Catwalk Queens of the past six decades
As London Fashion Week beckons, Prudence Wade celebrates the iconic models – from Twiggy to Kate Moss – inextricably linked to a certain era
ith London Fashion Week fast approaching, the country’s leggiest and most glamorous models are getting ready to strut their stuff on the catwalk.
So what better moment to look back at some of the boldest and most beautiful supermodels from the past?
We’ve gone through the decades from the 1960s to today, picking some of our favourite models from the UK. They all show the true meaning of style. 1960s: Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton Fashion in the swinging Sixties could be summed up with one simple word: Twiggy. Instantly recognisable for her slender frame, short blonde hair and extraordinary lashes, the teenage model swiftly became a global phenomenon.
Twiggy was perhaps so successful thanks to her boyish looks and build, which suited the era’s androgynous fashion down to the ground.
Jean Shrimpton was another iconic British model of the Sixties, with her long hair, big eyes and pouty lips. She was photographer David Bailey’s muse, and was credited with making the miniskirt popular – and it really doesn’t get more Sixties than that.
1970s: Jerry Hall Sure, as a native Texan, Jerry Hall isn’t technically from the UK, but we’re counting her as an honorary Brit on this list. She’s been a firm fixture on the London social scene since her former partnership with Mick Jagger – and her UK fashion legacy continues today, as her 25-year-old daughter Georgia May Jagger is now a successful model in her own right.
Cast your minds back to the 1970s, when Jerry was in her late teens and early twenties. She was discovered on the beach in St Tropez, and her whole career embodied the glamour of the Seventies.
With her long blonde hair and even longer legs, Jerry was a particular muse for musicians: appearing on the cover of Roxy Music’s 1975 album Siren (at the time she was dating singer Bryan Ferry), and inspiring songs by the Rolling Stones. 1980s: Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell No list of supermodels would be complete without Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell. Even though both their careers were launched in the Eighties, they are still solidly working today. Kate graced the cover of Vogue’s September issue, and Naomi has just been named a contributing editor to the same magazine.
Kate and Naomi exploded onto the fashion scene in the Eighties when they were teenagers, and they’ve comfortably stayed at the top of the fashion game ever since.
Kate was known for her youthful beauty, fronting brands like Burberry and Calvin Klein. She represented a grungy, rock ‘n’ roll type of waifish model that become popular in the late Eighties and Nineties.
Naomi became part of the so-called “big five” along with Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington and Claudia Schiffer, who brought in the golden age of supermodels. She was a groundbreaking figure, becoming the first black model to make the cover of French Vogue in 1988. Since the start of her career, Naomi has repeatedly spoken out against racism in the industry. 1990s: Erin O’connor and Alek Wek The fashion behemoths that are Naomi and Kate continued to stun the world throughout the Nineties, but there were also some fresh faces joining them on the scene.
Erin O’connor burst onto the pages of our magazines in the second half of the Nineties. Erin has often been likened to a work of art, with her pale skin, angular features and shock of dark hair. She provided a couture contrast to the warmth of the golden age of supermodels.
Alek Wek is originally from South Sudan, but she fled the country’s civil war to settle in the UK when she was 14. A few years later she was discovered, and her success was pretty unusual in the fashion industry. As a dark-skinned model who didn’t conform to the traditionally Westernfocused beauty standards of the industry, she paved the way in fashion for a different look. 2000s: Agyness Deyn and Lily Cole With icy short blonde hair and the cheekbones to match, Agyness Deyn was one of the Noughties’ most iconic models. Working at a chip shop in her teenage years, Agyness’s interesting look and keen sense of style helped her break into the industry. She brought with her a new wave of fashion, being tight-knit friends with the likes of designer Henry Holland and model Alexa Chung. Agyness rarely models nowadays, instead focusing on her acting career.
Lily Cole has a similarly striking look but for different reasons, with pale skin and fiery red hair. Like many models, she was discovered when just a teenager, and has since gone from strength to strength – modelling for the likes of Louis Vuitton and Alexander Mcqueen, and gracing the covers of various Vogue magazines. 2010s: Cara Delevingne and Jourdan Dunn Cara Delevingne and Jourdan Dunn are arguably two of the most prominent British models of this decade.
Cara can be credited with bringing bushy eyebrows back into fashion – a very welcome change from the pencil-thin brows of the Noughties. This being the social media era, she has over 40m followers on Instagram who are eager to see what celebrity she hangs out with next or pictures of her latest tattoo.
Jourdan was discovered in the late Noughties, and has been a breath of fresh air in an industry with a poor record in diversity. In 2015, she appeared on the cover of British Vogue, being the first solo black model to do so in 12 years. She was also the first black British model to make the Forbes list of topearning models since it began in 2006. In the last couple of months alone, she has walked for Miu Miu and graced the cover of Vogue Arabia.