This is another video in the series This is Great Britain. Famous 60's model Lesley Lawson, Twiggy, tells us about British fashion and the meaning of being British for her.
Self-study activity:
This is a listening activity for intermediate students. Listen to the clip and answer the questions below.
1 Why did Twiggy's first boyfriend make fun of her?
2 What piece of clothing was popular in Twiggy's times?
3 What does Carnaby Street mean for people in general and for Twiggy in particular?
4 Twiggy mentions three things that the British have got. What is it?
5 What's the good thing about British museums?
6 What phrase does Twiggy use to describe her feelings towards London?
You can check your answers by reading the transcript below.
My first boyfriend’s brother, in the ‘60s, used to tease me ‘cause my legs were so skinny. It started as “Sticks,” and then it turned into “Twiggy.”
When I burst on the scene in the ‘60s we had Barbara Hulanicki, who gave us Biba, and Mary Quant and the mini skirt. And I think from then on British fashion has just grown and grown and grown.
I think we’ve got such an amazing stable of designers now that all the world looks to. We’ve got Stella McCartney, Matthew Williamson, Vivienne Westwood, Christopher Kane, Christopher Bailey, Paul Smith. They are some of the great designers and we’re brave, we go for it. And there’s always new things; I mean, it’s brilliant!
Carnaby Street, you know, if you say that name, everyone in the world knows it’s London. To me it just means my teenage years, it was the exciting place, and it was a hip hop place to go.
We’ve got everything: we’ve got art, we’ve got fashion, we’ve got history.
There’s such an array of museums in Britain and they’re all free, which is great!
I’ll always live in London. You know, it’s in my heart. Britain’s in my heart and soul.
You’re invited!
