The New Look (TV series)

The New Look
Genre	Biographical Drama
Created by	Todd A. Kessler
Starring	Ben Mendelsohn Juliette Binoche Maisie Williams John Malkovich Claes Bang Zabou Breitman Thure Lindhardt Emily Mortimer Charles Berling Glenn Close
Composer	James S. Levine
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	10
Production
Executive producers	Mark A. Baker Lorenzo di Bonaventura Todd A. Kessler
Producer	Helen Shaver
Running time	36–61 minutes
Production companies	DB-AK Pictures Apple Studios
Original release
Network	Apple TV+
Release	February 14, 2024 (2024-02-14) – present

The New Look is an American biographical drama television series created by Todd A. Kessler that premiered on Apple TV+ on February 14, 2024.^[1][2] A second season is in development.^[3]

Plot

The series follows fashion designers Christian Dior and Coco Chanel through the World War II Nazi occupation of Paris and its aftermath.

During the occupation, Dior continues working for Lucien Lelong's fashion house, designing clothes for Nazi wives and girlfriends despite his distaste for the work. Dior finances his sister Catherine's work with the French Resistance, and is distraught when she is arrested by Nazis. Dior is unable to find her before the Allies arrive, and he turns to a mystic, Delahaye, who tells him that Catherine will return safely. Dior's belief is seemingly vindicated when Catherine does return alive.

Chanel, who is a well-established designer, closed her fashion house during the war to avoid designing for Nazis, but her celebrity status brings her into contact with them, and she uses these connections to have her nephew Andre released from capture. Chanel takes Hans von Dincklage, a Nazi spy, as a lover and is pressured to participate in a failed plot to send secret communication to Winston Churchill. After the liberation, Chanel is targeted by MI6 who want to have her exposed as a Nazi collaborator, and she flees to Switzerland.

Dior obtains financing from Marcel Boussac to open his own fashion house. Raymonde Zehnacker leaves Lelong to join Dior as partner and run the business, as Dior is more interested in the creative aspects of the work. Dior's work distances him from Catherine, who leaves Paris for their hometown of Callian to recover from the trauma of her imprisonment. In order to meet the launch deadline for the season, Dior permits Zehnacker to poach seamstresses from other fashion houses; Pierre Balmain protests and threatens to have Dior removed from the Couture Council, but Lelong decides not to sanction Dior.

In exile, Chanel struggles for money. She threatens legal action against her partners, the Wertheimers, over profits and control of the Chanel brand, despite her lawyer's advice that such action will bring to light Chanel's business with the Nazis. Chanel successfully negotiates new terms with the Wertheimers, but von Dincklage arranges for Elsa, Chanel's best friend, to die, and destroys Chanel's relationship with Andre by revealing her Nazi connections to him. Andre reports her to French police's Nazi Investigation Bureau, and she is arrested.

To Dior's surprise, Catherine attends the launch of his fashion line and learns that his perfume is named after her. Carmel Snow, editor-in-chief at Harper's Bazaar, also attends the launch in the hopes of finding a French designer to highlight. At the very end of the fashion show, Dior sends out the model wearing the outfit that defines his fashion line as the "New Look".

Cast and characters

Main

• Ben Mendelsohn as Christian Dior
• Juliette Binoche as Coco Chanel
• Maisie Williams as Catherine Dior
• John Malkovich as Lucien Lelong
• Claes Bang as Hans von Dincklage
• Zabou Breitman as Madame Zehnacker
• Thure Lindhardt as Heinrich Himmler
• Emily Mortimer as Elsa Lombardi (based on Vera Bate Lombardi)^[4]
• Charles Berling as Pierre Wertheimer
• Glenn Close as Carmel Snow

Recurring

• Nuno Lopes as Cristóbal Balenciaga^[5]
• Thomas Poitevin [fr] as Pierre Balmain
• Jannis Niewöhner as Walter Schellenberg
• David Kammenos [fr] as Jacques Benita
• Hugo Becker as Hervé des Charbonneries
• Darina Al Joundi as Madame Delahaye
• Joseph Olivennes [fr] as André Palasse
• Christopher Buchholz as Baron Vaufreland
• Michael Carter as Maurice Dior
• Eliott Margueron as Pierre Cardin
• Patrick Albenque as Marcel Boussac
• Frédéric Anscombre as René de Chambrun
• Quentin Faure [fr] as George Vigouroux
• Gaëtan Wenders [fr] as Jacob Friedman

