An intimate look at the life and legacy of the 1960s supermodel, Twiggy, starting from her discovery as a working-class London teen to a global “it-girl” and cultural icon. The documentary blends rare archival footage with exclusive, modern-day interviews with famous friends and fans.
Hearing the name “Twiggy” mostly recalls images of a young model whose clothing and style became synonymous with the Mod movement of the ’60s. Indeed, many younger viewers may know the name and some of the images associated with the legendary supermodel, but they may be surprised by how vast her body of work is. Twiggy quit the modelling world when she was only 22 years old to pursue other avenues such as acting and music. To understand the longevity of her career, though, it helps to look at what made Twiggy such a phenomenon in the first place. Born Lesley Hornby to a working-class family, her almost overnight celebrity at 16 is something few teens could handle. Twiggy brought something fresh into the fashion world. Until that point, models were mostly upper-class girls with a similar look and style. Twiggy embraced the modern. Her pictures were filled with her smiling and full of life, not trying to be anything or anyone but herself. Part of what has made her legacy endure is her ability to adapt and reinvent.
Director Sadie Frost wants the audience to know Twiggy in a way they hadn’t before. Many may be more familiar with Frost’s work as an actor, but this is her second feature. The first was the 2021 documentary Quant about the noted designer Mary Quant. Frost keeps it moving by using a constant stream of video, music, and stills from Twiggy’s younger years. The bright and fast-paced style captures the energy of the era. Frost keeps her edits clean and quick, which allows footage and sound bites to carry the narrative. Most importantly, she allows Twiggy to be at the forefront of her own life. In letting her words dictate and shape the core of the narrative, audiences get a glimpse of the woman beyond the iconic imagery. Twiggy’s music career is one area that will likely surprise modern viewers, who didn’t even know she sang. Pairing Twiggy’s recollections with images, videos, and sound bites allows her history to unfold through her perspective.
Part of what made Twiggy so compelling was her outlook on the world. When she first came on the scene, her fashion attitude spoke to women. She wasn’t trying to appeal to men; she was herself and embracing what she liked. She was the face of a cultural shift happening in the mid-60s. But behind it all, she had to navigate and contend with deeply misogynistic attitudes from such a young age. Where famous women have always had to deal with invasive and sexist questions about their weight, their relationships, and their appearance, watching grown men ask these questions of a teenage girl is even more unsettling. One section showing Woody Allen smugly grilling a 17-year-old Twiggy on her favorite philosopher is particularly egregious. Shifting between these clips and Twiggy’s own musings and remembrances helps highlight what she had to deal with.
Where there’s extreme detail and candor in some sections, other parts of her life feel a bit too glossed over. Her relationship with manager/boyfriend Nigel Davies, who later changed his name to Justin de Villeneuve, lacked focus. The later tragedy of the death of her estranged first husband, Michael Witney, also felt a bit rushed. Frost interviews plenty of notable people from past and present, but not all of them add much substance to the narrative. With the pacing so tight overall, the interview segments that feel more like filler stand out all the more.
Twiggy is a vibrant exploration of a woman who has lived an extraordinary life and proven she is not done yet. Frost’s appreciation for the era and Twiggy’s cultural influence is clear, but it is her affection for Twiggy herself that comes through most strongly. The music and archival clips are engrossing and well curated, giving the audience a glimpse of the time and the woman herself. She captures the woman behind the icon, and that woman is one worth knowing.