Fashion design for a blouse and pair of trousers by Jean Muir, London, 1977

Fashion design by Jean Muir, London, Autumn, 1977, a long-sleeved top and trousers with rouched detailing at the waist, felt tip pen on paper. Bottom right: a more detailed sketch of the top and sleeves with button detailing. Bottom left: a maroon coloured patterned swatch of the material to be used pinned to the paper. Annotations directing the designer and seamstresses.

Jean Muir was born in 1928 in London to Scottish parents. She was raised in Bedford. She learnt to draw, sew and embroider at a young age, and developed a passion for Art History. Leaving school at 17, Muir chose not to attend art school and viewed this decision as advantageous for her career.

She made clothes that were both radical and classic, breaking the barrier between couture and ready-to-wear. Jean Muir made her name in the 1960s, creating a reputation for exquisitely tailored, timeless, and feminine clothing.
Muir is admired by the likes of Gaultier, Issey Miyake and Giorgio Armani, and has received countless awards in Europe, the UK, the US and Asia for her work in the fashion world.

Design in red jersey material by Jean Muir, 1977.

Unlike her art school peers, Jean Muir learned her trade in the fashion industry. During the 1950s and 60s she worked for Liberty, Jaeger, and her own label, Jane & Jane, before launching her brand under her own name, in 1966. Jean Muir was very much part of the Swinging Sixties fashion scene, but her clothes were instant classics; distinctive and strong yet very subtle.

E.140-1978