Muir, Jean

Jean Muir, (1928-1995) an English designer, worked her way up slowly in the fashion business. She started her career as a sales assistant in the lingerie department at Liberty of London in the early 1950s while studying fashion drawing at St. Martin’s School of Art.

Between 1956 and 1963 she studied jersey and knitwear design and manufacturing while working for Jacqmar and then Jaeger. She started her own line of clothing under the label Jane & Jane in 1962. In 1966 she founded Jean Muir Ltd. with her husband, Harry Leuckert.

Muir particularly liked working in soft, flowing fabrics: jersey, wool crêpe, silk satin, and soft leathers and suedes. Fluidity was particularly important to Muir who ensured comfort in all her clothes. Muir modeled her own toiles to ensure everything fit and flowed. She believed the secret to designing was primarily in understanding the female anatomy and took an exacting, mathematical approach to her designs. Muir had a reputation for perfectionism and exacting standards in all aspects of production. Although her character seemed strict and disciplined, her clothes were not. Her fashions stayed away from restrictive interfaced fabrics, structured tailoring and underpinnings. Her clothes were emancipated, flowing, and had a timeless quality to them, although her collections would never be mistaken for anything that was at the cutting edge of style.

See Also: Jane & Jane

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