In 1966, the British-born Twiggy–whose birth name is Lesley Hornby–was looking for a trendy new look to help launch her career. Standing at only 5-foot-6, the aspiring young model was told she was too short to succeed in the competitive fashion industry.
Turning 74 on Sept. 19, the former supermodel recalled having her shoulder-length hair styled for some test “head shots” at London’s House of Leonard and meeting the famed British stylist, Leonard Lewis (professionally known as Leonard of Mayfair).
Lewis was looking for models to try out his new crop haircut.
In her recent guest appearance on Jessie Ware’s podcast, “Table Manners,” the former style icon revealed that she never wanted to have her hair cut short.
“I went in to have it shampooed and set and Leonard saw me, and he said, ‘Let me do my new haircut on you,’” Twiggy told Ware during the podcast. “I’d been growing my hair, for a moment I kind of went, ‘I don’t know whether I want my hair cut.’ But I was in this very posh salon in Mayfair so I was a bit too shy to say I don’t want it done, and I kind of nodded.”