Okay this is 22 Bruton Street and today Jean Muir has been remembered by a blue plaque
up there on the wall and this is the salon that she had.
You see even though Jean Muir was known for lots of navy blue and black and heavy silk jersey,
she did extraordinary things - I mean look at that, these would be handmade Perspex buttons
and that hat that would have been jean just going “you know darling, just fun, just fun”.
She used to just draw colour schemes and shapes and then it would be transferred. This is wool -
look at those colours! When we did the little fashion shows (and they were little because they
had to fit in this small l-shaped room) masses of tiny gold chairs were bought and all of the
grandest people would be there you could hear the buzz and I would sit to the models in there and
there's a wonderful iconic photograph of four of us – me, Kelly, JJ and Roz, sitting on the ground.
The photograph has us clutching little glasses of champagne – just before she’d say “Champagne
darlings! Champagne, champagne, champagne.” And Harry would have put on some jazz something
smoochy and cool and then we would just walk out. It just felt unbelievably sophisticated and cool
and right and a glass of champagne and people were just magic and you scruffling along in
your own scabby life, just for a minute you're elevated walking with the angels - I adored it.
She loved working in leather and you can be sure that although I can't touch this it would
be as soft as silk she got the softest leather imaginable and it's stitched with leather as well.
The plaque scheme has been run by English Heritage since 1986
and Miss Muir brings the plaque count across Greater London to a total of 970.
And English Heritage are doing that - they're doing about I think 50 percent
of the plaques are going to be for women. So those of us who are women
can walk around and just look up and go “that's great”.
That is a dress I actually still have at home. This cape from here was attached to the side seam
but it fell loose as a cape behind so when you moved it slightly swung - so gorgeous! Gorgeous.
I worked closely with Jean Muir for nine years, but whatever the circumstances
to myself and to everyone else who worked with her she remained ‘Miss Muir’, never Jean.
Her uncompromising approach inspired tremendous loyalty.
But the workroom staff - they were the people she really loved.
Look oh no, no! Look! It says Miss J Lumley! Little buttons, satin, little darling dress and
I think it's probably in the Museum of Scotland now. I'm part of a museum piece. I'm so thrilled.
She respected craftsmanship, and that's why she
rejected the title ‘designer’ and loved ‘dressmaker’. She liked people who did things.
Now, this is the nearest she got to designer logos. Lovely sleeves, flippety-floppity,
little sweet neck. This is what the over stitching she was so renowned for,
white on this vivid green. Beautiful Perspex kind of designed by her,
jiggy-jaggy belt. When you wore Jean Muir, you were the star. She couldn't
bear it if the dress was going to look more important than you. It always did.
To be here in Bruton street and to know that there's a blue plaque that has been dedicated
to her is the absolute business. We'll never forget her, she's an immortal, she's a legend.
Now this shows that Jean Muir is actually forever part of history. My greatest pride and honour
is to unveil the plaque to Jean Muir - the best of the very best.
She was remarkable you know. The more I think about her the more utterly exceptional she was.
I knew her and I worked for her. I walked for her, I wore her clothes. I knew a legend.