Words by Jade Beer
Apple TV show The New Look, starring Ben Mendelsohn, Juliette Binoche and Maisie Williams, will delve into the life of the legendary designer
Much like Christian Dior himself in 1947 Paris, Apple TV has been quietly creating one of the most anticipated fashion shows of the season. The programme, titled The New Look and based on the life and legacy of fashion designer Christian Dior, is set to debut in February 2024. Here’s what we know so far…
What will the show be about?
Fittingly cloaked in secrecy, details of The New Look are slowly emerging. The series will explore the rise of Christian Dior, his rivalry with Coco Chanel, his close relationship with his sister Catherine Dior, and how he established a brand that is still an industry leader more than 75 years later.
A model wearing a Dior dress, posing on the stairs of 30 Montaigne in 1956
SAVITRY
Filming, which began in May 2022, took place exclusively in Paris with 30 Montaigne (Dior’s address in the French capital) playing a central role in the series. To this day, former and current staff speak of hearing the ghost of Monsieur Dior on its famous staircase, referring to the House as a legendary place of secrets.
According to Apple TV+, the 10-episode historical drama from Todd A. Kessler “focuses on the pivotal moment in the 20th century when [Paris] led the world back to life through its fashion icon, Christian Dior”. The soundtrack for the series is produced by Grammy Award winner Jack Antonoff, and features covers of popular early to mid-20th century songs performed by Florence Welch, Lana Del Rey, Nick Cave and more.
What’s the real story behind The New Look?
Post-war Paris saw fashion gain new popularity. It was a fascinating time, which is why I chose it for the setting of my latest novel, The Last Dress From Paris, with a collection of priceless Dior gowns taking centre stage. Six months of research revealed a designer obsessed with perfection, a man who might ask to see 30 different varieties of black wool before he settled on his favourite, only to revisit that decision again the following day. Dior presided over an atelier where the construction of a dress was measured in weeks, not hours, and where the internal corsetry of a garment could be so complicated, that a woman simply could not dress herself.
Christian Dior pictured in his Paris atelier with Princess Margaret in 1951
BETTMANN
Seats at his shows would often be dictated by a person’s loyalty to the brand over their wealth, and some guests were forced to sit on the staircase or stand in a doorway in order to see the new collection. The team backstage were so expert at reading the room, they could tell the difference between the sound of a clap from a member of the press and that of a favourite client.
The camaraderie between the models – or mannequins as they were known – was strongly felt in the tiny dressing room, the cabine, where they would write their love letters between fittings. The girls who worked on the wedding dresses used to sew a lock of their own hair into the hems in order to find a husband in the coming year, while the models themselves were reluctant to wear them. It was believed that whoever did would never be a bride in real life.
Will the show cover any fashion dramas?
The series will deliver more than just Dior to its high fashion fans. His rivals and contemporaries – from Cristóbal Balenciaga, Hubert de Givenchy, Pierre Balmain and Pierre Cardin, to Yves Saint Laurent (who went on to become the world’s youngest couturier when he took over from Dior after his death) – will all be featured. There are even reports that The New Look will be adapted for an anthology series focusing on a new fashion set each season.
Models wear the latest fashions from the Christian Dior in the late 1960s
JACK ROBINSON
Apple has confirmed Coco Chanel will feature heavily, and has described the show as “an epic thriller set against the World War II Nazi occupation of Paris when Coco Chanel’s reign as the world’s most famous fashion designer ends and Christian Dior rises”.
Who is starring in The New Look?
Questions as to who will star in the show are swirling with as much excitement as one of Dior’s classic, full skirts. Christian Dior himself will be played by the Australian actor Ben Mendelsohn, but how will the executive producer Todd A. Kessler (who you’ll know for Damages and The Sopranos) tackle Dior’s famous double-sided personality?
Ben Mendelsohn will play the legendary designer
ROGER DO MINH//APPLE
John Malkovich is set to play Lucien Lelong, president of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, whose first employed a young Dior, and French star Juliette Binoche will be stepping into the role of Coco Chanel. Emily Mortimer has been cast as Eva Colozzi, a friend and muse of Chanel’s, while Claes Bang plays German intelligence officer Hans Von Dincklage.
Academy Award winner Juliette Binoche as Coco Chanel
ROGER DO MINH//APPLE
Maisie Williams as Catherine Dior in the upcoming series
ROGER DO MINH//APPLE
Maisie Williams, who rose to fame in Game of Thrones, will take on the role of Dior’s sister Catherine, who was a French resistance fighter and the inspiration for the iconic Miss Dior fragrance. Williams gave a tantalising insight to her on-set experience in December, when she posted a picture of herself on Instagram, wearing a dark wool suit in what appears to be one of the Dior workrooms, with rolls and swatches of fabric visible in the background.
View this post on Instagram
When will the series be released?
Fittingly, given that spring was Dior’s favourite season, the series is set to arrive on screens on 14 February 2024. As with Dior’s early presentations at 30 Montaigne – arguably one of the most famous addresses in the fashion world and the birthplace of a fashion legacy – expect a rush to see it.
This article was originally published on harpersbazaar.com/uk/
