In the enthralling Apple TV+ series “The New Look,” viewers are taken to the turbulent era of World War II, where fashion and survival collide.
In the realm of fashion and design, every collection tells a unique story, with inspiration drawn from various sources such as art, culture, history, and personal experiences. The term “new look” has been a buzzword in the fashion industry, often signifying a transformative shift in style. But the question remains: Is the new look based on a true story?
Is the New Look Based on a True Story?
Yes, the 10-episode show is based on real events. Just like any historical drama, The New Look makes up some facts and scenes to fit the story, but the history that the show is based on is very real.
Christian Dior was a famous French fashion designer who died in 1957. His brand and the designers he worked with during the Second World War are still loved today.
As an example, Balmain is still a high-fashion brand, but as we see in the series, both Dior and Pierre Balmain worked with the French fashion designer Lucien Lelong to bring back Parisian style during the war.
Robert Piguet, the famous Parisian designer who trained Dior and Hubert de Givenchy, found Dior and helped him become famous in the fashion world.
It is now known for its perfumes, and Piguet himself gave Dior the chance to create for three collections. However, Dior had to quit his job at Piguet when he was called up for military service.
After getting out of the war in 1942, Dior joined Lelong's fashion house and, along with Balmain, became one of the main designers.
Like many other fashion houses at the time, Dior had to make dresses for the wives of French collaborators and Nazi soldiers.
Although the series shows that Dior doesn't like the job, it was what was expected of designers in Paris during Nazi rule, and other designers at the time did the same thing, such as Nina Ricci and Jeanne Lanvin.
When Dior released his first collection, the famous “New Look,” in 1947, it made him a huge star and helped him start his own fashion house in 1946.
When designers saw that fashion had taken a hit because of the war and how it turned style into something military, they decided to make the clothes look fancy and opulent.
Dior wrote in his book, “In December 1946, women still looked and dressed like Amazons because of the war and uniforms.”
“But I designed clothes for flower-like women, with rounded shoulders, full feminine busts, and hand-spun waists above enormous spreading skirts.”
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As you can see above, the most-talked-about look in the collection was the Bar Suit, which was made up of a black skirt and a beige suit jacket with buttons and a belt. The suit was made by Pierre Cardin, who was in charge of sewing at Dior.
When Dior released his first collection, it was called “The New Look.” It changed the way French women dressed and made Paris the fashion capital again.
Each collection had a different “line,” and his clothes continued to make women feel good about their bodies.
