Simone Mirman (1912–2008) was a celebrated Paris-born milliner who defined hat design in mid-20th century London. Active through the eras of post-war austerity and the Swinging Sixties, she was a master of impeccable craftsmanship and chic modernity.
Mirman’s career reached its zenith when she became a favored designer for the British Royal Family, notably Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret, crafting hats that balanced traditional regal formality with sharp, contemporary lines.
Her work, which blended the boldness she learned working with Elsa Schiaparelli with her own elegant sensibility, ensured that the hat remained a powerful symbol of sophistication during a rapidly changing time in fashion history.
Myrtle Crawford wearing a mushroom-shaped hat of navy straw, the underside lined in white voile and white ribbon round the crown by Simone Mirman, photo by Henry Clarke, Harper’s Bazaar UK, July 1950
Myrtle Crawford wearing a little cloche of navy-blue straw with an upturned brim faced in white by Simone Mirman, photo by Henry Clarke, Harper’s Bazaar UK, July 1950
Anne Gunning in cinnamon line dress with scalloped collar echoed with white marcella and wrapped rounded overskirt by Mattli, burnt straw hat by Simone Mirman, jewelry by Asprey, photo by Henry Clarke, Harper’s Bazaar UK, May 1951
Anne Gunning in classic black barathea suit by Ronald Paterson, wide-brimmed hat in oyster felt by Dior at Simone Mirman, photo by Richard Dormer, Harper’s Bazaar UK, November 1951
June Duncan in toast-colored silk shantung suit, double box pleats streak down the back of the jacket and skirt, by Lachasse, velvet banded straw hat by Simone Mirman, photo by Henry Clarke, Harper’s Bazaar UK, May 1951
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