Lesley Hornby, known to the world as Twiggy, is an English model who rose to fame as a style icon of the 1960s. Born in London, Twiggy was just 16 years old when she went to the salon of Leonard of Mayfair (aka Leonard Lewis, a famous hairstylist), where she received a new crop cut as part of the stylist’s experiment. A photographer took some headshots of her sporting her new ‘do. Leonard displayed the photos in his salon where they caught the eye of a fashion reporter working for the Daily Express.
Soon after, the teenager found herself in the paper, touted as “The Face of ‘66.”
Hornby, who had a narrow frame even for her age, was called “Twigs.” Her modeling career soared to great heights, winning her success under the name “Twiggy”. What set her apart from other models of the time was not only her boyish haircut but her thin and androgynous figure. She had gorgeous dark and heavy eyelashes that couldn’t help but draw in anyone looking at her photos. In a matter of months, Twiggy had appeared in several leading publications including Vogue.
In 1967, she visited the United States where she had already risen to international fame.
Twiggy modeled for four years after getting her big break and retired in 1970 to focus on other things, specifically singing and acting.
