Fashion Flashback: Marc Bohan

As Great Britain and the rest of the world anxiously awaits the royal birth of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s child, Fashion Reverie looks back at the career of Marc Bohan, a favorite designer of Princess Margaret. Currently, Kensington Palace is hosting, Fashion Rules, an exhibition celebrating the most stylish outfits worn by the royals throughout the years. The exhibition displays iconic outfits worn by Princess Margaret, the late Diana Princess of Wales and Queen Elizabeth II.

Parisian-born Marc Bohan is best known for being the head couturier for the House of Dior from 1960 to 1989. Bohan started his fashion career with Robert Piguet and later as an assistant to Edward Moyneux. Before joining Jean Patou in 1952 and designing his couture collection, Bohan opened his own boutique and designed one collection.

The more conservative Marc Bohan became head designer for Christian Dior after Yves Saint Laurent was called away for military duty in Morocco. For close to thirty years, Bohan maintained the classic look of Dior, borrowing heavily from previous Dior collections and reinvigorating the iconic looks with fresh points of view.  During his tenure at Dior, Bohan treated Dior’s signature haute couture aesthetic Bohan’s like luxury ready-to-wear, incorporating influences that were prevalent to changing styles and points of view.  Bohan’s lists of celebrity clients while manning the helm at Dior included Princess Margaret, Elizabeth Taylor, Princess Grace, Betsey Bloomingdale, and Sophia Loren.

Bohan joined the London fashion house of Norman Hartnell in 1989, and since 1992, Bohan has designed collections under his own label.

—William S. Gooch