How Twiggy Fashion Changed the Beauty Industry (2024)

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How Twiggy Fashion Changed the Beauty Industry? ›

During the 1960s, Twiggy was one of the many who joined a movement that celebrated a more liberated fashion sense than ever before. Bras were switched to light camisoles and garters were changed to stockings.

The British model's bold eye makeup, cropped cut, and androgynous aesthetic became a true reference for the decade's Mod look, revolutionizing the fashion industry and inspiring young people around the world to trade voluminous skirts and curls for mini dresses and short locks.

Twiggy's influence on fashion during the '60s extended beyond her appearance. Her adolescent physique perfectly suited the androgynous styles of the time. The era witnessed the rise of designs like A-line dresses, military-inspired suits, and unisex clothing, all of which she embodied with grace and style.

She was a British cultural icon and a prominent teenaged model during the swinging '60s in London. Twiggy was initially known for her thin build and the androgynous appearance considered to result from her big eyes, long eyelashes, and short hair.

The Mod era heavily characterized '60s British style. Twiggy, whose fame was largely attributed to her androgynous looks, was the quintessential mold for many female “Mods” as they were called, with her short haircut and displaying the next big things in fashion as a model.

At the dawn of the 1960s, young people's income was at its highest since the end of the Second World War. Increased economic power fuelled a new sense of identity and the need to express it. The fashion industry quickly responded by creating designs for young people that no longer simply copied 'grown up' styles.

Launched by a famous little-boy haircut, shaped by Leonard and coloured by Daniel Galvin, Twiggy was the world's first supermodel. As both 'Woman of the Year' and The 'Face of 1966', Twiggy (born Lesley Hornby) was the embodiment of the 60s look.

Even before her modelling days, Twiggy had a keen interest in fashion, with her mum teaching her how to sew so she could make her own clothes. She had her breakthrough when she was just 16 after celeb hairdresser Leonard gave her an experimental short crop haircut at his Leonard of Mayfair boutique.

' London and she remains today an internationally recognised name and face. Appearing in all the leading magazines she has been photographed by Cecil Beaton, Richard Avedon, Melvin Sokolsky, Ronald Traeger, Bert Stern and Norman Parkinson amongst others.

Lesley Lawson, more commonly known as Twiggy, has been awarded a damehood for her services to fashion, the arts and charity in the Queen's New Year Honours list. The 69-year old was the face of the Sixties, shooting to international fame for her dramatic eyes and androgynous hair at just 16-years-old.

Was Twiggy a smoker? ›

I smoked cigarettes, that was my only vice. I was never a huge smoker, but I'm so proud I stopped.

Lisa Fonssagrives is widely considered to have been the world's first supermodel, with a career that began in the 1930s.

But Twiggy is an expert at reinvention (or “branching out” as her joke goes). The schoolgirl known as Lesley Hornby became Twiggy, the face of the 1960s, recognised then and now by a single name.

Ponchos, moccasins, love beads, peace signs, medallion necklaces, chain belts, polka dot-printed fabrics, and long, puffed "bubble" sleeves were popular fashions in the late 1960s. Both men and women wore frayed bell-bottomed jeans, tie-dyed shirts, work shirts, Jesus sandals, and headbands.

A British cultural icon, Twiggy was a prominent teenage model during the swinging sixties in London, being named 'The Face of 1966' by the Daily Express, the copy in it reading 'The co*ckney kid with a face to launch a thousand shapes... and she's only 16', and voted British Woman of the Year.

The early 1960s makeup look was all about elegant eyes, pale pink hues, and tons of powder, but by the mid-'60s, this style evolved into the more dramatic eye makeup look and thick lashes typified by the likes of British model Twiggy during the Mod era of fashion.

Colourful and cheerful clothes that reflect love and peace which are Hippy culture norms and beliefs. Hippies also encouraged the re-use of materials by wearing second-hand clothes and fashion products. Another significant characteristic of the Hippy fashion style is individuality.

From e-commerce platforms to digital marketing and 3D printing, technology has streamlined production processes, expanded distribution channels, and enabled personalized styling. As the fashion industry continues to evolve, sustainability and ethical practices are becoming increasingly important.

The emergence of Glam Rock in the 1970s ushered in a new outlandish style, with musicians and teenage fans pulling out their platform boots, space suits and glitter, opening up new discussions around gender and androgyny that paved the way for future youth movements including the Punks and New Romantics.

Art and youth movements made themselves known in the fashion world. Black models and African-inflected clothing inspired and reflected the pride of the civil-rights movement. Feminism was embodied first in miniskirts, which defied the model femininity of the 1950s, and then with clothing designed for women in careers.