FASHION: The Word Is Chemise

Swarming into Paris last week for the spring collections, fashion writers and buyers had a single sentimental question: How would the house of Dior do without Dior? It hardly seemed possible that shy, spectacled Yves Saint-Laurent, only 21, would have the master's touch. But after weeks of work and a $200,000 outlay, Saint-Laurent was more than ready.

In the crystal-chandeliered salon, the press was dead silent as the first model swirled in, wearing a sprig of Dior's favorite flower, lily of the valley, on her suit. But as the third model sashayed out, sudden applause for the new Dior line...