The New Look

Apple TV+’s war-time drama The New Look chronicles the lives of Coco Chanel and Christian Dior as they navigate Nazi-occupied France. The stakes are high throughout and Chanel and Dior’s decisions, surrounded by the gross decadence of Nazi rule, make for a tense and nauseating story. 

Juliette Binoche plays Chanel, desperate to reclaim her fashion house and, for the most part, remove herself from the war completely. She becomes tangled in the wiles of Nazi agents, however, and one watches in shock as she does their bidding. Binoche is immaculate, commanding the screen with emotion, flitting between distress and desire as she balances on the razor edge of survival and morality. Ben Mendelsohn (Dior) is just as captivating. His regret and unease at designing ball gowns for Nazi women is paramount in the script, even more so when his Resistance-fighter sister Catherine is taken. Catherine, played by a powerful Maisie Williams, is often the heart of the show.

Although Dior and Chanel barely spend a scene together, their stories are kept entwined through theme, direction and the longevity of their names. It’s bizarre to see them live as real people – at one point, Dior has drinks with Pierre Balmain and Cristobal Balenciaga. It gives the audience a gripping sense of omniscience that keeps you watching.

The atrocities of the war are made impossible to ignore, not in spite of, but because of those characters we follow. Chanel enjoys an indulgent dinner with Nazi officers before being taken “shopping” at the vacated house of a Jewish family. She is told she can have whatever she wants and, after a brief moment of disquiet, joyfully spots a telephone she’s been looking for. It is extremely uncomfortable to watch. There is a horror to the everyday luxury of Nazi life that The New Look portrays well; the stunning set and costume design feel aptly expensive, and the filming of the clothes Dior designs is meticulous. Knowing the abhorrent context that was happening alongside such opulence adds a particular level of devastation.

This is a tale of how haute couture came to be, but its success lies less in its history lesson and more as a portrait of Chanel and Dior as bystanders in the horrors of World War II. With phenomenal acting and clean direction, The New Look is immersive, horrific and unforgettable.

Talitha Stowell

The New Look is released on Apple TV+ on 14^th February 2024.

Watch the trailer for The New Look here: