The New Look

A must-watch. .... Maisie Williams is a clear standout in The New Look. .... Mendelsohn is exceptional as Christian Dior.

The 10-episode show offers a layered take on the choices each designer makes, walking us step by step through their respective situations. I was impressed by creator Todd A. Kessler’s commitment to avoiding oversimplification and superficiality.

Accent quibbles aside, though, this series is a beautifully made, nuanced exploration of two creative geniuses whose lives were far from black and white. And it’s certainly proof that fashion isn’t frivolous: it’s deeply woven into some of history’s most significant moments.

She [Binoche] does succeed in making Coco, who is a moral bankrupt, eminently watchable, and Emily Mortimer as Elsa Lombardi—illegitimate child of English royalty, global house guest and, ultimately, a Coco victim—is also first-rate. Likewise Mr. Mendelsohn, a marvelous actor capable of being quite scary (see: "Animal Kingdom") but who makes Dior a character lovable in his anguish. .... This is the story of how creation helped return spirit and life to the world." By the end, you believe it.

From the start, Coco and Christian’s arcs diverge so vastly that the two characters are only in the same room twice over ten hour-long episodes. Nevertheless, Kessler keeps their stories in conversation with one another through common themes, wringing intellectual and emotional power from the contrasts between their journeys.

Both Binoche and Mendelsohn handle their larger-than-life characters with grace, never slipping into caricature mode. Mendelsohn, in particular, gives a tender, calibrated performance, one that’s particularly strong in early scenes involving his attempt to find his sister Catherine (Maisie Williams) during the occupation.

I’m wondering if the material might have been better served with TWO full seasons, with the first focusing on the war years and the second providing a more detailed look at the aftermath, and the respective careers of Chanel and Dior and the houses they built. Still, this is a solid and substantial look at the power of creating hope by making something beautiful in the aftermath of a most horrible time.

If it’s a tad too didactic and maudlin at times, such faults are easily overlooked when the overall effect is so stirring, reminding us how much strength is required in living (and creating) according to one’s principles. And, perhaps more importantly, how such superficial things as fashion carry within them entire histories worth unearthing.

The New Look may spiral into ridiculousness as the story gets away from its World War II beginnings, but it starts off as a unsparing look at how two French designers dealt with being under Nazi occupation.