Muriel King

Muriel King (1900–1977) was an American fashion designer based in New York City. She was one of the first American fashion designers along with Elizabeth Hawes and Clare Potter to achieve name recognition. She also designed costumes for several major films in the 1930s and 1940s.

Early life Muriel King was born August 27, 1900, in Bayview, Washington. King began her design studies at the Cornish School, now Cornish College of the Arts, in scenic design under Maurice Browne, co-founder of Cornish's Theater Department, and head designer Thilda Olson—all while attending the University of Washington. She later studied watercolor painting and theatre design at the New York School of Fine and Applied Arts. King kept her designs simple and high quality, believing that dresses should just have one detail. Her method of working was unusual, as she was not a formally trained fashion designer, and did not cut, drape or sew. She created fully finished watercolour sketches showing her designs, which her tailors and sewing staff then interpreted into proper garments. Her collection for that season was inspired by 1400s armour, with a suit costing $250 (equivalent to $4625 in 2015) whilst the Altman's reproduction cost $75 (equivalent to $1387.25 in 2015).

King went on to design the personal wardrobe for movie actress Katharine Hepburn. From 1935 to 1944, she designed costumes for eight major movies, including two of Hepburn's. She was on the short list to design the costumes for Gone with the Wind, but despite being the author Margaret Mitchell's favourite, failed to win the job (which went to Walter Plunkett).

In 1945, she was hired director of the Fine and Applied Fashion Department at Stephens College, a women's college in Columbia, Mo., and helped establish its fashion program.

Later life King retired from fashion in 1957 to paint full-time. She died in 1977.

Exhibitions Muriel King: Artist of Fashion at the Fashion Institute of Technology, 10 March - 4 April 2009.

Film wardrobe Muriel King worked on wardrobe for the following films:

Sylvia Scarlett (1935, Katharine Hepburn's clothes.) Stage Door (1937, gowns) Manhattan Merry-Go-Round, (1937, Tamara Geva's gowns) Appointment for Love (1941, Margaret Sullavan's gowns) Back Street (1941, Margaret Sullavan's gowns) The Woman in the Window (1944) Casanova Brown (1944) Christmas Holiday (1944) Cover Girl (1944, gowns)