My Monday Morning: Twiggy

0:00Hi, I'm Tudy and this is Mind Monday Morning. Twigi is one of the most iconic models of all time. She's the face of 66, the famous, do-I-pixie girl. She's got a new biographical documentary about to come out in the US and it covers her meteoric rises of model and how she left modeling after just a few years to act, sing, and raise her daughter. For her Monday morning, Twigi told me about making her documentary the many tuxedos in her closet and the unusual secret to her success. We'll get right into it after this break. I'm so excited to be talking to you today for my Monday morning. And congratulations on this documentary, which is so fantastic. Thank you, I'm so glad you liked it. It's a purely a sensation for me because it's my life.

1:03And to see your life up on the big screen is some of the most important things that I've ever seen. I've never seen it before. It's a sensation for me because it's my life. And to see your life up on the big screen is mixed emotions, as you can imagine. What was the mix for you? Oh my goodness. Well, the first time I saw a first cut. I think I cried through most of it because you know, there's footage of my mum and dad, who obviously no longer with us. I've been watching my daughter, Carly, as a little girl. And now she's a grown woman with children of her own. I mean, we're very close still, but just to see how that young. And the sad parts of my life were all in the darkness, whereas the family in nice parts. So I was very mixed emotions. There are so many clips that were just so special. I love seeing you on Broadway and my one and only that pool scene was.

2:06That's the happy part. For me, professionally, that's for me, my favorite part, my career, I think. But I loved everything I've done. But to actually appear on Broadway in a big, hit musical was absolutely magical. You were of course called the face of 66. What did the sixties mean to you? Well, you know, when you're living in a time, I, you know, I didn't think at the time all this is an amazing time because it was just. Part of my life, you know, I was 16 years old. I was a school girl before that all happened to me. So it was as much a shock to me when, you know, I was discovered. That was to the rest of the world because I didn't look like any other model. As you can see, I was too small. I was too thin. If I'd have gone to a model agency, they would have said, go away. You had to be five or eight or four.

3:08I was five foot six. You had to be certain measurements. And I was, as you can see, I was minute this tiny little thing. I was 16. You were, you were so young when you became famous. 16, like you've said. I was wondering, how do, how is your relationship to fame changed throughout your career? I think it happened to me so young. A lot of it kind of went over my head. It was like, it was so mad. Three months of being discovered and being on the front of all the British papers. I was in Paris doing the Paris collection, the L magazine. And then American vote. And sometimes it was a bit scary. I mean, I got malt at one point and I thought I was going to get a squaw. And I remember that the photographer that I was working with, you know, was supposed to be. He'd hide a bodyguard for me with my thought, or that's, you know, I don't need a bodyguard. And the fun goby did because, you know, the crowd rose. And he picked me up under his arm like a bundle and ran me through the crowd and got me to the car.

4:10We had a limo at the roadside. And he, he flew me through the window. And I remember landing on the floor of the limo. And I said, I'm on my mark, mark, mark, mark, mark. I was 17. And a very, very naive and young 17. I'm not like, I meet 17-year-olds today and they're so sophisticated. One thing that you talk about in the documentary, as well as in previous interviews, is that you never had a plan. I was wondering, was never having a plan like almost the secret to your success? Probably. Yeah, I mean, you know, I was 16. I was a school. So I didn't plan to do that. That's just what I looked like. Somebody saw me, somebody cut my hair. A journalist saw. And as I said earlier, I was a shot. I thought they'd gone mad. And so, you know, it was a shot more than anything, I think. But when it happened, as I say, it rollercoastered so fast.

5:13You know, when it happened in London, and then I was in Paris, and then I went to New York, and then I went to Ireland and Ireland. Now, I mean, I got to work with you know, but the time I was 20, I'd worked with all the great, and all the Parkinson's, I decided I wanted to pursue my performing career. And because when you do something like a film, you know, you get up with other work. So, I did, I kind of thought modeling by choice. There's also a clip in the documentary of this interview that's now become very famous of Woody Allen interviewing you. And I'm going to briefly describe it for listeners who might not know about it. In it, he asks you about who your favorite philosopher is, and you can't name one. But then you turn the question around on him and ask him the same thing. And he also isn't able to name one. I've got one about 90.

