Jibby Beane, London art and fashion figure, dies at 84

Jibby Beane, a prominent figure in London's fashion and art scenes, has died at the age of 84. Known for her glamorous appearance and energetic personality, Beane modeled in the 1960s and appeared in the first Andrex television commercial featuring a labrador puppy in 1972. She also worked for couturier Victor Stiebel. In 1994, she opened an art gallery in her Paddington flat, where artist Martin Creed first showed his work; he later won the Turner Prize in 2001. Beane's gallery supported emerging talent, including an exhibition by Jenny Saville that featured soap arrangements in the bathroom. She was also the face of Vivienne Westwood's Mayfair stores in the 1990s, often appearing in Westwood corsets and platform shoes. Her pink Westwood platform shoes are now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Beane studied interior design and established her own company, Dream Designs. She moved to Clerkenwell in 1996, ending the gallery, and later spent time in New York, where she met Quentin Crisp, David Bowie, and was photographed by Mario Testino for W magazine. Born Mavis Foster in Maida Vale, London, she attended the Royal Alexandra and Albert school. She is survived by her children, Oliver and Henrietta, two grandsons, and her sister.