Jean Muir: A Fashion Icon Museum Of Scotland - Muir's dresses show she was a cut above

Published on Tuesday 25 November 2008 08:51

FASHION guru, Jean Muir died in 1995, but the legacy she left continues to resonate today – and is likely to do so for generations to come. Muir was proud of her Scottish heritage and was a supporter of the Museum of Scotland. In return, the museum is celebrating her life and work, drawing on over 18,000 items donated to it by Muir's husband in 2005.

The single-most striking impression the exhibition gives to the viewer is the sheer quality of her work. The craft with which she prepared, designed and created garments was clearly of paramount importance to her – and it shows in every stitch.

There is no question of the elegance and grace she brought to her work.

The simplest garments exude delicacy, femininity and, again, quality.

Nevertheless, she disliked the term 'designer', which she thought pretentious. Instead, she preferred to call herself simply a dressmaker.

With the space generously decorated by quotes attributed to her, one of the 20th century's most revered fashion icons reveals something of the person behind the legend. "I do not do young, kooky fashions – I design clothes which I hope any British woman would be happy to wear."

One such woman was actress and former model Joanna Lumley. At the beginning of her career, she was a house-model for Muir. In her autobiography, an extract from which plays on a loop, she recalls both her working relationship and her friendship with the woman she, and many others, referred to as 'Miss Muir'.

Speaking of her Scottish side, Muir said: "I have always considered the Scots part of me to be of enormous importance and advantage." A fact underlined by her choice of Scottish company Todd and Duncan as her suppliers of cashmere.

"Fashion is not art," she said. "It is industry." Grounding as this maxim may have been, it didn't address the obvious love with which she created and it clearly didn't describe the feeling of her broad-ranging clientele.

In addition to a wonderful array of dresses, coats and jackets, the exhibition features a glimpse into her processes through her sketchbooks patterns, fabric samples and toile – trial garments made prior to the finished article.

The attention to detail might put many other designers to shame.

The path of her career is documented, part of which is discussed in an all too brief video documentary which, like much of the rest of the display, leaves the viewer thoroughly teased and eager to learn more.

If there is a flaw in the show, it's that the viewer's appetite is unlikely to be sated. Then again, it's not likely that an exhibition of any size would be enough.

By it's very nature, fashion suggests that it's all about appearance, superficiality and veneer. This was definitely not the case with 'Miss Muir', and it's not the case with the exhibition.

Art students, the general public, industry professionals and at least one reviewer will likely be returning more than once during it's run, digging deeper and discovering more with every visit.

&#149 Run ends March 15, 2009