The New Look: Review
By Sioph Leal
In the backdrop of Nazi-occupied France, The New Look documents the rise of fashion icon Christian Dior (Ben Mendelsohn) and his contemporaries. They navigated the horrors of World War II while launching modern fashion, saving French Couture. While they are doing so, Coco Chanel (Juliette Binoche) uses deplorable means to keep her company, betraying those she is supposed to hold dear. While the designers are trying to save fashion, Catherine Dior (Maisie Williams) lends her talents to the French resistance but soon comes to learn the harsh cost of fighting for what is right.
The New Look documents the rise of Christian Dior as he goes from a designer at the House of Lelong to, eventually, his own successful house. The series opens in the future, with Dior at the centre of a fashion buzz while Coco Chanel is setting up a return to Paris after being shunned for working with the Nazis. Right off the bat, the series sets up a rivalry between Chanel and Dior, but after that, it’s almost forgotten, and the two don’t have any interaction, be it physically or in business.
Contrasting Chanel and Dior is done expertly in The New Look, which is a credit to the writers. While it may be infuriating that Coco Chanel is protected by a man swooping in to save her or plot armor to avoid any sort of consequence, the differences between Chanel and Dior’s motivation are where this show subtly shines. While Coco fights and enacts the disgusting Aryan law to get her company and money back, Dior does everything he can for his family, especially his sister Catherine. Chanel doesn’t design throughout this series and is either smoking or courting a man to further her own aims, while Dior designs to help people dream again after the war, to give them something to live for and to see the beauty, completely humble in his tone and wording.
Where The New Look is weakest is Coco Chanel. There is no mention of the rivalry through the years, even though Dior is sniping at her heels in terms of the influence of Parisian fashion. The writing lets her down as Coco avoids any consequences and follows a repetitive formula of Coco getting into trouble of her own making, being in a tight spot like a man coming to rescue her in one way or another. As a viewer, it’s mildly frustrating when time could be better spent exploring the rivalry of Chanel and Dior or even focusing more on Dior’s designer friends such as Lucien Lelong and Cristóbal Balenciaga (Nuno Lopes), both of whom’s performances will have you desperate for more scenes. Coco, as a character, felt ill thought out and repetitive, with Coco either seducing men or shouting how much better she is than everyone. While this is not a criticism of Binoche’s acting, it could be more of a fault of the writing. Had the writers added more depth and nuance to the character, she could have been a fascinating watch.
Ben Mendelsohn, as Christian Dior, carries the entire series with his subtle warmth in his portrayal of Dior. As a character, Dior clearly has a revulsion for the business side of designing, as he isn’t the most comfortable of people when he is surrounded by others who aren’t his friends or sisters. Compared to Coco, he appears weak but her constant shouting is a stark contrast to his humble nature and subtle hopefulness.. in Mendelsohn’s performance that makes Dior’s hopefulness quite endearing. It is something that is needed compared to Coco’s brashness and selfishness.
The Dior's prove to be the strength of the series which is further exemplified with Catherine Dior and her time with the French resistance. It is one of the most overlooked plot points of this show, which is a shame as it could have been one of its strongest aspects. She was a real member of the French Resistance, and her bravery could have been inspiring had we seen enough of it. Williams could have the potential to do more, and she does in the latter part of the season, but it still feels like wasted potential, but instead, we must endure Coco fleeing to a glamorous Swiss hotel while avoiding any real repercussions for working with the Nazis out of pure greed
The New Look doesn’t focus on the rivalry between Chanel and Dior; instead, it shows how Coco avoids any criticism while Dior finds the confidence and inspiration to create his own couture house. There are some excellent shots, especially the final shot of Dior himself, but the series shines best through Ben Mendelsohn’s performance, which is elevated by actors like John Malkovich and Nuno Lopes. Those three are the strongest parts of the series, both writing- and performance-wise. The New Look is a must-watch to see how creation is survival, but also how pivotal moments can change your life and how you would need to be cautious of that.
Exploring the rise of designer Christian Dior as he dethrones Coco Chanel, the series spends little time on the rivalry between the two designers. Instead, opposing motivations are explored as Chanel betrays those held dear while Dior designs to help his family and to return spirit and hope to the world with his iconic influence. There is an importance on the need for creation in survival and the impact of pivotal moments in Dior’s life that can make up for the lack of focus due to Mendelsohn's portrayal of Dior which carries an effective blend of humility and hope to make him an endearing figure to root for.
The New Look premiers on Apple TV, February 14th 2024.