Muir, Jean Elizabeth

▪ 1996

      British dressmaker (b. July 17, 1928, London, England—d. May 28, 1995, London), as a champion of "the little black dress," created classically elegant, deceptively simple women's fashions for three decades. Muir taught herself to sew at boarding school, and she later took a job in the stockroom of Liberty's department store in London. She apprenticed as a designer at Jaeger Ltd. (1956-62) and Jane & Jane (1962-66) before she started her own label in 1967. Using such soft fabrics as jersey, crepe, suede, and cashmere, Muir paid minute attention to detail, a hallmark of her excellent craftsmanship. Her designs, which emphasized perfect tailoring, featured graceful shapes that flattered almost any woman's silhouette. Her creations proved to be equally successful in the "swinging '60s" and the more conservative '80s. Muir's many honours include the British Fashion Industry Award (1984), the Australian Bicentennial Award (1988), and election to the British Fashion Hall of Fame (1994). She was made Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1984.

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