Against the backdrop of the World War II Nazi occupation of Paris, Ben Mendelsohn‘s Christian Dior is seeking to create a new way forward in the trailer for the upcoming Apple TV+ historical drama, The New Look.
The 10-episode series, which reunites Mendelsohn with his Bloodline showrunner Todd A. Kessler, explores the interwoven saga of how Christian Dior, Coco Chanel (Juliette Binoche) and their contemporaries dealt with the horrors of World War II and launched modern fashion. Kessler created, wrote, directed and executive produced The New Look.
The trailer for the show teases tension between Dior and Chanel as the former ascends to prominence while Chanel’s status as the world’s most famous fashion designer is threatened.
“Christian Dior ruined French couture, and I’m coming back to save it,” Chanel proclaims at one point before later dismissively asking, “You think Dior is fashion?”
John Malkovich‘s Lucien Lelong is also seen telling Dior “Chanel can be very treacherous.”
The preview also includes images of Dior’s clothing and designs, including the designer working on his creations, alongside scenes of life in 1940s Paris.
Inspired by true events, The New Look was filmed exclusively in Paris and also stars Maisie Williams, Emily Mortimer, Claes Bang and Glenn Close, who also reunites with Kessler after starring in the legal thriller Damages, which Kessler co-created with brother Glenn Kessler and collaborator Daniel Zelman.
Indeed, Close’s Harper’s Bazaar editor-in-chief Carmel Snow gets the first lines in the preview as she’s overheard saying, “Parisian couture could influence how thousands of ordinary women dream and live. But fashion needs a new leader. I keep waiting for the great collection to rise from the ashes of the war.”
Both Dior and Lelong are also heard speaking about the power of creation.
“For those of us who lived through the chaos of war, creation was survival,” Dior says before later adding, “People need to feel, dream. They need to live again. We can create a new world for them.”
Lelong offers, “Creation cannot stop the bullets, but creation is our way forward.”
The New Look premieres with three episodes on Apple TV+ on Feb. 14, followed by one episode a week every Wednesday through April 3.
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