Editors’choice Dressed to impress: Valentine’s premiere showcases fashion royalty
This Valentine’s Day, Apple TV+ premieres “The New Look,” a new miniseries that travels back in time to the 1940s and brings to life one of the most pivotal moments in modern fashion history: the rise of Christian Dior (portrayed by “The King” [2019] and “Faraway Downs” actor Ben Mendelsohn). Chronicling the designer’s fashion line that came to be known as “The New Look,” Dior’s rise to the top of the haute couture industry coincided with World War II and the shifting popularity of longtime leading French fashion house Chanel, begun and run by Dior rival Coco Chanel (portrayed by Juliette Binoche, “Chocolat,” 2000).
Created by “Bloodline” creator/showrunner Todd A. Kessler, “The New Look” is described by Apple as an “emotionally thrilling series” that “reveals the shocking story of how fashion icon Christian Dior and his contemporaries, Coco Chanel, Pierre Balmain and Cristóbal Balenciaga, navigated the horrors of World War II and launched modern fashion.”
Joining Mendelsohn and Binoche in the series are Nuno Lopes (“White Lines”) as Balenciaga and Thomas Poitevin (“Encore Vous?”) as Balmain. “Game of Thrones” star Maisie Williams also stars as Dior’s sister, French freedom fighter Catherine Dior, with whom the designer had a close relationship and for whom the Miss Dior fragrance was created. Additional cast members include David Kammenos (“Les Lyonnais,” 2011), Hélène Cardona (“Upload”), Hugo Becker (“Baron noir”), Jannis Niewöhner (“Munich: The Edge of War,” 2021), Michael Carter (“Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi,” 1983) and Claes Bang (“Bad Sisters”), as well as well-known “Dangerous Liaisons” (1988) co-stars John Malkovich and Glenn Close.
Furthermore, in addition to the main players, various other online sources, including Harper’s Bazaar, have noted the inclusion of storylines involving real-life style moguls Hubert de Givenchy, Pierre Cardin and “Yves Saint-laurent (who went on to become the world’s youngest couturier when he took over from Dior after his death).”
While the series begins with a respectable 10 episodes, there have been rumors addressing a possible anthology treatment, should the first installment be well received by audiences — a likely possibility.