Simone Mirman - Business History

Business History

During the Second World War the newly-wed, impoverished Mirmans lived in a small attic on Spring Street in Paddington. Each morning, they hid the evidence of their real life and transformed the attic into a millinery salon for Simone to serve customers seeking off-ration hats. As clothing coupons were not required for hats, there was a steady demand for the designs Mirman created out of scraps and oddments.

In 1947, Simone Mirman was able to afford better premises near Hyde Park, and in 1952, she moved to Chesham Place, Belgravia, where her salon and workroom remained for the rest of her professional career. In the early 1950s Simone Mirman was supplying hats to Norman Hartnell, Hardy Amies and Christian Dior. It was through Serge Mirman that Dior's licensed hosiery became established upon the London retail scene, and indeed, Serge Mirman remained closely involved with his wife's business throughout her career.

In 1952, Simone Mirman was invited to show her wares at Buckingham Palace. By this point she was making hats for the Royal couturiers Amies and Hartnell. She was so nervous at the prospect of her first encounter with Royalty that she broke protocol by entering through the front door of the Palace. However, Princess Margaret, Elizabeth II, and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother all became regular customers of hers. She was later granted the Royal warrants of Queen Elizabeth II and the Queen Mother in recognition of her services.

Mirman's designs for Royalty took into account their individual preferences. She created light and airy hats for the Queen Mother lavishly trimmed with flowers and feathers. Princess Margaret favoured the most fashionable designs. The Queen insisted on hats that would please photographers – off-the-face brims (if any), clear colours to co-ordinate with her Hartnell and Amies outfits, and unusual fabrics to make her stand out in a crowd. A typical Mirman design for the Queen was the abbreviated cloche hat densely covered with small flowers. Perhaps the best-known individual Simone Mirman hat for the Queen is the dramatic 1969 Tudor gable hood-inspired hat the Queen wore at the investiture of the Prince of Wales. In 2003 a number of Mirman's hats were displayed in the Kensington Palace State Apartments as part of an exhibition of the Queen's wardrobe.

In addition to Royalty, Simone Mirman had many famous clients, including the actresses Vivien Leigh and Valerie Hobson, as well as many members of the English aristocracy and society. On a less exalted level, she designed caps to accompany the 1967 policewoman's uniforms designed by Norman Hartnell.

Through the 1960s and 1970s Simone Mirman continued to design fashionable hats. She created fun versions of the 1960s helmet hats encrusted with plastic gems, and ultra-modern leather or plastic helmets with clear tinted PVC visors in 1966. Ernestine Carter chose one of these hats to complete the 1966 Dress Of The Year ensemble. Her husband also assisted her to design hats, and was probably responsible for the more outlandish and eccentric Mirman hats that attracted the attention of the press.

After Serge Mirman died in 1980, Simone Mirman closed down her Belgravia salon. She set up a small business with their daughter, Sophie, which sold leather goods and simple hats. Sophie Mirman went on to found Sock Shop and the childrenswear boutique Trotters.