Top Five

Brian's Top Five: A Blast from the ToCo Archives

In a sea of silence, Brian stands tall as the only one to answer my burning question, "Who would be in your ToCo model top five?" And boy, does he have impeccable taste!

So, let's dive deep into the treasure trove of the ToCo archives and unveil Brian's coveted top five girls. Get ready to embark on a sensational journey through the timeless beauties handpicked by our resident connoisseur. It's time to rediscover the magic and allure of these unforgettable ToCo classics!

Brian's Top Five
1. Anne Duke
2. Annette French
3. Jane Rennie
4. Anne Scott
5. Ruth Cavendish

Pam Johnstone

Hot Scott Pants

If any girls can wear hot pants and look like they were meant to look - expressively feminine - it's the bonny Scot birds.
Like PAM JOHNSTONE.
It's a bit of a fraud, really.
Why?
Because Pam's hot Scot pants are just a pair of lovely clinging shorts, she's had in her wardrobe for a couple of years already. She bought them ages ago and sort of went off them as soon as she got them home.
Then those daft fashion people, who were absolutely stuck for a gimmick, put a model into a pair of shorts, someone called them hot pants, and look what's happened now. The whole thing's a send-up.
Pam is laughing herself silly.
Never mind, it doesn't make her look any the less inspiring.

Spick No 212 - July 1971

Faith Pattinson

Faith

Girl making a name for herself among those striving for a place in the world of films is FAITH PATTINSON.

You can see for yourself how well Faith is set-up in respect of having the right impact in front of a camera. Impact can be abstract. In the case of Faith, she has the looks, the figure, the personality, and the talent to make her impact factual, not abstract.

Span No 156 - August 1967

Private Collection

Ann

Pictures taken from a private collection of negatives.

Private Collection

Private Collection

I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have been granted access to a private collection of negatives and prints dating back to the late 1970s and onwards into the 80s. These photographs emanate the essence and style typically associated with ToCo's magazine prints from the 60s and 70s.

What makes this collection particularly intriguing is the fact that I think many of these images have never been seen before. They showcase amateur models, with only their first names mentioned. While the quality of these photographs may vary, I thought it would be refreshing to showcase some of the better ones here on this blog.

If you happen to recognize a familiar face, then please do contact me.

Suzanne Edwards

Suzanne

The ambition of sweet SUZANNE EDWARDS is to play a guitar with a top pop group, and since Suzanne is pretty good with a guitar who knows what top pop group isn't looking out for a guitarist just her shape and size. Suzanne's shape, in fact, is a nicely symmetrical 36"-24"-36".

Beautiful Britons No 102 - April 1964

Anne Duke

Non-Political Nomination

We want to nominate ANNE DUKE for something special. We don't want to nominate her for a political post, as we've gone off politics and politicians.

If we were able to, we'd retire all our present M.P.'s and send them off for a long rest to the Bahamas, where they could lie around and not think of anything except what they were going to get for lunch. In their place a bevy of housewives and a bunch of businessmen could get on with straightening the country out.

We'd like to keep Anne out of all that, however. We'd like to nominate her as an entrant for this year's Miss United Kingdom contest.

Anne has already won some beauty competitions. She's a Welsh girl, by the way, and her vitalistics are 36"-24"-36". If anyone would like to convert those figures to centimetres, they're welcome.

Spick No 174 - May 1964

Wendy Goff

Glamour In The Air

We mean this literally.

There's nothing like the modern air hostess to bring comfort and glamour to air travel, and one of the most glamorous of them is WENDY GOFF. Activating our cover this month with dynamic colour.

Wendy, a former Miss England, is just the girl we'd most like to get lost in the clouds with.

Span No 156 - August 1967

Susan Douglas

For Your Album

For those who swear that there is no pin-up quite as elegant or quite as attractive as SUSAN DOUGLAS, here is Susan brought to you in the zingiest of modern lingerie, and we just hope you like the zingiest of modern lingerie.

We were assured it's what all the girls are wearing in the musical "Charlie Girl."

We were assured it's what makes a girl with it. It turns her from just a beautiful dream into a real kooky.

Span No 140 - April 1966

Susan Day

Fresh Air Girl

From nine until five thirty each day blonde SUSAN DAY is a salesgirl in an exclusive fashion establishment, but while that kind of environment might turn many an assistant into a hothouse type, Susan only feels an increasing desire for fresh air.

If ever you lose a needle in a haystack Susan is just the girl to help you look for it. Other girls will complain of cold feet or go on about how a rural atmosphere disrupts their metabolism, but not Susan. Out of doors she's a whirl, indoors she designs new fashions.

By the way, all that fresh air has given her vitalistics of 37"-24"-37".

Beautiful Britons No 135 - February 1967

Jackie Taylor

How to Lose A Fish As Big As This

Anglers are inclined to be fanatical about their sport and naturally this bothers the fish a little.

But did we ever tell you about how Dan Emmery lost one which was too big for his basket? Stretched from here to here, it did. Absolute whopper. Just landing it, he was, when something very fetching caught his eye. He looked round and saw JACKIE TAYLOR doing a spot of P.T. on the riverbank.