6:13Are you sure? Oh, I like the more-who. What was it? What was I like for you? If someone says to me, you know, you were so clever, I wasn't, I was panicked stricken, because that was down in front of an audience. Oh, wow. I was just 17 years old. I was very, you can probably see, I was quite shy. You know, it was weird what had happened to me. So, I was still kind of getting used to that. And I was used to people when I did interviews. I was used to people saying, how did you get your name? Or what do you mean? You know, what do you think of New York or what, you know, like those sort of questions? So, when he opened with who's your favorite philosopher? Oh, God. Oh, my God. And I remember the feeling to this day, my stomach, I was like, oh, my God, because I didn't know any philosophers. And I thought, all I can think of, don't cry, don't cry.

7:15Because there's no all to be said. But all I wanted to do was leave. I didn't want to be there. And so, in my panic, I kind of looked at him and said, what, he said that? And, you know, I don't, I don't, because I said, I think, I don't know any. And he said, come on, everyone's got a favorite philosopher. And I said, well, who's yours? And he says something like, you're greets and your Romans or whatever. And I said, yeah, but what their names? And he says, you're greets and your own idea. I don't know any, he couldn't, any couldn't, mainly either. So, apparently that clip has gone viral. I've been told. Very viral. Looking back on it, do you see it as a feminist moment? I think that's how a lot of young women who have discovered it. If it is, it wasn't planned, but it is quite, it's quite a showing moment, I think. So, it wasn't my, it wasn't my favorite moment at the time, as it couldn't have to, you know, I was kid.

8:16I was this young kid. It had been thrown into this mad world of fame and it was bizarre. After the break, Chwiki talks about what she wears to feel powerful. Is there anything that you do on a Monday to set yourself up for success or prevent yourself from having a bad week? That's a tricky question for me because I don't live a nine to five or, you know, we can weakly existent because of what I do. Every week is different. Every day is different. I often don't know what I do. I don't know what I do. I don't know what I do. Every day is different. I often don't know what I'm doing from one week to the next. So, I don't have a special Monday morning routine. I try, it's hard, but I try and live in the moment and focus on what I'm doing that day or that week. Is there a time that you like to be up by and what do you kind of do first thing after waking up?

9:20Luckily, I'm a really good sleeper. I can sleep, I can sleep. I usually sleep between eight and a half hours and nights. I usually have a herbal tea with cereal. I try and put all nuts and blueberries on because I read somewhere if you mix blueberries and walnuts, it's really good for your family. And then I'll go and have a shower or bath. I ask Brits love to have a bath. We like to just soak, especially in the winter. It's nothing nice when we get into it. It's a lovely smelling hot bath and soap. And then whatever I'm doing, you know, I just miss what I'm doing laterally, but that's my early routine. What do you like to do for exercise? I do pilates once a week, with my love, because about 15 years ago, I had a kind of muscular problem with my lower back. And I was told by my pyropractice,

10:21you've got to stop pilates because it's building, you know, the inner strength. And so I started there and it's, I recommend pilates to everyone. I wish I'd have started it in my qualities, but I didn't. It's changed my life actually. It's brilliant. And even if I can't go to class, I've got enough exercises now that I can do at home. So if I'm feeling a bit stressed or a bit tight, I know what to do now. And I walk a lot. So I'm not fanatic, I don't do anything to over the top. But for my age and the way I feel, the pilates is magical. And one of the things that the documentary recounts is that you famously created your look with three pairs of false eyelashes on top. And then these spiky eyelashes on the bottom that were inspired by a rag doll. What does your beauty routine look like these days? Oh, well, obviously I don't wear all those eyelashes.

