The New Look is an American biographical drama television series created by Todd A. Kessler that premiered on Apple TV+ on February 14, 2024.
Contents
Plot
The series follows fashion designers Christian Dior and Coco Chanel through the World War II Nazi occupation of Paris and its aftermath.
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)
Charles Berling as Pierre Wertheimer
Glenn Close as Carmel Snow
Recurring
Nuno Lopes as Cristóbal Balenciaga
Thomas Poitevin as Pierre Balmain
Jannis Niewöhner as Walter Schellenberg
David Kammenos as Jacques Benita
Hugo Becker as Hervé des Charbonneries
Darina Al Joundi as Madame Delahaye
Joseph Olivennes 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 as George Vigouroux
Gaëtan Wenders 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
Yves Heck as Personal perfumer
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. In May, Maisie Williams joined the cast, with John Malkovich, Emily Mortimer, and Claes Bang added in June.
Filming for the first season began by May 2022 in Paris.
The second season was set to begin filming in November 2023 before the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.
Music
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. 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. Florence and the Machine's cover of "The White Cliffs of Dover" was released as the first single on January 31, 2024. The second single, a cover of "Now Is the Hour" by the 1975 was released on February 7, 2024.
Release
The series was released with the first three episodes on February 14, 2024, followed by one episode every Wednesday through April 3.
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." On Metacritic, the series holds a weighted average score of 62 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. 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.