Well, like many other anglers (as we said at first) he was inclined to be fanatical about fishing. But he wasn't as fanatical as all that. He knew he could always catch another fish, but he also knew he wouldn't get many chances of catching an eyeful as photogenic as Jackie.

By the time he came to, the fish had flopped back into the water. Absolute whopper it was, too. Big as this.

Jackie, by the way, is a young housewife who lives in Middlesex and loves miniskirts. So do we.

Beautiful Britons No 169 - December 1969

Are Black Silk Stockings Over-Rated?

Black Satin & Black Nylons - A Provocative combination!

Staunch devotees of feminine leg beauty would have it that nothing - but nothing enhances the appeal of a shapely pair of legs like sheer black stockings. These artful wisps of dusky nylon enjoy a highly favoured status in the hearts of leg lovers, to whom they conjure up a host of bewitching visions and pleasurable sensations.

In part this is due to the special significance of black as a colour for feminine underwear. By general consent, black is held to be the sexiest colour of all - the most mysterious, alluring, provocative colour a woman can wear in the boudoir - or out of it.

Models in men's magazines are photographed in black more often than any other colour, from stockings and garter belts to gloves and negligees. Figure photographers like black because of the dramatic contrast it makes against white flesh tones. Strippers, chorus girls and cocktail waitresses wear long black net stockings because the customers like it that way. Recently black has stepped down from the stage to become a common sight on city streets and in offices. Try counting the number of girls you see in black nylons in one day. The number may surprise even you, a leg man from way back. Undoubtedly black silk is big business, from Sears to Saks Fifth Avenue.

What's wrong with that? Nothing at all. But consider: are leg fanciers becoming so enamoured with black silk that they're in danger of losing a sense of proportion? Will their senses, tuned in to black, tend to become atrophied and dulled to other shades? In short, are they missing the whole forest just for a few trees?

The girl who sports black nylons is still in a relatively tiny minority. To take the broad view, the vast majority of women still pack their gams in beige and sand-coloured hose, with a few taupes, greys and other shades thrown in. White is still the standard colour for underwear, with pink and blue following close behind as perennial scantie favourites. And by all means let's be broad-minded about this. The narrow view taken by the "black nylon brigade" could lead to missing out on a multitude of visual treats.

Not that black is to be spurned - it is still by far the most voluptuous colour a woman can wear for her "private life." Every woman should include black in her lingerie drawer, for those times when she wants to be at her most alluring and exciting. But sexiness is by no means synonymous with black. To put it another way, if a girl is responsive, she'll feel responsive no matter what colour she wears. By the same token, a cold pigeon will still be a cold pigeon, even if she paints her toenails black.

To be sure, vapor-thin, skin-hugging black stockings are the perfect partners for a black cocktail sheath, as any woman with good dress sense (and horse sense) knows. But she also knows they aren't right with white or pastel outfits, and this is when she sensibly turns to her regular nylons. For the same reason - good taste - she isn't likely to wear a black bra beneath a transparent white blouse, not unless she's trying hard to draw attention to what the bra contains. A harmony of effects in top wear and underwear is what she aims for, and rightly.

Even the model whose business it is to know clothes from A to Z can benefit from awareness of contemporary, everyday tastes. If she errs too far towards the exotic, she runs the risk of appearing bizarre. Black, lacy garter belts and bikini briefs styled by Hollywood creators are all very well, but if a model looks too far-out her appeal will be restricted to a small, specialized audience. The most successful and sought-after image a model can create is that of looking like the girl next door - or appearing to. The girl next door may never wear black silk stockings or lace scanties, but she is nevertheless a very desirable young lady. Beige hose and dime-store briefs may not be the ultimate in sexy attire, but inside them is a living, flesh-and-blood woman. Why not accept her as she is, enjoy her for what she is? There'll be time enough to educate her into the refinements of feminine wear; this in itself will become a pleasure, as she adds to her collection of lingerie and steps into a new world of tantalizing ultra-sophisticated black fashion.

Until that happy day arrives, it might be well for the leg lover to lower his sights and take in a wider panorama. While keeping black as his bullseye, he should never forget his main target legs, legs, legs! It is the overall scene from hip to toe that really scores - the ineffable rhythm conveyed by a pert posterior and carried clear down to the heels. And what a rhythm! It is timeless, awe-inspiring, no matter what stocking shade she wears. Sheer white nylon would not impair the message inherent in a good-looking pair of gams, nor will black nylon enhance it. And if the boudoir should reveal a flair for underthing’s of firehouse red or shocking pink - or even standard white - your ticket is still good for a trip to Paradise!

Leg Show Volume 1 No 5 - 1963 (By Perter Weatherby)

Monika Cann

Monika

All the way from Switzerland comes MONIKA CANN, and now she's here and making London look brighter than ever we're convinced that we could do with a lot more creamy Swiss birds.

Monika is usually at St. Moritz at this time of the year, either ski-ing down the slopes or skating on the rinks. Now, for a change, she's working in London at a travel agency, and naturally she's sending most of the customers off to Switzerland.

She can send them to Afghanistan as far as we're concerned, just so long as she doesn't go herself.

Beautiful Britons No 232 - March 1975