Apple TV has just released the first teaser trailer of the highly anticipated series The New Look. Set in post-WW2 Paris, it is the story of the rise of courtier Christian Dior (Ben Mendelsohn) and how his new fame overshadows Coco Chanel. (Juliette Binoche) During the war, Dior was employed by Lucien Lelong (alongside Balmain) and he designed dresses for the wives of Nazi officers and French collaborators, as did other fashion houses that remained in business.
In 1946 Dior founded his own House and his debut collection included a launch of 90 outfits was christened NEW LOOK The phrase New by Carmel Snow, the editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar. It revolutionized women’s dress, reestablished Paris as the center of the fashion world, and made Dior a virtual arbiter of fashion for much of the following decade.
However, not everyone was keen to crown Dior as the king, particularly Coco Chanel who was so passionate in her dislike for Dior’s aesthetic, after all, it represented the complete opposite of everything her work stood for. She had an eye for understated elegance and loved adding masculine details to her designs because, she argued, it empowered women.
This new TV series follows his story as he dethrones Coco Chanel and helps return spirit and life to the world with his iconic imprint of beauty and influence.
Diot was a cloistered homosexual and like other designers such as Cristobal Balenciaga, he hid his sexuality due to societal pressures of the era in which they lived. Interestingly enough in 1955, he employed he employed Yves St Laurent (also gay) as his assistant.
The star-studded ensemble cast also includes Maisie Williams as Catherine Dior, John Malkovich as Lucien Lelong, Emily Mortimer as Elsa Lombardi, Claes Bang as Spatz, and Glenn Close as Carmel Snow.
The 10-episode drama series created by Todd A. Kessler will make its global debut with the first three episodes
on Wednesday, February 14, 2024 on Apple TV+, followed by one episode every Wednesday through April 3.