Childhood Life

Lesley Hornby was born September 19, 1949 in Neasden, a London suburb.Twiggy was part of a middle class family; she had a normal childhood during the 1950’s. Her famliy believed strongly in being tightly bonded, having dinner together atleast once a week. She was the third daughter of Helen Lydia Hornby, a factory worker for a printing firm, and William Norman Hornby, a master carpenter and joiner. Their first daughter, Shirley, was born fifteen years earlier; their second, Vivien, had been born seven years earlier.Twiggy’s mother taught her to sew at an early age, and she used this skill to make her own clothing throughout life. She attended the Brondesbury and Kilburn High School in Salusbury Road Kilburn, where she began modeling at age 15. At school, Twiggy endured endless taunts about her slight frame, which earned her such names as "Sticks" and "Twigs". Twiggy dropped out of high school and sooner after got her first job as an assistant in a hair salon, there she met Nigel Davies, the brother of her co-worker. They began seeing each other, much to the disapproval of her parents as he was 10 years older than her. Under his influence, he helped to make her the face of the 1960's in London.