Peggy Moffitt | |
---|---|
Born | Margaret Anne Moffitt May 14, 1940 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Occupation(s) | Model, actress |
Spouse | |
Children | Christopher Claxton (b. 1973) |
Margaret Anne "Peggy" Moffitt (born May 14, 1940) is a former American model and actress. During the 1960s, she worked very closely with fashion designer Rudi Gernreich, and developed a signature style that featured heavy makeup and an asymmetrical hair cut.
Though her unique look has become widely recognized, Moffitt began her a career as an actress, beginning with an uncredited role in the 1955 film You're Never Too Young . [1] [2] She first began modeling in Paris in the 1950s. [3]
During the 1960s, she developed a signature style, including false eyelashes and heavy eye makeup. [4] Her hairstyle, an asymmetrical bowl cut, [5] created by Vidal Sassoon, became known as the "five point". [6] Her unique look became an icon of the 1960s fashion scene. [2]
Gernreich collaborated with Moffitt and her husband, photographer William Claxton. The three became "a dynamic and inseparable trio." [7] [8] "Without Rudi I would have been a gifted and innovative model," explained Moffitt in The Rudi Gernreich Book. "Without me he would have been an avant-garde designer of genius. We made each other better. We were each other's catalyst.... It was fun, it was invigorating, it was a true collaboration, and yes, it was love." [9] Moffit was later described as his muse. [7] [10]
Gernreich first conceived of a topless swimsuit in December 1962, but didn't intend to produce the design commercially. It had more meaning to Gernreich as an idea than as a reality. [11] Gernreich had Moffitt model the suit in person for Diana Vreeland of Vogue , who asked him why he conceived of the design. Gernreich told her he felt it was time for "freedom-in fashion as well as every other facet of life," but that the swimsuit was just a statement. "[Women] drop their bikini tops already," he said, "so it seemed like the natural next step." [12] She told him, "If there's a picture of it, it's an actuality. You must make it." [13] Gernreich decided to call his design a monokini. When a photo shoot was arranged on Montego Bay in the Bahamas, [14] all five models hired for the session refused to wear the design. The photographer finally persuaded an adventurous local to model it. [15]
To avoid sensationalizing the design, Moffitt, her husband and photographer, William Claxton, and Gernreich decided to publish their own pictures for the fashion press and news media. [16] Moffitt was initially resistant to the idea of posing topless, and afraid the photograph and ensuing coverage could get out of control. She said,
I am a puritanical descendant of the Mayflower. I carried that goddamned Plymouth Rock on my back. … When I did give in, I did so with a lot of rules. I would not show myself on the runway that way. I'd do it only with Bill. Since Rudi would never ever have enough money to do this, I did it for free. But I had final say on everywhere it went photographically. Not Playboy. Not Esquire. I didn't want to be exploited. [17]
Look was the first to publish, after LIFE refused, [18] a rear view of Moffitt modeling the swimsuit on June 2, 1964, [19] [20] and the following day columnist Carol Bjorkman of Women's Wear Daily published a frontal view picture of Moffitt wearing the suit. [19] The photograph became a world-wide news event. [21] It became a celebrated image of the extremism of 1960s designs. [22] Moffit later said, "It was a political statement. It wasn't meant to be worn in public." [23]
Moffitt tired of the single-minded attention to the images of her modeling the Monokini. In 2012, she said of the image, "The shot seen around the world. Think of something in your life that took 1/60th of a second to do. Now, imagine having to spend the rest of your life talking about it. I think it's a beautiful photograph, but oh, am I tired of talking about it." [24] [25]
In 1985, the Los Angeles Fashion Group staged a Gernreich retrospective, "Looking Back at a Futurist." They wanted a woman to model the monokini, but Moffitt loudly objected because she felt it would exploit Gernreich's intentions. [17] After Gernreich's death, she retained legal rights to his designs and arranged for his designs to be displayed in an exhibition titled The Total Look: The Creative Collaboration Between Rudi Gernreich, Peggy Moffitt, and William Claxton at the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art's Pacific Design Center. [24] She also collaborated with Marylou Luther and her husband to release a comprehensive book chronicling Gernreich's designs.
Moffit married photographer William Claxton in 1960. The couple had a son, Christopher, in 1973. They remained married until Claxton's death in October 2008. [26]
Boyd Rice and Giddle Partridge released a limited edition vinyl recording called Going Steady With Peggy Moffitt in 2008.
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1955 | You're Never Too Young | Agnes | A Martin & Lewis comedy; uncredited |
1956 | Meet Me in Las Vegas | Showgirl | Uncredited |
1956 | The Birds and the Bees | Penny | Uncredited |
1958 | Senior Prom | Girl With Holder | |
1959 | The Young Captives | Teenager | Uncredited |
1959 | Up Periscope | Jukebox girl | Uncredited |
1959 | Battle Flame | Nurse Fisher | |
1959 | Girls Town | Flo | Alternative title: The Innocent and the Damned |
1960 | Alcoa Theatre | Dodie Charles | Episode: "Capital Gains" |
1960 | Goodyear Theatre | Dodie Charles | Episode: "Capital Gains" |
1964 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | Robin Rath | Episode: "Beast in View" |
1966 | Who Are You, Polly Maggoo? | Mannequin/Model | French title: Qui êtes vous, Polly Maggoo? |
1966 | Blowup | Model | Uncredited |
1967 | Basic Black | Model |
A bikini is a two-piece swimsuit primarily worn by girls and women that features one piece on top that covers the breasts, and a second piece on the bottom: the front covering the pelvis but usually exposing the navel, and the back generally covering the intergluteal cleft and a little, some, or all of the buttocks. The size of the top and bottom can vary, from bikinis that offer full coverage of the breasts, pelvis, and buttocks, to more revealing designs with a thong or G-string bottom that covers only the mons pubis, but exposes the buttocks, and a top that covers only the areolae. Bikini bottoms covering about half the buttocks may be described as "Brazilian-cut", while those covering about three-quarters of the buttocks may be described as "cheeky" or "cheeky-cut". In May 1946, Parisian fashion designer Jacques Heim released a two-piece swimsuit design that he named the Atome ('Atom') and advertised as "the smallest swimsuit in the world". Like swimsuits of the era, it covered the wearer's belly button, and it failed to attract much attention. Clothing designer Louis Réard introduced his new, smaller design in July. He named the swimsuit after the Bikini Atoll, where the first public test of a nuclear bomb had taken place four days before. His skimpy design was risqué, exposing the wearer's navel and much of her buttocks. No runway model would wear it, so he hired a nude dancer from the Casino de Paris named Micheline Bernardini to model it at a review of swimsuit fashions.
