London - Since the Sixties, plenty of women have tried to work out the secrets of her timeless style.
Now Twiggy has revealed the one very easy fashion rule she believes every woman should follow.
The model has urged women to do a twirl in front of the mirror before they walk out of the door – and get a good “look at their behind”.
Twiggy, 64, said those who omit this step risk putting their unsightly lumps and bumps on display and stepping out in outfits that don’t flatter their figures.
She said her pet hate is seeing women wearing trousers which don’t fit well, but believes a quick spin in the mirror – and the addition of some body-shaping underwear if necessary – would prevent it from happening.
And she urged women to dress to suit their shape and not be scared to wear a bigger size than usual.
The model, born Lesley Hornby, made her comments at the Marks and Spencer garden at the Chelsea Flower Show. She said: “What gets me is when people don’t look at their behind, so you get all bumps and the like. Because you can get brilliant knickers now [shapewear].
“We all see people and think they shouldn’t have worn that.”
Asked if she thought women should dress to suit their shape, Twiggy said “Exactly”, adding: “A size is only a size, it doesn’t matter. I wear anything from an 8 to a 16, depending how I want it to fit.”
But despite having previously said women should dress for their attitude, not their age, the star, who made the mini-skirt fashionable in the Sixties, said she is too old to wear the style any more.
Twiggy, who began her career after being spotted aged 16, said: “I think I’m a little bit past the age to wear a mini-skirt. I do wear, in the winter, probably to [just above the knee] but with opaque tights and boots, that’s about as close as I can go.
“I think mini-skirts are for younger people. I wore them all the time in the Sixties, but not any more. I think hot pants and mini-skirts are for the young, the young and the slim.”
Twiggy – who is married to actor Leigh Lawson and has a 35-year-old daughter, Carly, and stepson Jason – remains one of the most influential women in the fashion industry.
The so-called ‘Twiggy effect’ inspired the style of a generation of women in the Sixties and Seventies, and these days she has a line of clothing for Marks and Spencer and another range sold on a US shopping channel.
In an interview last year, though, Twiggy admitted she would no longer turn down help from a surgeon – although she rules out Botox.
“I haven’t had work done but that’s not to say I won’t,” she said. “The thing I’m against is the things they pump into your face and lips.
“People who have had it done can look like munchkins. It’s peculiar. I’m very anti-Botox as I feel it’s dangerous.”
She also spoke about her love of food – especially carbohydrates. “I don’t think diets work, because you deprive yourself of the things you love,” she said.
“I’ve been fascinated recently by the fasting diet, though. My downfall is crisps and bread.
“If I eat bread every day for a week, I can feel it around my tummy. So if I stop for a week, I can really feel the difference.” - Daily Mail