Twiggy (born Lesley Hornby; 19 September 1949) is an English model, actress, and singer, now also known by her married name of Twiggy Lawson. At 16, she became the first prominent teenage model. She was known for her large eyes, long eyelashes, and thin build, and is regarded as one of the most famous models of all time
Twiggy Lawson was raised in the London suburb of Neasden, the daughter of Helen (Nellie) Lydia Hornby (née Reeman), and William Norman Hornby, a master carpenter and joiner. She got her first job as an assistant in a hairdressers where her sister Viv worked then became a counter-girl at a Woolworth's store and factory worker at a printing firm. She attended the Brondesbury and Kilburn High School in Salusbury Road, Kilburn. In 1966, Nigel Davies noticed the young Lesley Hornby and offered her a modelling contract. She was only 16 and weighed 90 lbs. Davies advised her to go by her childhood nickname, Twiggy. After sweeping England as "The Face of '66" when her modeling pictures, taken by Barry Lategan, were made public, Twiggy arrived in New York in March 1967. It was believed that the Twiggy craze would die down within a month; however, she became an icon. Known for the high fashion mod look created by Mary Quant, Twiggy changed the world of fashion with her short-haired androgynous look.
