Twiggy, known for her elfin face and big blue eyes, made a bold move when she chose a pixie hairstyle, creating a unique look that has been copied for decades.
Although Twiggy changed the fashion industry with her youthful style, she recently shared that she never actually wanted the androgynous buzzcut that became her signature look in the Swinging Sixties. She was just too shy to say no to a famous hairstylist at a fancy salon.
As she celebrates her 74th birthday on September 19, let’s take a trip back to the 1960s when Twiggy first introduced the baby doll styles we still love today!
In 1966, Twiggy, born Lesley Hornby in Britain, was seeking a trendy new look to kickstart her modeling career. At only 5-foot-6, she was considered too short to make it in the competitive fashion world.
Reflecting on her upcoming 74th birthday, the former supermodel recalled getting her shoulder-length hair styled for test photos at London’s House of Leonard. There, she met the famous British stylist Leonard Lewis, known professionally as Leonard of Mayfair.
Lewis was searching for models to try his new crop haircut, and Twiggy was the perfect fit.
In a recent guest appearance on Jessie Ware’s podcast, “Table Manners,” Twiggy, 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. He said, ‘Let me try my new haircut on you,’” Twiggy told Ware during the podcast. “I’d been growing my hair, and for a moment, I wasn’t sure if I wanted it cut. But I was in this very fancy salon in Mayfair and felt too shy to say no, so I just nodded.”
The next day, Twiggy went back to the salon and sat in Leonard’s chair, preparing herself for the change.
“I was there for seven hours. He cut it, then I went out, had it colored, and came back for more cutting. It was crazy,” she said with a laugh.
Although the androgynous look wasn’t what Twiggy was aiming for, she quickly understood why Leonard was a famous stylist.
After Leonard perfected Twiggy’s short blonde haircut, British photographer Barry Lategan took her pictures.
“Leonard put one of the photos up in the salon, and a journalist from the Daily Express named Deirdre McSharry saw it while getting her hair done,” Twiggy explained. “That’s how it all started. When that haircut and photo happened, it was a pivotal moment for me.”
The pixie cut made her large blue eyes stand out, and she emphasized them with mascara on her lower eyelashes.
In a chat with Vogue, Twiggy shared the inspiration behind her famous eye makeup: “I was always experimenting with makeup at home. I had a rag doll with spiky eyelashes, so I bought false eyelashes and created my own unique look.”
Twiggy, the former supermodel, shared that when she was young, she liked to rebel a bit. On weekends, she would wear makeup and miniskirts to Saturday night mod clubs with her friends, even though her school was very strict.
“I went to a grammar school where we wore uniforms, and makeup wasn’t allowed,” Twiggy said. “So on weekends, my friends and I would play with makeup like most teenage girls.” This is how her unique makeup style developed, especially her iconic eye look.
A few weeks after the photoshoot for the Daily Express, some now-famous black-and-white pictures of Twiggy appeared in the paper with the headline “Twiggy—The Face of ’66.” This launched her modeling career.
The next month, Twiggy did her first shoot for Vogue, and her life quickly became very busy. She became a major figure in mod fashion and inspired many women. While still a teenager, she even became the first celebrity to have a Mattel Barbie doll modeled after her.
Over the next few years, Twiggy became closely associated with the famous British designer Mary Quant. Mary Quant changed fashion with short skirts, giving women the freedom to show their legs.
After a few years of modeling, Twiggy retired in 1970 and started acting in movies and on stage, as well as singing.
Twiggy starred in several movies, including “The Boy Friend” in 1971, a role that won her two Golden Globes, and “Club Paradise” in 1986, where she acted alongside Robin Williams.
She also judged on “America’s Next Top Model” and created a fashion line for Marks & Spencer. She appeared in many of the brand’s billboard ads.
In 2011, Twiggy released an album called “Romantically Yours,” which features cover songs like “Blue Moon,” “They Can’t Take That Away from Me,” and “Right Here Waiting.” Her daughter, Carly Lawson, born in 1978, sang on some of the tracks.
Still active in the fashion world, the beautiful Twiggy was an ambassador for L’Oreal and works with other brands as a designer.
These days, the famous Twiggy is busy with her own podcast called “Tea with Twiggy.” Each week, she talks with her famous friends in a relaxed and personal way.
Despite all her success, Twiggy, one of the most well-known faces of her time, says her greatest achievement is her relationship with her amazing daughter.
Twiggy’s daughter, Carly, lost her father, actor Michael Witney, when she was just five years old. He passed away during Carly’s fifth birthday celebration. After that, Carly was raised by her mom, Twiggy, and Twiggy’s second husband, Leigh Lawson, whom she married in 1988.
“Family is my number one priority,” said Twiggy, who is also a grandmother. “It always has been, even when Carly was little. If something didn’t work for Carly, I didn’t do it. We went everywhere together, and that’s why we’re so close now. The other day, Carly said, ‘I can’t remember a time when you weren’t there, Mum,’ and that’s because I was always there. Even when I traveled, she came with me.”
Many women envy Twiggy for how well she pulled off that pixie cut in the 1960s! She looked gorgeous then and still looks amazing now.
What do you remember about the Swinging Sixties? What’s the most daring hairstyle you’ve ever tried?
Share your stories and let’s show Twiggy some love on her birthday!
If you enjoyed reading about how Twiggy’s style has evolved, check out how Catherine Deneuve looks today. She also had her big break in the 1960s.
How the Actors of Our Favorite Vampire Movie Looked When It Was Released vs Now
The Twilight franchise first stole our hearts through the books and then on the big screen with Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson as the co-protagonists. It’s been 13 years since its premiere in 2008, and that’s why we decided to learn about the lives of the actors who appeared in it and how they look today after putting aside their vampire costumes.
1. Kristen Stewart — Bella Swan
Although Kristen began acting as a child — at the age of 12 she was Jodie Foster’s daughter in Panic Room, and its success opened doors for her in Hollywood — it was her starring role in the Twilight Saga that undoubtedly made her worldwide famous. During the filming of the saga, Kristen participated in another film: Snow White and the Huntsman, where she played the naive princess. Some of her latest works are the films Crimes of the Future and Spencer.
2. Robert Pattinson — Edward Cullen
Without a doubt, his starring role in the Twilight saga brought Pattinson to stardom. However, the English actor was already known at the time. At the age of 15, he started acting in the London theater club, and, some time later, he was chosen to play Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. In 2022, he incarnated a new Bruce Wayne in The Batman, a film in which he stars alongside Zoë Kravitz.
3. Billy Burke — Charlie Swan
Before becoming an actor, Burke was a musician; at the age of fifteen he played music in bands and it was a record label deal that drove him to move to Los Angeles. He became known for participating in the television series 24 and for acting in Gilmore Girls and Fringe, a science fiction series. His most recent work is Fire Country where he gives life to Vince Leone.
4. Sarah Clarke — Renée
Before playing Renée, Bella Swan’s immature mother, Clarke worked alongside Billy Burke in the series 24. But her screen debut was in the world of advertising, in a Volkswagen commercial called Synchronicity. While the Twilight saga was being filmed, she ventured into crime and espionage as the CIA agent Lena Smith in the series Secret Affairs. Her last appearance was in the film Alchemy of the Spirit.
5. Justin Chon — Eric Yorkie
In the saga, Chon played Eric Yorkie, Bella’s classmate. But Chon has explored different terrain beyond the world of acting. Since 2015, he has been writing and directing — one of his films, Gook, received several awards, one of them for best director —, he has a YouTube channel and is a member of BgA, a group that parodies K-pop, a popular South Korean genre. Nevertheless, he has never left the screen and can be seen in his latest series The Casagrandes.
6. Michael Welch — Mike Newton
Before becoming Mike Newton, the friend in love with Bella, Michael Welch was known for his role as Luke Girardi in the series Joan of Arcadia. He has appeared in very famous series such as CSI: Las Vegas, Bones, and Criminal Minds. In 2022 he acted in the film Hot Seat and in the series Quantum Leap.
7. Anna Kendrick — Jessica
Contrary to most of Kendrick’s colleagues in the saga, her role as Jessica, one of the main character’s friends, is far from being the most important in her career. Anna has shared the screen with celebrities such as George Clooney, Meryl Streep, and Ben Affleck. She has even written an autobiographical book, Scrappy Little Nobody. Her last work was in the film Alice, Darling.
8. Christian Serratos — Ángela Weber
Apart from the role of Bella’s best human friend, her most important role was undoubtedly that of Rosita Espinosa in The Walking Dead. Then she played Selena Quintanilla in the Netflix series Selena, based on the life of the popular singer. In her personal life, the actress promotes a vegan lifestyle and is in a relationship with David Boyd, the lead singer of the Danish rock band New Politics, with whom she has a son named Wolfgang.
9. Nikki Reed — Rosalie
Nikki Reed became known in 2003 for playing one of the lead roles in the movie Thirteen. She co-wrote the screenplay with Catherine Hardwicke, who also directed the first movie of the Twilight saga. The film is based on Reed’s own life and earned her the award for best debut and several other nominations. The actress had her first child with another vampire, actor Ian Somerhalder— star of The Vampire Diaries —, whom she married in April 2015.
10. Kellan Lutz — Emmet
After the famous saga, he played very well-known (and strong) characters. He was Poseidon in Immortals, he was the voice of Tarzan in the animated film Tarzan, and was Hercules in The Legend of Hercules. His most recent work is in The Guardians of Justice series playing King Tsunami.
11. Ashley Greene — Alice
Before getting the role, she was not known in the movie industry. While the saga was being made, she starred in suspense and horror films, such as Summer’s Blood and, in 2012, The Apparition. In 2022, she appeared in two other movies: Wrong Place, where she plays Chloé, and The Immaculate Room in which she is Simone.
12. Jackson Rathbone — Jasper
Jackson’s career is divided between the world of movies and series and that of music. On the screen, he can be seen in films such as The Guardians of Justice and Until We Meet Again. In the music business, the actor was part of the band 100 Monkeys. As a solo artist, he released the album American Spirits Blues, where he shows his skills with different instruments, such as guitar, harmonica, banjo, and mandolin.
What is your favorite movie in the Twilight saga? And your favorite character?
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