Laura St. John

A gorgeous housewife model from Dorset, whose favourite sport was said to be swimming, Laura was the epitome of girls of her era – fashion conscious, leggy and fun. She was very similar in type to Nicola Taylor, with whom she did duo shoots; typical Ken Howard stuff – silly piggy-back rides and suspender pulling in his front room with the curtains drawn to block out the view of peering neighbours while he took his smutty snaps.

Stockings and suspenders are the essence of sexuality – but Laura looked sensational in tights and made me re-evaluate my antipathy. Pictures of girls in tights were taken in the first few years of their invention following the arrival of the miniskirt, and girls then wore their knickers over their tights, as they used to when they wore suspender belts. You don’t see that often nowadays. And believe me, the short interval between the advent of the mini and the production of tights was a fantastic time to be alive. A kaleidoscope of stocking tops and suspenders; it was like living in a Spick and Span bubble.

Personal Details  –  Born 1949  –  36-23-36  –  5ft 7in (170cm)

Appearances  –  13, debut Span 216 (August 1972)

Spick  –  226, 230(bc), 239, 248(bc), 264

Span  –  216, 217, 223, 252

Beautiful Britons  –  202, 206

Spick & Span Extra  –  45, 47