Apple TV+’s latest visually dazzling period drama, The New Look, centres on one of the most infamous rivalries in fashion: that between Christian Dior, newly ascendent in the wake of the Second World War, a time when his wasp-waisted, full-skirted ball gowns became a symbol of glamour and optimism, and Coco Chanel, still the doyenne of fashion with her chic and easy monochrome separates, who was at that time planning her return to the runway following a lengthy hiatus.
Created by Todd A Kessler, the ravishing 10-part series opens in Paris in 1955 before turning back the clock to the horrors of 1943, as both designers contemplate their futures while the French capital remains firmly in the grip of Nazi occupation. As Chanel begins a dangerous dalliance with a German intelligence operative, Dior, then working under couturier Lucien Lelong, is forced to design dresses for the wives of Nazi officers – and is secretly harbouring a set of fugitives from the French Resistance, including his fearless sister, Catherine. But, who will portray this eclectic cast of characters? Ahead of the show’s premiere on 14 February, we compare the starry onscreen ensemble to their equally illustrious real-life counterparts.
Ben Mendelsohn as Christian Dior
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The Emmy-winning Australian actor, a standout in everything from Bloodline and Animal Kingdom to Mississippi Grind and The Dark Knight Rises, is taking the part of the fashion legend. Despite being racked by anxiety, even in the face of his newfound success, and overwhelmed by his memories of the war and the impossible decisions he had to take to ensure his own survival, the couturier revolutionised the industry over the course of a decade, ushering in a new era of unapologetic luxury and sophistication. Tragically, he would die shortly after, from a heart attack in 1957 at the age of just 52. His then 21-year-old design assistant, Yves Saint Laurent, went on to succeed him as the house’s head designer.
Juliette Binoche as Coco Chanel
Still a byword for effortless elegance, the ruthlessly competitive and deftly strategic queen of Parisian fashion will be played by none other than the Oscar-winning French star of Three Colours: Blue, The English Patient and Chocolat. After finding great success in the ’20s and ’30s with her silk jersey tops, little black dresses and acres of pearls, the designer found herself at a crossroads when war broke out in Europe in 1939. She closed her couture house and sought to ensure the safety of her nephew, André, a soldier who was then being held in a German prisoner of war camp. After arranging his release, she was eager to secure more funds, and tried to regain complete control of her perfume company, which was mainly owned by the Wertheimers, a wealthy Jewish family who’d fled to the US. At this point, she embarked on an affair with a German officer, Baron von Dincklage, and was known to have associated with Nazis who suggested they could help her reclaim her business. They also embroiled her in a plot to broker a peace deal with Winston Churchill, given that the pair were old friends.
After the liberation of Paris, Chanel changed allegiances. She was briefly arrested for being a Nazi collaborator, but promptly released, possibly due to Churchill’s own intervention. She then moved to Switzerland for several years, returning to stage her fashion comeback in 1954 at the age of 70. It was a major breakthrough, and led to another fruitful creative period, before her death in 1971 aged 87. Much of her estate was inherited by her nephew, André.
Maisie Williams as Catherine Dior
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The Emmy-nominated British actor, who’s evolved from Game of Thrones child star to industry stalwart in the likes of The New Mutants and Pistol over the past decade, will be playing Christian Dior’s fiery younger sister. After the Second World War broke out, she and her brother moved to the south of France, and it was there that she fell in love with Hervé des Charbonneries, a founding member of the French Resistance. She swiftly joined the organisation, too, and was arrested in 1944, tortured by the Gestapo, sent to prison, and then dispatched to a series of concentration camps: Ravensbrück, Torgau, Abteroda and Markkleeberg. A supremely distressed Christian tried and failed to arrange her release. As the Allies approached in 1945, prisoners were sent on a death march, but Catherine managed to escape. For her bravery, she was later awarded the Croix de Guerre and the Legion of Honour.
She was soon reunited with her brother, and would go on to have a profound impact on his work. His fragrance, Miss Dior, is believed to have been named after her, and when Christian’s New Look collection was unveiled in 1947, the room was filled with the scent. Catherine lived the rest of her life away from the spotlight, on a farm in Provence, and passed away at the age of 90 in 2008.
John Malkovich as Lucien Lelong
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Best known for his parts in Places in the Heart, In the Line of Fire, The Killing Fields, Empire of the Sun, Dangerous Liaisons, Being John Malkovich and Burn After Reading, the Emmy winner and double Oscar nominee will embody the French couturier, who opened his fashion house in the early 1910s. Among those who worked under him during the Second World War were Christian Dior and Pierre Balmain, before both went on to found their eponymous brands. Lelong retired from couture in 1948, and died a year after Dior, in 1958.
Glenn Close as Carmel Snow
The woman who coined the phrase “new look” to describe Dior’s 1947 collection will be played by the eight-time Oscar nominated star of Damages, Fatal Attraction, Dangerous Liaisons, 101 Dalmatians, Albert Nobbs, and The Wife, who’s been a fixture on screens for almost 50 years. Donning sumptuous skirt suits, delicate netted veils and copious amounts of jewellery, she will transform into the Irish-born, New York-raised magazine editor and arbiter of taste – a Vogue fashion editor who left to join Harper’s Bazaar, and then went on to serve as the latter’s highly influential editor-in-chief from 1934 to 1958. She died in 1961, aged 73, and her memoir The World of Carmel Snow was published posthumously.
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