Twiggy

Twiggy (born September 19, 1949, Neasden, London, England) is a British fashion model and actress whose gamine frame and mod look defined the fashion industry during much of the late 20th century. She is widely considered to have been one of the world’s first supermodels—a top fashion model who appears simultaneously on the covers of the world’s leading fashion magazines and is globally recognized by first name only.

Twiggy’s father was employed as a carpenter, and her mother was a factory worker. Twiggy attended a high school for girls and in 1965, at age 15, while working as an assistant in a London hair salon, she met hairdresser Nigel Davies (later known as Justin de Villeneuve), who called her “Twigs” because of her thin frame. The following year, he spearheaded her physical transformation—pairing a short boyish bob with big darkly lined eyes and false eyelashes. Twiggy’s adolescent physique was ideal for the rising hemlines and unisex patterns that were then in vogue, and her overall look distinguished her from the curvaceous, glamorous top models of the era. After spotting her photograph on a salon wall, a fashion journalist for the Daily Express newspaper interviewed her and published an article featuring her—christened Twiggy—as “The Face of ’66,” and she was subsequently voted British Woman of the Year. Twiggy began modeling extensively, quickly gaining international recognition, and her appearance on the cover of the U.S. edition of the leading fashion magazine Vogue (April 1967) heralded her rise to fame. Twiggy was soon considered iconic of the decade, and her name was marketed as a brand in connection with a string of products including a Twiggy doll.

Twiggy parlayed her celebrity into a singing career, releasing an award-winning debut single, “Beautiful Dreams,” in 1967. Formally retiring from modeling in 1970 to pursue a film career, she was featured in the romantic musical The Boy Friend (1971), for which she won two Golden Globe awards. In 1975 she published a best-selling autobiography, Twiggy, and was featured in her own television variety show of the same name. Two years later she married American actor Michael Whitney (died 1983). Twiggy was nominated for a Tony Award for her role in the Broadway musical My One and Only (1983–84). In 1988 she married British actor and director Leigh Lawson. Twiggy hosted television shows, including Twiggy’s People (1998), into the early 21st century and served as a judge on the reality-television show America’s Next Top Model (2005–07), hosted by fellow former fashion model Tyra Banks.

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Twiggy was featured in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition “The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion” (2009), which showcased the models who had epitomized fashion during the 20th century, and in the National Portrait Gallery’s “Twiggy: A Life in Photographs” (2009–10). She also launched several signature product lines, including clothing, skin care, and bedding, and appeared in advertising campaigns for some of the world’s top brands, including Olay cosmetic products.

In 2019 Twiggy was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE).