Fashion: Constructed Image: Starter Tasks

Task 1 'Deconstructing an iconic fashion image':

Twiggy’s tiny, bird-like frame and painted-on lashes charmed the world when she appeared on the scene in 1965; she personified all that was modern & all that was happening in London at the time. Twiggy’s images are timeless to this very day, her clothes, hair and quirky personality are all still wearable today.
Her androgynous look peers back at an almost 20s look, with her boyishly short haircut & dramatic eye make-up often wearing three pairs of lashes at the same time.

Lesley Hornby had her hair coloured & cut short in Mayfair when the hair stylist was looking for models to try out his new crop haircut on, styling her hair for some test shots. 

 Professional photographer, Barry Lategan took several photos which were hung in the salon. Deidre McSharry, a fashion journalist saw the images and asked to meet her. Her manager previously her hairdresser, Justin de Villeneuve persuaded her to change her name to Twiggy, her childhood nickname given to her because of her twig like legs.

Only being 16 years old, Twiggy was naturally slim weighing only 8 stone had a 31-23-32 figure and was 5’6” which was shorter than a normal model however critics believed she was promoting an ‘unhealthy’ body ideal for women. While teenagers and women around the world were trying to conform to this body type Twiggy in actual fact says she hated what she looked like, so she thought ‘everyone had gone stark raving mad’ when this craze emerged.

As Twiggy erupted on the scene in the mid-1960s fashion was changing dramatically from swing skirts of the 50s to mini-skirts of the 60s. Designer John Bates described her as a 'Narrow body, perfect square shoulders, long legs, small bust', the opposite of the curvaceous Marilyn Monroe who was seen as the perfect body in the 50s. The mini dresses and the 'A-line' fashions provided a perfect vehicle for the colourful psychedelic and dramatic black and white Op and Pop-art patterns of 60s designers and artists.

Rock musicians were early adopters of hippie fashion, as rock music genres became more segmented, what an artist wore became as important as the music itself in defining the artist's intent and relationship to the audience which was led by Twiggy’s unique style.

Twiggy in yellow velvet dress by John Bates for Jean Varon, 

photo by Cecil Beaton at 8 Pelham Place, London, 1967. Vogue

 

Back in the early 1960s, photography was a barely acknowledged medium and was not established as an art form however fashion photographer Cecil Beaton was the beginning of change. He had an ability to adapt himself to the mood of both the time & the shoot, which can be seen in his images of Twiggy & Marilyn Monroe, very different characters taken less than a year apart. 

Cecil Beaton was at ease with famous figures as diverse as Mick Jagger & Jean Shrimpton, they all went hand in hand with Beaton’s passion for invention & reinvention and he was as much a part of swinging London as they were. All of Beaton’s portraits are carefully set up, spontaneous movements were removed from the shoots which can be seen in the contact sheet of the iconic image I have chosen. Due to his cautiously thought out shoots, Beaton portrays his subjects usually as dignified, in a flattering light; he tried to get under the skin of his model & express their personalities in a straight forward way.

As well as his home in Wiltshire Beaton also owned the London situated town house, 8 Pelham Place where he took the iconic image of Twiggy stood on a plinth that I have chosen.

In a 1967 Vogue magazine article called “The Changing Face of the Fashion Model” featuring Cecil Beaton’s image of Twiggy he said, 'It is not the baby stare that makes Twiggy a success, rather it is her concave droop, as of a punctured marionette, the almost 'triumph over the spastic' appeal that sends her to the top of the class.' 

Raising the tiny, doll-like figure above the audience on a plinth as if in a museum/gallery hints at the fashion, style & model being a timeless statement that he predicted which as we know came true. The way she is perched on the edge of the plinth makes Twiggy look fragile and weightless reflecting the critical view that the media had on her underage physique and its effects on teenagers & women in society.

Beaton has also set this 60s fashion shoot in a dated setting which reflects Twiggy’s slightly 20s look; the rather regal colour co-ordination between the outfit, wall colour and door frames of royal red & golds are effective when showcasing the clothing. The way that the light shines off of the velvet dress also adds to the majestic look of the figure and outfit high up on the plinth. The way that everything included in the image apart from the model is cropped  decreases their importance, both the doors and the plinth.   

The mini style dress worn iconically by Twiggy in this image was designed by John Bates who was well known as part of the boutique scene that blossomed in London in the 60s. From 1959 Bates began designing for the designer company, Jean Varon. He became known for his modernistic youthful clothing particular elements being, bare midriffs, sheer panels & very short hemlines, a dramatic contrast from the fashions of the 50s. He was seen as the true inventor of the mini-skirt by British Vogue editor, Marit Allen, where my image was first published.      

The royal colour scheme and plinth also metaphorically represent how the style Twiggy brought into fashion is viewed as high above every other fashion at that time and possibly in history through the eyes of Beaton, Twiggy and the audience of Vogue magazine.

Over the course of Beaton’s career he employed both large format cameras and small Rolleiflex cameras. Beaton was never known as a highly skilled technical photographer, and instead focused on staging a compelling scene and looking for the perfect shutter-release moment. This image was taken using a square format camera and as seen in his contact sheet, Beaton took at least 8 nearly identical frames to get the perfect expression & mood. He took the shot from below the model, again enhancing the look of importance; and the straight on view is very 60s creating very simple cut-out shapes- rectangles, circles and triangles simplifying the short A-line style of the era.  

Task 2 'Street casting':

After choosing the photo of twiggy I began to think about the sort of person I wanted to capture in my casting; I wanted someone who was outgoing in their character as well as the way they dress similar to how Twiggy was and was portrayed through her images. I also see Twiggy as a trend setter, someone who stood out in the crowd so I wanted to find someone that doesn’t wear what everyone else wears, doesn’t care what people think- sets their own fashion. 

Twiggy didn’t become famous for her ‘perfect’ beauty or because of her height as she was under the average height of a model, 16 years old and flaunted a tom boy haircut. She started the teenage revolution, declared as the Face of 1966 she was a bold contrast from the mannequin looking models of the era. I was therefore very interested in finding someone that didn’t necessarily fit the social norm of beauty.

Twiggy was a shy teenager but showed her personality through her style and appearance; while researching Twiggy I had thought about asking my friend Carlie to be my casting model however I thought I would search for a model on the streets first, by chance I bumped in to her and out of my images of the day she fitted my requirements best.

My Casting Image

Her dress sense is different, she sets her own trend and doesn’t wear what society expects; Carlie mix & matches her outfits buying old & new, cheap & expensive items, which I could imagine Twiggy doing. Through research I found she was known by designers to modify & wear vintage clothing as well as wearing the new fashion starting up her own line of clothing in 1967. Like Twiggy, she has an unconventional beauty, cropped haircut, pale complexion & a very petite figure, in no way the usual stereotypical look of a supermodel. 

Twiggy’s poses were very outgoing and spontaneous never needing much direction which I knew I could achieve from Carlie as she is unique and crazy and as soon as I raised my lens to capture her she did the pose that I chose for my casting image. I think most people are self-conscious in some way however due to her character I think Carlie would be an interesting challenge in a photo shoot; in terms of flexibility she would be easy to spontaneously photograph however I think she would be a challenge to direct because she likes to do her own thing.