A swimsuit is an item of clothing designed to be worn by people engaging in a water-based activity or water sports, such as swimming, diving and surfing, or sun-orientated activities, such as sun bathing. Different types may be worn by men, women, and children. A swimsuit can be described by various names, some of which are used only in particular locations, including swimwear, bathing suit, bathing attire, swimming costume, bathing costume, swimming suit, swimmers, swimming togs, bathers, cossie, or swimming trunks for men, besides others.
Christie Lee Brinkley is an American model, actress, and entrepreneur. Brinkley gained worldwide fame with her appearances in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues, ultimately appearing on an unprecedented three consecutive covers in 1979, 1980, and 1981. She spent 25 years as the face of CoverGirl, has appeared on over 500 magazine covers, and has signed contracts with major brands; both fashion and non-fashion.
Heidi Klum is a German and American model, television host, producer, and businesswoman. She appeared on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 1998 and was the first German model to become a Victoria's Secret Angel.
The monokini was designed by Rudi Gernreich in 1964, consisting of only a brief, close-fitting bottom and two thin straps, was the first women's topless swimsuit. His revolutionary and controversial design included a bottom that "extended from the midriff to the upper thigh" and was "held up by shoestring laces that make a halter around the neck." Some credit Gernreich's design with initiating, or describe it as a symbol of, the sexual revolution.
Rudolf "Rudi" Gernreich was an Austrian-born American fashion designer whose avant-garde clothing designs are generally regarded as the most innovative and dynamic fashion of the 1960s. He purposefully used fashion design as a social statement to advance sexual freedom, producing clothes that followed the natural form of the female body, freeing them from the constraints of high fashion.
Cheryl Rae Tiegs is an American model and fashion designer. Frequently described as America's first supermodel, Tiegs made multiple appearances on the covers of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and Time magazine. Her 1978 "Pink Bikini" poster became an iconic image of 1970s pop culture.
Toplessness refers to the state in which a woman's breasts, including her areolas and nipples, are exposed, especially in a public place or in a visual medium. The male equivalent is known as barechestedness.
Carol Ann Doda was an American topless dancer based in San Francisco, California, who was active from the 1960s through the 1980s. She was the first public topless dancer in the United States.
Marlborough School is an independent college-preparatory secondary school for girls in grades 7 through 12 at 250 South Rossmore Avenue in the Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Marlborough was founded in 1889 by New England educator Mary Caswell and is the oldest independent girls' school in Southern California. In 2016, Town & Country magazine ranked Marlborough as the "best girls' school in America."
William James Claxton was an American photographer and author.
A handbra is the practice of covering female nipples and areolae with hands or arms. It often is done in compliance with censors' guidelines, public authorities and community standards when female breasts are required to be covered in film or other media. If the arms are used instead of the hands the expression is arm bra. The use of long hair for this purpose is called a hair bra.
The Condor Club nightclub is a striptease bar or topless bar in the North Beach section of San Francisco, California The club became famous in 1964 as the first fully topless nightclub in America, featuring the dancer Carol Doda wearing a monokini.
Many stylistic variations of the bikini have been created. A regular bikini is a two-piece swimsuit that together covers the wearer's crotch, buttocks, and breasts. Some bikini designs cover larger portions of the wearer's body while other designs provide minimal coverage. Topless variants are still sometimes considered bikinis, although they are technically not a two-piece swimsuit.
The thong is a garment generally used as either underwear or in some countries, as a swimsuit. It may also be worn for traditional ceremonies or competitions.
Alyssa Elaine Miller is an American model. She has done print and runway work for numerous leading companies. Among her highlights are cover appearances for Vogue (Germany) and Elle (Italy), work as a featured model–spokesperson for Guess, and appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
Katherine Elizabeth Upton is an American model and actress. She first appeared in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 2011, and was the cover model for the 2012, 2013 and 2017 issues. In addition, she was the subject of the 100th-anniversary Vanity Fair cover.
Cameron Silver is fashion director, retailer, and entertainment personality. Silver is the currently fashion director of the brand Halston.
Patricia Faure was an American art dealer, photographer, and gallery owner, based in Los Angeles.
Exquisite Form is an American clothing brand for women's intimates, particularly bras and shapewear for full-figured women. The brand is owned by Vanity Fair Brands, a division of Fruit of the Loom.
The photographer on location in Montego Bay finally persuaded an adventurous local to wiggle into the designer's latest concoction: tight-fitting black knit bottoms held up with—gasp!—nothing more than a pair of skinny suspenders.
The idea for the monokini first came to Gernreich in December 1962 and first appeared in futuristic fashion feature in a late 1963 issue of Look magazine — after LIFE refused to publish them. In The Rudy Gernreich Book, Moffit recalls the editor at LIFE shamelessly told Claxton, "This is a family magazine, and naked breasts are allowed only if the woman is an aborigine."