More Than Just a Pretty Swingin' Sixties Face

Hers is the face that launched a thousand ripples through the fashion world when she wore the world's first topless bathing suit. "Designer of the future" Rudi Gernreich considered Peggy Moffitt to be his muse and model of choice for his controversial designs. With her Kabuki-inspired face painting, Peggy created her own unique look in the Sixties. Gernreich collaborated with super hair stylist Vidal Sassoon to create Peggy's trademark hairstyle. He gave her a short helmet haircut, with precise geometric bangs cut right to her eyebrows. She also created her own makeup style with heavy black and white eyeliner and long false eyelashes to exaggerate her huge dark eyes. She took the term "strike a pose" very seriously in front of the camera. She made Gernreich's clothes all the more extreme with her striking presence.

FIDM was recently treated to a visit from Peggy when she came to sign copies of The Rudi Gernreich Book, a chronicle of the fashion designer's life and work. Peggy and her photographer husband, William Claxton, produced and wrote the colorful homage to Gernreich. Both Peggy and her husband discussed the book and their experiences with sixties swingin' fashion. She has not abandoned her famous look to time!

Peggy Moffitt is an icon and innovator of fashion who didn't just wear designs, she inspired them. Even super sixties model Twiggy said, "She taught me how much more a model puts in her work than just a pretty face."