Business Notes FASHION

The world of French haute couture was atwitter over the news. After nearly 30 years as artistic director of Christian Dior, celebrated couturier Marc Bohan, 62, had been unceremoniously ousted. Succeeding him at the house that has long epitomized French fashion: Milanese designer Gianfranco Ferre, 45. Dior's managing director, Beatrice Bongibault-Dhjan, implied that Bohan's departure was sort of his idea. Said she: "It was elegant of Bohan to know when to leave."

Mais non, said Bohan. In an interview with Figaro, he claimed that the changeover had come as a terrible blow. French couturiers were irked that Dior had not chosen a replacement from the ranks of Gallic designers. In fact, Dior is getting ready for the hot competition that will result from European unification in 1992. In the past decade Ferre has won numerous prizes for sophisticated ready-to-wear clothing that might sell better in the broader market than Bohan's classical creations.