One of Rootstein's earliest and most iconic mannequins was based on up-and-coming London fashion model, Twiggy. Adel spotted Lesley Hornby in a newspaper advert and immediately recognised a look that would later become a symbol of London's emerging Carnaby Street style. At the time, Rootstein had no way of knowing that Twiggy would go on to encapsulate the look of 1960s London fashion. Her 5 foot 4 frame was unlike anything in shop windows at the time and her small frame suited the new trend from designers, Mary Quant and Biba.
Twiggy was discovered in 1966 after a photograph of her was seen by journalist Deidre McSharry. Meeting with twiggy a few weeks later, Diedre ran an article in the Daily Express declaring her the "Face of '66" and when Diana Vreeland agreed with that assessment, her career was launched.
Clearly Adel saw the same potential and fashioned a mannequin collection a year later. This would give designers the same creative shapes and poses for their store windows where previously they relied on 1950s busts and static, outdated shapes.
The way people dressed in the 1960s was remarkably different to anything that had come before. London's fashion scene was finding its own aura, refusing to mimic the haute couture conventions of Paris' fashion elite of the time. With a renewed sense of independence and a small budget to boot, the youth of London were finding news ways to express themselves and Twiggy was at the centre of this cultural shift.