11:21I was very young as you know, I was 16 and all of that happened to me. Like most teenage girls, I think, keep them today, you know, we played around with makeup. And that was the makeup that I created. But today I, I tend to, I never ever go to bed in my cup. That is the biggest no-no ever. I never have and I never will. So when I get up, I just, you know, make sure my face is clean. I just clean it with water. I don't use soap on my face. And then I've got quite dry skin. So I moisturize quite well. And then if I'm at home, I don't put makeup on, you know, if I'm just me or with my husband or my kids, some grandkids, I just go all natural. But if I'm working or going out, I can see what I've got. It's this eye shadow, my star, I like doing the blue in the art, in the area I live. And a little bit of base, a little bit of rouge, a little bit of li-li-li-li.

12:22Me, darling. I'm very fast. I can, I can put my cup on in 10 minutes. One thing that the documentary makes really clear is that you're a fashion icon. Do you, do you feel like an icon? How does it? Not really. It always makes me laugh actually. But it's very, very flattering. I love, it's hard for my performing career. I love designing and making clothes. So if I know I've got a free week, I'll put my head to that, get my sewing machine and make things, and then, do that's my hobby, really. You're so clothing yourself. Oh, you're fair. I'm pretty good at she. If I can't, if I don't get another job, I can do that. But I'm over the last few years, I've done a few collections. I love clothes. And I think women of every age should have great choice to do. And I think there's a lot of women at my age group and around my age group, you know, they're 50, 60, 70s. Who want to look stylish? Who want to be?

13:22They do want to look like they're 18, obviously. But they, you know, they want to look poor. And that's what I, I tried to do when I designed. When you're designing, where do you get your inspiration? I personally love taking clothing. And I love the square shoulders, you know, as we get from the 1940s, after the war. And I get inspiration from lots of things. But usually I tend to design the things I wear. Because then I get one and I can wear it. Well, one of the questions I wanted to ask you was, what do you like to wear when you want to feel comfortable? I like to wear it. I like to wear it. And the questions I wanted to ask you was, what do you like to wear when you want to feel powerful or your best, that kind of thing? I tend to wear, I'm a trouser girl. I'm very, very rarely wear dresses. I love, if you look back. If you look at my first album cover, for instance, my first recording, which was in the 70s,

14:22I'm wearing of white tuxedo trousersuit, like a man's suit. I had them made at an English tailor's. And that's kind of gone through my life. I tend to wear great trousers and great colors. I just bought one actually. It's white purple. We both have sleeves and big trousers and thick red. And I'm not very good in high heels. So, with trousers, you can wear it. I love cowboys boots. And I love sneakers, great color sneakers. I'm semi-cowshirt really. I hate to go somewhere feeling overdressed. It would be uncomfortable. I'd rather be slightly underdressed. Do you have a favourite clothing? I don't know if you're as a valetime. Probably if I had to pick anything. Because it may not be the original one, but I've always had a black tuxedo suit, man's tuxedo suit in my... Well, I've got a few actually.

15:22Some that I actually saw in some that I've had. I just think they're so classy and so classy. And if we're going to an evening, if I can't find a dress or something, I feel comfortable in my very sheet black tuxedo with a bow and a nine. I love it. Oh, classic. And then the last question I always like to ask people is, do you have a piece of advice that's guided or been important to you in life? I think the best advice I've been given and that I always give to other people is be kind to people. Because if you're kind, you get it back. And I wish it was happening more of the world. Kindly seems to have gone out the window in many parts of the world, which is, you know, a very, very upsetting for everybody, especially the people living through it.

16:22So I think, you know, trying to be kind and understanding, really. Well, thank you so much for your interview. And congratulations again on this documentary. It was so fun chatting with you about it. I am cute. My Monday morning is part of the journal, which is a co-production of Spotify Studios and the Wall Street Journal. I'm Lane Florescheim, and we'll be back in October with another episode of My Monday Morning. Follow us on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. And follow me on Instagram, at Lane Florescheim, for more behind-the-scenes stuff from My Monday Morning and to let me know what you think of the show. This episode was produced by Juvica Verama, and edited by Catherine Brewer and Sarah Pat. Video production by Nathan Singapore, original music by Nathan Singapore. Thanks so much for joining us.