People are just finding out how Twiggy got her name (Image: Getty)
With a new Twiggy documentary hitting UK cinemas today (March 7), many people will be finding out a lot more about the legendary singer, model and actress.
The ‘Be My Baby’ songstress, now 75, is a British icon and was a prominent teenage model during the swinging ’60s in London.
But with her real name being Dame Lesley Lawson, how did she come to get the name ?
It’s a question many people often ask on social media sites such as , and it all dates back to when the star attended a high school for girls. 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.
Davies then led her physical transformation the following year – giving her a short boyish bob with big darkly lined eyes and false eyelashes.
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The star was a prominent model during the swinging ’60s in London (Image: Getty)
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Twiggy’s petite frame was ideal for the rising hemlines and unisex patterns that were in fashion at the time, and her overall look made her stand out her from the curvaceous, glamorous top models of the era.
After spotting her photo on a salon wall, a fashion journalist for Daily Express interviewed her and published an article featuring her. They christened Twiggy as the “The Face of ’66,” and she was later voted British Woman of the Year.
After this, Twiggy’s modelling career took off as she quickly gaining international recognition. Her appearance on the cover of the US edition of the leading fashion magazine Vogue (April 1967) heralded her rise to fame overseas too.
Twiggy was soon considered an icon of the decade, and her name was marketed as a brand in connection with a string of products including a Twiggy doll.
After modelling, Twiggy also had a successful career as a screen, stage, and television actress and a role in The Boy Friend (1971) earned her two Golden Globe Awards.
In 1983, she also made her Broadway debut in the musical My One and Only, receiving a Tony nomination for Best Actress in a Musical.
She hosted her own series, Twiggy’s People, later on where she interviewed celebrities, and appeared as a judge on the reality show America’s Next Top Model.
Since 2005, Twiggy has modelled for Marks and Spencer, appeared in TV advertisements and print media.
The star’s new documentary TWIGGY is released in UK & Irish cinemas on March 7th. It takes an intimate look into the life of one of the greatest supermodels of all time.
It is directed by Sadie Frost, following her hugely successful debut feature on fashion designer Mary Quant and has been produced by Nick Hamson and Simon Jones, through Film Soho’s production arm Soho Talent. The documentary will be the first time Twiggy has ever told her story first-hand.