Who succeeded Yves Saint Laurent as head designer at Christian Dior?

Marc Bohan succeeded Yves Saint Laurent as head designer at Christian Dior in 1960.

Saint Laurent had become Dior’s artistic director after Christian Dior’s death in 1957, but his tenure ended when he was called into military service in 1960. Bohan, who had already worked for Dior and led its London ready-to-wear operations, was promoted to take over the house’s main creative direction.

Bohan remained at Dior from 1960 to 1989, making him one of the longest-serving designers in the company’s history. His approach favored streamlined elegance and controlled proportions. His first couture collection for Dior introduced the “Slim Look,” a narrower, more youthful interpretation of the house’s established silhouette.

The timeline often causes confusion because Saint Laurent was Dior’s successor to Christian Dior, while Bohan was Saint Laurent’s successor. Bohan was later replaced by Gianfranco Ferré in 1989; John Galliano and Raf Simons came much later. Bohan’s Dior clients included Princess Grace of Monaco and Elizabeth Taylor.