9 Throwback Pics Of '60s Model Twiggy That Perfectly Capture The Era's Vibe

In the 1960s, there was no model more famous than Twiggy. Born Lesley Hornby in North London, it didn't take long for Twiggy to become an international success thanks to her androgynous appearance and her playful personal style. "I had three pairs of false eyelashes on the top," Twiggy told The Guardian in May 2020, adding that it took about 90 minutes for her to do her eye makeup. "I'm amazed I could open my eyes ... Then I used to paint the lines underneath. So in 1966, when I was plucked from anonymity into the madness it became, that was my look."

Twiggy was only 16 when the Daily Express called her "The Face of '66," and by 1967, her fame had reached such epic proportions that Cher and Sonny Bono hosted a party for her at their Beverly Hills home. But despite the fame, her undeniable impact on mod fashion, and her endless outfits from the '60s that define the era's style, Twiggy admits that she wasn't old enough to appreciate it as it was happening in the moment. "I was so young that it all went over my head. I was so naïve," she told The Guardian in September 2009.

After just a few years in the industry, Twiggy quit modeling in 1970. "You can't be a clothes hanger for your entire life," Twiggy said of her decision, via The Independent. While that may be true, we're grateful for the throwback pictures of this icon that perfectly capture the vibe of the 1960s.

Although there are many facets to the mod fashion explosion of the 1960s, one of the biggest looks at the time was minidresses in a variety of different, often new man-made fabrics. In May 1966, Twiggy modeled a disposable plastic dress with big geometric-shaped earrings, an outfit that embraced that era's cultural revolution. "Legs are still it — that's the whole story," wrote Vogue in August 1966, regarding the new mini designs that were hitting the stores. "What it boils down to is this: you're going to see a real variety of hemlines now, with nothing but good news for legs." 

While today this look might be considered cultural appropriation, in the 1960s, that concept had yet to arrive. Given this, when people tapped into boho chic looks, they went all out with suede ensembles that included lots of embellishments and, of course, fringes, as we see here on Twiggy in 1965, as she touches down at London's Heathrow Airport. To complete the look — because clearly those knee-high matching boots weren't enough — Twiggy wore a headband. Thankfully, when boho came back and was rocked in a modern way for the 2000s, the cultural appropriation part was left in the past.

After a decade of fairly muted colors and shades, the 1960s fashion was all about bright, bold colors. If you weren't willing to rock yellow or burnt orange, then you may as well have just hidden until the decade was over. In 1966, Sara Crichton-Stuart (now Salimah Aga Khan) and Twiggy modeled these navy blue dresses with yellow and burnt orange stripes, exemplifying outfits that anyone who was fashionably conscious at the time would wear about town. Because the '60s were the perfect clash of women's liberation and comfort, Mary Janes and Oxfords were the shoe style that embodied both.

When you're a famous model and dictating fashion trends on a global scale, it only makes sense that you get a car to match your lifestyle. After attending a Toyota car show in Tokyo, Twiggy was gifted a brand-new gold Toyota 2000GT in 1968. Although Twiggy didn't have her license yet, she still arrived dressed to the nines in a long, belted leather coat, loafers, and a headscarf that tied in the back, revealing just a bit of her blond bob. Twiggy completed her look with red lipstick, which is always a good idea, and dark eyeliner.

Like many models, Twiggy didn't take long to launch her own line of clothing: Twiggy Dresses. After being approached by Taramina Textiles, Twiggy agreed that the collection would be exactly the type of dresses that she'd wear, meaning they'd be babydolls, shifts, and other mini-dresses, heavily inspired by the most important fashion designer of the 1960s, London designer Mary Quant. In 1967, Twiggy modeled this plaid high-waisted babydoll dress from her collection that had bows along the chest and a very short hemline. Twiggy completed her ensemble with ballet flats. The dress retailed for $17, which would be about $170 today.

Twiggy's androgyny was one of her big selling points as a model, so her clothing line, Twiggy Dresses, also featured suits that she had no problem using. In May 1967, Twiggy modeled this pinstripe suit from the collection, along with a neck scarf and loafers, delivering an effortlessly chic look. Twiggy wasn't the first woman to wear menswear, but just like with the mini-dresses of the time, the suit is a nod to the rebellious nature of '60s fashion. It's also a reminder that most women look better in suits than men. 

Ever since people started flying regularly, airports have given celebrities another place to show off their sense of style. In October 1967, Twiggy and her partner Justin de Villeneuve arrived at London's Heathrow Airport to catch their flight to Japan and managed to fit every 1960s fashion trend into both their looks: from de Villeneuve's crushed pea green velvet pants and his orange billowy top to Twiggy's knee-high blue boots and black skirt to the fur and beads that they're both rocking. If this photo doesn't scream Swinging Sixties, nothing will. It's giving mod meets boho chic.

When one of the most famous couples of the decade hosts a party at their home in your honor, it's safe to say you've made it in life. That's exactly what happened to Twiggy in May 1967, when Cher and Sonny Bono threw a fête for her. When Twiggy took to the dance floor, she wore a long-sleeve navy top and wide-legged multi-colored pants in a geometric pattern. Twiggy completed her outfit with low-heeled Mary Janes and, of course, her iconic blond pixie, which is all the inspo you need for your own pixie cut.

In March 1967, Twiggy playfully jumped for the camera during a fashion shoot on London's Bow Street. Wearing a plaid zip-up mini-coat, a turtleneck, ribbed tights, and loafers, Twiggy embraced the mod fashion trends of the time. "We'd look at all the other mods and see what they were wearing and then try to copy that," Twiggy told The Guardian in May 2020 about her days before she was famous. "I used to make a lot of the stuff. That was the huge influence on me, fashion-wise."