“I really didn’t know how to market myself,” the daughter of Frank Sinatra said via X on Sept. 21
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NEED TO KNOW
- Nancy Sinatra claims she pioneered the iconic eye makeup trend of the 1960s before Jean Shrimpton and Twiggy, in social media posts on Monday, Sept. 21
- She shared details about her signature look, which gained attention after her 1967 TV special Movin’ With Nancy
- Sinatra reflected on missing opportunities in the fashion and makeup industry despite her influence during that era
Nancy Sinatra is crediting herself for the “eye makeup craze in the ‘60s.”
On Monday, Sept. 21, the eldest daughter of the late Frank Sinatra and Nancy Barbato Sinatra spoke candidly on social media about the origin of a popular makeup look.
“I think I was the one who started the whole eye makeup craze in the ‘60s,” the “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” singer, 86, began in her lengthy caption on Instagram and X. “Jean Shrimpton and Twiggy weren’t doing it then.”
Accompanying her post was a carousel of throwback photos, showing off the English model and actress’ signature chalky white eyelids, which she exaggerated with floating creases, and a soft downturned wing, with thick false eyelashes for added volume.
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Meanwhile, Twiggy, 77, whose real name is Dame Lesley Lawson, was almost always photographed with thick, individual bottom lashes during this period.
During a March 2022 interview with PEOPLE, Twiggy said that she “invented it at the tender age of 16.”
“It would take me one and a half hours to apply, including three pairs of false eyelashes,” she said at the time.
Still, Nancy added in Monday’s post, “I created my look on my own, although Aida Grey modified my brows because I was doing them wrong. After my television special, Movin’ With Nancy, aired in December 1967, most of the fan mail I received was about my eye makeup. I still don’t know how I feel about that!!” she wrote.
“Makeup is big business now. If I had my wits about me in the ‘60s, I would have gotten involved in the fashion and makeup industry, since I was so closely identified with both. I really didn’t know how to market myself, and maybe I didn’t have the right people around me at the time to help me turn it into something bigger,” the Speedway star continued.
Credit: NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
Sinatra ended by sharing a step-by-step guide on how she achieved her iconic look.
“And there you have it, kids! Now you know my secrets… If you start getting tons of fan mail about your eye makeup, don’t say I didn’t warn you!” she said.
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Twiggy was recently honored on Sept. 11 at The Daily Front Row’s Fashion Media Awards, where she received the Style Icon award and referenced Shrimpton in her acceptance speech.
“I was named by the British press, the face of 1966,” she said. “Much to my surprise, I might add, because I mean, I didn’t look like the other models of that era: Jean Shrimpton, Veruschka [von Lehndorff], they were tall, beautiful and elegant, and I was this funny, skinny little kid. That article back in 1966 started me on a whirlwind tour of photo shoots and media frenzy.”
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