Sixties Fashion Icon Peggy Moffitt Passes Away at 86
Sixties American Fashion model, actress, and nurse Peggy Moffitt away at the age of 86 from a long illness on Saturday, August 10.
The news was revealed by Moffitt’s son Christopher Claxton. The 60s icon will be remembered for her unique five-point haircut, distinguishable eye makeup, and her collaborative work with designer Rudi Gernreich.
Moffitt was born in 1940 on May 14 in California where she attended the Marlborough School in Hancock Park. The model would then study acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City. She booked her first acting job in the musical-comedy, You’re Never Too Young.
Moffitt was also classically trained in ballet which would then connect her with Rudi Gernreich whom she met in 1954 while working at the Beverly Hills boutique Jax. Her son told WWD “They approached art and design in a similar way and had a big appreciation for dance and humor in design.”
William Claxton
— FVC (@FranciscoJVill1) May 2, 2015
Peggy Moffitt and Rudi Gernreich, Paris, 1965 pic.twitter.com/yXyNrBCJjf
The two would join forces to scandalize and bring something new to the fashion world of the 1960s. From baby-doll dresses, and adult school uniforms to the notorious topless women’s bathing suit condemned by beach-area police forces from Santa Monica to St Tropez. Before her modeling journey, Moffitt met photographer William Claxton who would later become her husband.
Together, Moffitt, Gernreich, and Claxton became a sort of trio. In 1961, they created Basic Black: William Claxton w/Peggy Moffitt, which is considered the first fashion film. They all had this very catalytic energy between them due to which they created amazing works together.
As stated previously, the model’s most known moment is the monokini. The photo became international news when it was published in Women’s Wear Daily in 1964. The image was taken by her husband and symbolized women’s sexual simulation of the 60s era. France issued a ban on the swimsuit; the Pope declared it immoral and the Soviet government denounced it as a sign of “barbarism” and social “decay.”
Peggy Moffitt models Rudi Gernreich's "monokini", 1964. pic.twitter.com/1rUxa7ds2Z
— Jon Maas (@jondmaas) August 11, 2023
Despite mixed reviews and a lot of backlash, the point of the photo was to challenge the taboos surrounding female nudity. A limited amount of topless swimsuits were ever produced. One, a gift from Gernreich, remained in Peggy Moffitt’s wardrobe. She kept it as a tribute to their friendship, which endured until Gernreich’s death from lung cancer in 1985.
Though the image would define her career the Girls Town actress stood on how proud she was of the photograph. Moffitt would go on to star in cult fashion films such as Blow-Up and Who Are You, Polly Maggoo.
RIP Peggy Moffitt. We loved the style and era and plastered flyers and images related to Peggy in our early Tender Idol days. X pic.twitter.com/GrqBNGKyJ1
— Ian Webber (@ian_webber) August 13, 2024
The star will live on through the monokini image, yes but also her influence on the fashion world, her help in destigmatizing women’s bodies, her graphic makeup, and the collaborations along the way.
You can watch Moffitt’s first fashion film Basic Black: William Claxton w/Peggy Moffitt here.
