Be Faithfull: The life and style of Marianne

She’s one of the Sixties’ greatest fashion icons and the original rock chic. Ellie Woodward examines the life and style of Marianne Faithfull.

Once every so often along comes a genuine style icon – someone with such originality, such flare that they capture the attention of millions. We’ve had the boho style queens of the last decade – the fur gileted, denim skirted Kate Mosses and Sienna Millers – but their unkempt looks are arguably a direct result of the quirky and immensely influential wardrobe of Marianne Faithfull. With a career spanning four decades and largely shrouded in rock and roll controversy, Faithfull’s life and wardrobe have made her a cultural phenomenon.

Born in December 1946 in London to a college professor and ballerina, it wasn’t until 1964 that Faithfull entered the public sphere when she began to land gigs as a folk music performer in coffee houses. Faithfull was a bright, fashionable and vivacious teenager, immersing herself in the London social scene – an attitude which would later lead to her demise.

It was in 1964 that Faithfull’s career really began when she attended a Rolling Stones launch party and was discovered by Andrew Loog Oldham. Her first major release, As Tears Go By, was, in fact, written by Oldham and Mick Jagger. More hit records followed, including Summer Nights and This Little Bird. It seemed that at this time, Faithfull’s professional and personal life were perfectly in synch as she married John Dunbar in 1955 before giving birth to their son, Nicholas, later that year.

The happiness wasn’t to last, however and whilst the Rolling Stones remain one of the greatest rock bands of all time, their influence on Faithfull’s life was arguably the start of its swift unravelling. Faithful left her husband to live with Mick Jagger. She later told journalists that ‘My first move was to get a Rolling Stone as a boyfriend. I slept with three and decided the lead singer was the best bet.’ 

In 1966 she and Jagger began a much publicised affair and Faithful herself began using Marijuana. The effect of the two meant that Faithful became a notorious component of the London Swinging scene.

She was found by police during a drug raid on Keith Richard’s house wearing only a fur rug. It wasn’t until 30 years later that Faithful revealed how the incident had left her personal life in tatters: ‘It destroyed me. To be a male drug addict and to act like that is always enhancing and glamorising. A woman in that situation becomes a slut and a bad mother.’

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Tags: 60s, Marianne Faithfull, Sixties, style icon

Category: 1960s, Fashion, Vintage news, Vintage Style Icons