The New Look

(Apple TV+)

It’s not about the haute couture. At least, that’s not the initial focus of this stylish new period drama.

For despite its provocative, evocative name, the 10-part The New Look is less fashion forward and more a tense tale of how French designers Christian Dior (Ben Mendelsohn) and Coco Chanel (Juliette Binoche) survived the horrors of World War II and then picked up the pieces in the aftermath. In a way, it hews closer to last year’s excellent A Small Light than the perhaps anticipated biopic of the pair, although it certainly compares and contrasts their fortunes and plays up their rivalry and disparate views when it came to dressing the women of France – and the world.

While creator Todd A. Kessler’s

(The Sopranos, Damages, Bloodline)

plotting, juxtrapositioning and intertwining of the two main players’ fates sometimes feels a little too forced, this certainly provides for fascinating and absorbing viewing, especially for those whose knowledge of the duo is limited to their garments. As you’d hope, the production and costume design are both top-notch, while music producer Jack Antonoff’s reimagining of period hits like Now Is The Hour, Blue Skies and La Vie En Rose (by modern artists such as The 1976, Lana Del Rey and Nick Cave) is a nice, if somewhat extravagant touch – given they’re used only over the end credits.

However, as with Disney+’s Small Touch, it’s the impressive ensemble who truly help sell the drama. Binoche is superb as the conflicted Chanel, while Emily Mortimer, Claes Bang and John Malkovich all deliver memorable turns in scene-stealing roles. And while former Game Of Thrones star Maisie Williams is almost unrecognisable as a young woman not afraid of getting down and dirty in defying the occupying Nazis, it’s Australian actor Mendelsohn who shines the most, offering another welcome reminder here of his versatility and range.