Jean Muir

When a young Jean Muir began working in the stockroom of Liberty & Co during the early 1950s, she had dreams of moving away from London and designing fashionable clothing. Despite earning unremarkable academic scores, she possessed remarkable talent with a needle, claiming to have learned how to sew, embroider, and knit by the tender age of six. Whether Muir had exaggerated the age at which she acquired her skills or not, one thing remains true: Her talent took her to high places.

After a few short years of employment at Liberty & Co, her raw talent attracted the attention of her superiors and she earned the opportunity to design items for the store's ready to wear lines. Because of Liberty & Co's status as a reputable department store, designing for them gave her the background that she needed to land a higher paying position as a designer for Jaeger, a United Kingdom-based retailer of men's and women's clothing. For them, Muir assisted other designers in developing lines for Young Jaeger, a label designed for young adults.

Muir's position as a designer for Jaeger kick-started her career in the fashion world. The 1960s and 1970s were kind to her, and her new job as a designer for Jane & Jane, a label funded by jersey dress manufacturer David Barnes, gave her the freedom she needed to develop her signature style. Taking cues from her first position of employment at Liberty & Co, Muir chiselled a style from neutral, understated items of clothing that flattered the wearer. Muir's philosophy stated that less was more. She did not want to incorporate all the frills and glitz put forth by other fashion designers of her time. Her dedication to couture paid off and before long, understated silhouettes and simplicity became her trademark.

The 1980s marked the decade during which Muir's designs flourished. She had established her own label, Jean Muir Ltd., with her husband as her business partner. Muir believed in using only the best materials, making her creations fairly expensive, but highly sought by stars like Joanna Lumley, Lauren Bacall, and Judi Dench.

Because of her penchant for understated clothing articles, Muir often designed dresses in neutrals or blacks, but she did have an eye for colour. When she used colour in her creations, she chose colours that made bold statements; often deep blues, heather-toned purples, and saffron yellows. Furthermore, she immersed herself in the creation of these colours, overseeing the production of her fabrics with an intense eye for scrutiny and perfection.