The 1960s British fashion model born Lesley Hornby was Twiggy. She became one of the defining faces of London’s “Swinging Sixties” and an early international supermodel.
Hornby was born in 1949 and began attracting attention as a teenager. In 1966, photographer Barry Lategan took headshots of her after her hair was cut into a short, distinctive style by London hairdresser Leonard. Fashion journalist Deirdre McSharry saw the photographs and helped introduce her to a wider audience through the Daily Express, which dubbed her “The Face of ’66.”
Her nickname came from “Twigs,” a childhood nickname referring to her slim build. Her androgynous look—large eyes, dramatic lower-lash makeup, short hair and a very slender figure—helped define a new teenage fashion ideal. She soon appeared in major magazines and worked internationally in France, Japan and the United States.
Twiggy was not only a model. She later became an actress and singer, won two Golden Globe Awards for The Boy Friend in 1971, and was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2019.