The New Look’s real life fashion designers versus the show

The New Look features some of the most famous names in the fashion industry, and it explores the things they went through during, and in the aftermath of, World War II.

Apple TV+'s new series, which premiered on the streamer on Valentine's Day, explores the real life experiences of fashion designers like Christian Dior, Coco Chanel and Cristóbal Balenciaga in Nazi-occupied Paris. The series stars the likes of Ben Mendelsohn and Juliette Binoche, and viewers are no doubt wondering how the actors compare to their real-life counterparts.

Here is everything you need to know, including the history behind the series.

The New Look’s real life fashion designers versus the show

Ben Mendelsohn | Christian Dior

Australian actor Ben Mendelsohn takes on the role of Christian Dior, the French designer whose fashion house changed the industry as a whole in the 1940s. It was his vision of a new era of the industry that led to the "new look" that the series is named after.

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The series focuses on what led Dior to create the fashion collection that has gone down in history as one of the greats and helped revive the fashion industry in France. The "new look" earned that name from Harper's Bazaar editor-in-chief Carmel Snow (depicted by Glenn Close in the show) who was impressed with the feminine designs and thought it looked new to what came before.

Featuring ensembles with tight waists and full skirts, the collection imagined more feminine looks for the public, it was received both fondly and with great derision by the industry. Coco Chanel, for example, decried the collection, but it helped to reinvigorate the fashion industry and continues to influence designers today.

Juliette Binoche | Coco Chanel

Coco Chanel is portrayed by Juliette Binoche in the series, which explores the fashion designer's close ties with Nazis during the war. When the Nazi occupation of Paris began, Chanel sought refuge in the Hotel Ritz which was a base for German forces at the time.

It was during this period that Chanel embarked on a relationship with Baron Hans Gunther von Dincklag, a high-profile Nazi officer. Chanel collaborated with German intelligence operations during the occupation of France, and the designer is said to have had antisemitic sentiments.

Post-war France saw Chanel faced with a new era of fashion, one that was dominated by male couturiers that Dior helped pave the way for with his "new look" collection. Chanel believed that women would rebel against the hyper-feminine designs, and while some did in reality it had a huge impact.

Maisie Williams | Catherine Dior

The New Look sees Maisie Williams take on the role of Catherine Dior, the younger sister of the iconic fashion designer. A major storyline of the TV series surrounds Catherine Dior's experiences as a resistance fighter, and her brother's quest to free her from German captivity.

During the war, Catherine Dior worked tirelessly with the French liberation movement and was captured by Nazi forces in 1944. She was tortured by the Gestapo and sent to work in a military prison camp in Torgau, Germany. She was released when the camp was liberated by US forces in 1945, and upon her return she was awarded several medals of honour for her acts of resistance.

After the war, the younger Dior went on to work with flowers and, upon her brother's death in 1957, helped continue his legacy and oversaw the fashion house until her death in 2008.

John Malkovich | Lucien LeLong

Lucien LeLong is portrayed by John Malkovich in The New Look, which sees the fashion designer in the later years of his life. Dior worked alongside the french designer between 1941 and 1946, and though he closed his fashion house in 1948 he remained an influential figure in the industry.

After closing his fashion house LeLong continued to work in perfumery until his death. The series sees Malkovich appear as a supporting figure in Dior's life, as the designer was for his counterpart in reality.

The New Look premiered with its first three episodes on Apple TV+ on Wednesday, 14 February, and episodes will continue to air weekly.

Watch the trailer for The New Look: