want to remain a "clothes horse" for the remainder of her life and pushed herself in areas she found more personally fulfilling.

Though today she is best remembered for being something of a 'pop icon' Twiggy has remained a kind hearted, down to earth woman. Her achievements cross all aspects of the arts and she has had a huge influence on fashion, acting and the definition of beauty. More than anyone she encompassed the fun, youthful, working class feel of Swinging London.

"I used to be a thing; I'm a person now"