Guest

• Axel Auriant as Guillaume
• Alexandre Willaume as Raoul Nordling
• Sagamore Stévenin as Pierre Reverdy
• Rupert Young as Malcolm Muggeridge
• Joséphine de La Baume as Arletty
• Olivia Ruiz as Édith Piaf
• Jérôme Robart as Paul Wertheimer
• Jonjo O'Neill as Bernard Dior
• Mathilde Warnier as Marie-Therese
• Alex Jennings as Raymond Dior

Episodes

No.	Title [6]	Directed by	Written by [7]	Original release date [8]
1	"Just You Wait and See"	Todd A. Kessler	Todd A. Kessler	February 14, 2024 (2024-02-14)
2	"The Hour"	Todd A. Kessler	Todd A. Kessler	February 14, 2024 (2024-02-14)
3	"Nothing but Blue Skies"	Helen Shaver	Dani Vetere and Todd A. Kessler & Jason Rabe	February 14, 2024 (2024-02-14)
4	"What a Difference"	Helen Shaver	Ning Zhou and Todd A. Kessler & Jason Rabe	February 21, 2024 (2024-02-21)
5	"Give Your Heart and Soul to Me"	Julia Ducournau	Ashlin Halfnight and Todd A. Kessler & Jason Rabe	February 28, 2024 (2024-02-28)
6	"If You Believed in Me"	Julia Ducournau	Teleplay by : Todd A. Kessler & Jason Rabe Story by : Todd A. Kessler & Jason Rabe and Matthew Fantaci	March 6, 2024 (2024-03-06)
7	"It All Came True"	Helen Shaver	Teleplay by : Todd A. Kessler & Jason Rabe Story by : Carter Harris and Matthew Fantaci	March 13, 2024 (2024-03-13)
8	"I Love You Most of All"	Helen Shaver	Teleplay by : Amanda Coe Story by : Carter Harris and Amanda Coe	March 20, 2024 (2024-03-20)
9	"Will You Return"	Jeremy Podeswa	Teleplay by : Jason Rabe Story by : Carter Harris and Jason Rabe	March 27, 2024 (2024-03-27)
10	"What a Day This Has Been"	Jeremy Podeswa	Todd A. Kessler & Jason Rabe & David Rabe	April 3, 2024 (2024-04-03)

Production

It was announced in February 2022 that Apple TV+ had greenlighted the project, which has the potential to become an anthology series. Todd A. Kessler was set to write, direct and executive produce, with Ben Mendelsohn and Juliette Binoche starring.^[9] In May, Maisie Williams joined the cast,^[10] with John Malkovich, Emily Mortimer, and Claes Bang added in June.^[11]

Filming for the first season began by May 2022 in Paris.^[12]

The second season was set to begin filming in November 2023 before the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.^[3]

Music

The New Look (Apple TV+ Original Series Soundtrack)
Soundtrack album by various artists
Released	April 3, 2024 (2024-04-03)
Label	Shadow of the City Dirty Hit
Producer	Jack Antonoff
Singles from The New Look (Apple TV+ Original Series Soundtrack)
"White Cliffs of Dover" Released: January 31, 2024 "Now Is the Hour" Released: February 7, 2024

In November 2023, it was announced that Jack Antonoff would produce the soundtrack for The New Look, which consists of covers of popular songs from the early and mid-20th century.^[13] Scheduled to be released on April 3, 2024, the soundtrack album for the first season comprises 10 covers and will be the first release by Antonoff's Shadow of the City record label, under Dirty Hit.^[14] Florence and the Machine's cover of "The White Cliffs of Dover" was released as the first single on January 31, 2024.^[15][16] The second single, a cover of "Now Is the Hour" by the 1975 was released on February 7, 2024.^[17][18]

The New Look (Apple TV+ Original Series Soundtrack) track listing^[15]^[19]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"White Cliffs of Dover" (Florence and the Machine)	3:00
2.	"Now Is the Hour" (The 1975)	2:32
3.	"Blue Skies" (Lana Del Rey)	3:20
4.	"What a Difference a Day Makes" (Perfume Genius)	3:37
5.	"La Vie en rose" (Nick Cave)	3:55
6.	"It's Only a Paper Moon" (Beabadoobee)	2:26
7.	"I Wished on the Moon" (Joy Oladokun)	3:35
8.	"You Always Hurt the One You Love" (Bartees Strange)	3:23
9.	"I Cover the Waterfront" (Sam Dew)	3:17
10.	"Almost Like Being in Love" (Bleachers)	2:55
11.	"The New Look" (main title theme)	1:02

