Chanel v Dior: The New Look revisits French designers’ dark World War II past

LOS ANGELES – If you learnt that the iconic French designer Coco Chanel was a Nazi collaborator, would that change your view of her namesake luxury fashion brand – and make you think twice about buying a Chanel bag?

This was one of the questions considered by the cast of The New Look, a new biographical drama starring Oscar winner Juliette Binoche and Emmy winners Ben Mendelsohn and John Malkovich.

Premiering on Apple TV+ on Feb 14, the series – set in France after the Germans occupied it in World War II – examines the legacy of the late French designers Chanel (Binoche) and Christian Dior (Mendelsohn), and how Dior eventually dethroned Chanel.

It also contrasts their approaches to the occupation, with Dior risking everything to support his sister Catherine (Maisie Williams) – a member of the French resistance – while Chanel cosied up to the Germans and took a Nazi intelligence officer, Hans Von Dincklage (Claes Bang), as her lover.

Chanel’s close ties with the Nazis have been detailed by historians as well as journalist Hal Vaughan in his 2011 book, Sleeping With The Enemy: Coco Chanel’s Secret War. It also cited evidence of her anti-Semitism, as well as her attempt to use Nazi laws to wrest control of her brand’s perfume division from its Jewish co-investors.

But Binoche, 59, suggests at a Zoom press event that some elements of the portrayal of Chanel in The New Look may not be entirely factual.

“It’s fiction, but inspired by real-life events, so there are layers of invention.

“And I pray that the showrunner, writers and production have done their homework in verifying some of the facts,” says the French star, who won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for the war film The English Patient (1996).

Even if this unflattering depiction of Chanel is accurate, Mendelsohn believes the history and political views of cultural figures can and should be separated from their art.

“We are very concerned about this (issue) at this time and it’s highly charged,” says the 54-year-old Australian actor, who won an Emmy for the drama series Bloodline (2015 to 2017).

But the series is not trying to be political.

“What we’re doing is taking the situation as accurately as we can historically, and trying to tell a story about how you survive in the world, given this sort of situation.

“We’re not trying to comment on that other stuff,” says Mendelsohn, who portrayed Skrull leader Talos in the Marvel superhero movie Captain Marvel (2019) and Disney+ series Secret Invasion (2023).

Malkovich, who plays couturier Lucien Lelong, Dior’s one-time boss, does not feel it would be fair for someone to boycott the Chanel brand today because of what its founder did during the war.

“I don’t think any decision Coco Chanel made years ago should decide if you want a Chanel bag or jacket,” says the 70-year-old American actor, who won an Emmy for the television movie Death Of A Salesman (1985).

“This kind of moral absolutism – which exists mostly on TikTok – is really not very helpful.

“Many things are morally complex, and most people are genetically and psychologically programmed to accommodate,” adds the star, who also received an Oscar nomination for the political thriller In The Line Of Fire (1993).

“In situations they may not like, most people feel it’s better to grin and bear it, and do what they think is necessary.”

Williams adds that the question of whether to judge an artist based on his or her political views “is a question I ask myself a lot”.

“Especially as we start to hear different truths about a lot of artists throughout history,” says the 26-year-old English actress, best known for playing Arya Stark in the fantasy series Game Of Thrones (2011 to 2019).

“But I think it’s something each individual person has to decide for themselves.

“And what this show does really well is look at the human story behind these massive brands,” she adds.