by Camilla Morton
This era launched the face of a new generation of youth, freedom, and fun. As the ’60s began, the postwar baby boomers came of age craving fashion, frivolity, and fast living. They didn’t want to dress conservatively and conform to society’s norms as their parents did. They had their own music, their own style, and plenty of new faces that wanted to be pictured at this party.
Jean Shrimpton at the races in Melbourne, Australia, in 1965. Photo by Central Press/Getty Images
After the well-behaved ’50s, hem lengths rose with miniskirts introduced by Mary Quant and Andre Courreges. Model Jean Shrimpton had already scored covers of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Vanity Fair, all by the time she was 18, but it was the minidress (10 centimeters over the knee) she wore to the 1965 races in Melbourne, Australia, that caused the scandal that put her on the front pages. In Paris, Yves Saint Laurent went from the salon to the streets. He created Rive Gauche—ready-to-wear fashions without the fittings or price tag of couture, as seen on icons such as Loulou de la Falaise and Catherine Deneuve. Sixties “Swinging London” was in full effect to the soundtrack of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. It was during this time that Barbara Hulanicki launched Biba, the forerunner for high street emporiums like Topshop, which was the only place to spend your weekends shopping.
The most memorable face of Biba was Twiggy (born Lesley Hornby, she got her nickname “Twiggy” as a kid because of her sticklike frame), who, along with Maudie James, Celia Hammond, Jean Shrimpton, and Penelope Tree (who was first photographed by Diane Arbus at 13 and then sent by Diana Vreeland to Richard Avedon when she was 17) defined that London look. Model Pattie Boyd married George Harrison (who wrote “Something” for her) and was the object of Eric Clapton’s affection (inspiring his hit “Layla,” and ran off with him when he wrote “You Look Wonderful Tonight” for her). Mick Jagger had a string of model beauties, including Marianne Faithfull, Marsha Hunt, and, of course, who can forget the iconic image of him marrying Bianca Jagger? Over in America, Jackie Kennedy was a style icon as well as first lady, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech, and in 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. This was a time of change.
Sarah Moon went from model to soft-focus photographer. Celia Birtwell was the wife and muse of Ossie Clark. Already known for his covers for Vogue as well as his marriage to Catherine Deneuve, photographer David Bailey also received notoriety onscreen, inspiring the 1966 character of David Hemmings in the cult movie Blow-Up. While shooting the faces of the era, Bailey fell in love with many of his model muses, including Marie Helvin, Penelope Tree, Angelica Huston, and Jean Shrimpton. Bryan Ferry with model Jerry Hall defined the glamour of Roxy Music. Vidal Sassoon, the haircut (think Mary Quant, Twiggy, or Mia Farrow in Rosemary’s Baby), while Andy Warhol shook up the art world and paved the way for Studio 54 to open its doors in 1977.
David Hemmings and Veruschka in Blow-Up, 1966. Photo by Everett Collection.
Although brief, Veruschka’s appearance in Blow-Up was the sexiest scene in the movie, and that same year she did her first photo shoot, wearing only body paint. At her peak, she earned $10,000 a day, and her shoots for Vreeland remain iconic, inspiring designers and stylists alike today. In 1968 she was shooting for Vogue in the Arizona desert with boyfriend/photographer Franco Rubartelli and her best friend, a young stylist named Giorgio Sant’Angelo. “We had nothing but some yards of fabric, some stones, and some ropes,” she would recall, but that was all Sant’Angelo needed as he draped fabrics on her to form clothes, thereby making a name for himself. His would be the label that would go on to dress the iconic British Vogue supermodel cover (the January 1990 issue of Naomi, Linda, Tatjana, Christy, and Cindy). But Veruschka left the industry in 1975 after a disagreement with Vogue’s Grace Mirabella (who took the reins as EIC after Vreeland) and didn’t look back.
Iman was photographed for the YSL campaign in 1979 by Gianpaolo Barbieri.
This was the era that wanted the bold and the brave, the feisty as well as fashionable and new. Donyale Luna was the first notable African-American supermodel to appear on a Vogue cover in March 1966, and she played the title role in the film Salome. “Queen of the Scene” Marisa Berenson, whose grandmother was fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli, was dubbed by Yves Saint Laurent as the “girl of the ’70s,” while Iman, a.k.a. Mrs. David Bowie, was described by YSL as his “dream woman.” Cheryl Tiegs was an all-American beauty who appeared on Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, TIME, and Vogue, but it was her pose in a pink bikini for the 1978 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition that became the iconic poster of the decade. Another SI star—and twice named Harper’s Bazaar’s Most Beautiful—Dayle Haddon went on to become the face of L’Oréal’s Age Perfect line, and her face boosted sales by 50 percent.
Pat Cleveland was only 14 when a Vogue editor spotted her on the subway. She went on to become one of the original Halston models—along with Angelica Huston and Karen Bjornson (and were known as the Halstonettes). Lauren Hutton, with her gap-toothed smile, was the first model to negotiate a major cosmetics deal, with Revlon, and has appeared on the cover of Vogue 25 times to date. Wilhelmina Cooper—also once on the books of Ford Models Agency—went from supermodel (with 27 Vogue covers, the current record) to model agent, setting up her own agency, Wilhelmina Models (much to the irritation of Ford).
Models, with their rockstar boyfriends and fabulous lifestyles, flitted from film to fashion and eclipsed many actresses of the day. Peggy Moffitt, muse of Rudi Gernreich, appeared in the film You’re Never Too Young that kick-started this trend in 1955. In 2003 Comme des Garçons would release a Moffitt-inspired line. Twiggy also saw that she could use modeling to open many doors. She commented in 1971, “You can’t be a clothes hanger your entire life!,” and won a Golden Globe for her role in the Ken Russell film The Boy Friend. With Charlie’s Angels inspiring the hairdo and styles that would define a decade and Studio 54 the place to be seen, the Kinks declared that these were “Dedicated Followers of Fashion.”