Release

The series was released with the first three episodes on February 14, 2024, followed by one episode every Wednesday through April 3.^[1]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 59% based on 54 reviews, with an average rating of 6.5/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "The New Look benefits from impressive production values and a talented cast, even if they're often let down by a somewhat scattered story."^[20] On Metacritic, the series holds a weighted average score of 62 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.^[21] Anita Singh of the Telegraph awarded the series three stars out of five, praising the show’s “sumptious” look but criticizing the decision to shoot in English.^[22]

Accolades

Award	Date of ceremony	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
Astra TV Awards	August 18, 2024	Best Guest Actress in a Streaming Drama Series	Glenn Close	Pending	[23]
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards	September 7-8, 2024	Outstanding Period Costumes for a Series	Karen Muller Serreau, Catherine Boisgontier, and Emmanuelle Pertus (for "What a Day This Has Been")	Nominated	[24]

References

1. "'The New Look': Christian Dior-Coco Chanel Drama Series Gets Premiere Date On Apple TV+; First Photos". Deadline Hollywood. November 15, 2023.
2. "The New Look review – the rivalry between Coco Chanel and Christian Dior is absurd to the point of insult". The Guardian.
3. Ravindran, Manori; Frater, Patrick; Keslassy, Elsa (July 13, 2023). "Actors Strike: Global Biz Braces for Impact as 'Gladiator 2,' 'Mortal Kombat 2' Prepare to Stop Filming". Variety. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
4. Brookins, Laurie (February 15, 2024). "'The New Look' Fashion: Recreating Dior's Iconic Bar Suit and Which Paris Hotel Stands in for the Ritz". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
5. Muret, Dominique (December 22, 2023). "From Balenciaga to Dior, TV series celebrate haute couture in 2024". Fashion Network (in European Spanish). Retrieved January 6, 2024.
6. Puckett-Pope, Lauren (February 14, 2024). "A Streaming Guide to The New Look". Elle. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
7. "The New Look". Writers Guild of America West. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
8. "Shows A–Z – new look, the on apple tv plus". The Futon Critic. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
9. Goldberg, Lesley (February 10, 2022). "Ben Mendelsohn and Juliette Binoche to Star as Dior and Chanel in Apple Fashion Drama". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
10. Goldberg, Lesley (May 10, 2022). "Maisie Williams Boards Apple Fashion Drama The New Look (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
11. Petski, Denise (June 2, 2022). "John Malkovich, Emily Mortimer & Claes Bang Join Apple's Fashion Drama The New Look". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
12. Koutsounia, Anastasia (May 11, 2022). "Game of Thrones' Maisie Williams stars alongside Marvel's Ben Mendelsohn in set picture for new thriller". Digital Spy. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
13. Kaufman, Gil (November 16, 2023). "Jack Antonoff Curating Apple TV+ 'The New Look' Soundtrack With Songs From Lana Del Rey, Matty Healy, Bleachers". Billboard. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
14. Gonzalez, Alex (February 7, 2024). "The 1975 Shares 'Now Is The Hour,' An Intimate New Song From 'The New Look' Soundtrack". Uproxx. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
15. Rigotti, Alex (January 24, 2024). "Bleachers' Jack Antonoff shares details of soundtrack to 'The New Look'". NME. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
16. Ilaria (February 2, 2024). "Florence + The Machine - White Cliffs Of Dover (Radio Date: 02-02-2024)". EarOne (in Italian). Retrieved February 8, 2024.
17. Zemler, Emily (February 7, 2024). "The 1975 Cover 'Now Is the Hour' for Jack Antonoff's 'The New Look' Soundtrack". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
18. Ilaria (February 8, 2024). "THE 1975 - Now Is The Hour (Radio Date: 08-02-2024)". EarOne (in Italian). Retrieved February 8, 2024.
19. https://www.amazon.com/New-Look-Season-Original-Soundtrack/dp/B0CTTWMZX1 ^{[bare URL]}
20. "The New Look: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
21. "The New Look". Metacritic. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
22. "The New Look, review: oddly pedestrian retelling of Dior and Chanel's history with the Nazis". The Telegraph. February 14, 2024. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
23. Anderson, Erik (July 9, 2024). "HCA Astra TV Awards Nominations: 'The Bear', 'Hacks', 'The Morning Show', 'Baby Reindeer' Lead Nominations". AwardsWatch. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
24. Guy, Zoe (July 18, 2024). "The 2024 Creative Arts Emmy Nominations". Vulture. Retrieved July 20, 2024.

External links

• The New Look on Apple TV+
• The New Look at IMDb