Welcome to another Way-Out Wednesday! Today's vintage pick isn't exactly "way out", not in the usual way Wednesdays around here present it's awesomely wonderful horrors and freak shows. It's not weird or creepy or even all that strange. But it is cool in it's rarity and "who knew there even was such a thing"-ness. Something that vintage lovers and retro pop culture heads will probably dig. At least, I hope you do because I think it's pretty special, all girlie and icon-y:
Why, it's the 60's Twiggy Fashion Tote, of course! Ok, so, Twiggy was way before my time, but the 10 year old girl inside me can appreciate a vinyl carrying case for your dolls and puffy unicorn stickers with a skinny-ass blond bitch on the cover. I had my fair share of Barbie crap in the 80's, so I know how girls must have felt in the 60's when they saw this. "Squeeee! Now I have something to hold my glitter stamp set & rubber Madonna bracelets!"
For those not savvy to British icons, Twiggy was one of the first major teen models, known for those huge Betty Davis-esque eys, short & chic pixie haircuts and rail-thin body, hence "Twiggy". She epitomized Carnaby Street mod and Mary Quant cool.
We all know her for her most recent work as a panel judge on Tyra Banks' riducu-fab modeling show "America's Next Top Model", but I can't imagine how many ultra mod, swingin' little British 10 year old fashionistas there were in the mid to late 60's, let alone ones who would have even known who the hell Twiggy was, but maybe she was bigger across the pond than she was here? Maybe Twiggy in the late 60's was to little girls in the UK as what Barbie was to little girls here in the States? I don't know. My head hurts form all this comparing. At any rate, it's still a kickASS vintage bag, full of pop culture iconic goodness!
"Georgy Girl" by the Seekers. Ugh. This era in music & movies creeps me the hell out. Love the movie, loathe the song.
Posts
Kim - I love your blog.
ReplyDeleteTwiggy was very well known and popular in her time (here in the States and in Britain). I was a young teen in the sixties and we all adored her - she was unique. We also tried very hard to copy her "look".
I have an unholy love for Twiggy.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Anonymous! I'm glad you could shed some light on her popularity~ I always wondered if she was big here or not!
ReplyDeleteI was in elementary school in the sixties, but remember the huge impact Twiggy had on us girls! I even had a "Twiggy" doll, which basically was a flat chested version of Barbie. Sooo, fun!
ReplyDeleteWell, I was a natural Twiggy in my high school 60's. I was so glad when she appeared, because before her, the shape was busty and a lot rounder. She was the ONLY thing out there that looked like me!!! And, gradually, skinny was an OK thing to be. So, for me, thank GOD I didn't have to have Sophia Loren, or Marilyn, or Barbarella, boobs.
ReplyDeleteSo, contrary to the opinions of people who weren't there, she actually enabled us skinny girls. We weren't bulimic or anorexic -- that was an 80's epidemic. Anorexia was known, clinically, but bulimia was rare even into 1981. We were just naturally skinny, often athletic. Of course, it was prior to the days of trans fats & high fructose corn syrup. We didn't starve ourselves at all....we ate healthy amounts of food!
We women without those huge things on our chests didn't even have to wear bras (why wear something uncomfortable)...I stopped in 1966.
Back to Twiggy, tho. I would read the latest Vogue magazine in the high school library 1963-1966...and made my Twiggy-type A-line dresses. Of course, we couldn't make them as short as some of the pics...but the moment I graduated (1966) I could go as short as I wanted! Except my bosses requested I not do that :-(.
I painted on my black lower lashes in 1967, wore white eyeshadow, and revelled in my now-hot skinny tall body! After years of being laughed at and made fun of for being skinny & flat-chested -- it was MY time to shine!
And, indeed, 5'8" and a 32" bust -- well into my 40's...and never worried about gaining weight. And many of my generation had the same experience.
As for dolls -- I had a Jill doll in my childhood/adolescence (pre-Barbie). Smaller boobs, curvier. I don't remember a Twiggy doll -- I was playing with boys, instead!