Vanity Fair revisits Coco Chanel's Nazi ties and feud with Christian Dior in 'The New Look'

Article by Julie Miller

Juliette Binoche struts onto the screen as Coco Chanel two minutes into the period drama 'The New Look', brought to you by Apple TV+. It’s 1955 and at a press conference where journalists only want to discuss Christian Dior, played by Ben Mendelsohn, Chanel is ready to attack. She criticizes Dior as an anxious and miserable man hidden from the world who believes he is undeserving of his success. She further condemns the attendees of his fashion shows as "prisoners" enduring his clothing designs. Much of the series premiere focuses on Chanel's insults towards Dior, starting on February 14.

Chanel had a reputation for being harsher in real life. Known for liberating women with her elegant yet practical clothing before World War II, she found Dior's severe, ultra-feminine "New Look" a step in the wrong direction. His popularity only added insult to injury.

The Apple TV+ series features Dior's "New Look".

During the war, women struggled with a lack of fabric for their clothing. Dior, on the other hand, was using yards of fabric to craft extravagant gowns during the post-war period. As Chanel famously put it, "Dior doesn't dress women, he upholsters them". She was also heard calling a woman wearing his design "an old armchair".

Caroline Bongrand, a French fashion historian and consultant on 'The New Look', describes Dior's designs as a flower blooming from the ashes. He aimed to bring joy back to women's lives, lift their spirits, and restore their sense of beauty.

The series depicts more of Dior's "New Look" designs.

Chanel continues to mock Dior's designs throughout the series, targeting both his work and personal life. She even jabs at his supposed lack of experience with women in a remark which translates to him not understanding women due to lack of intimacy with them.

Chanel felt threatened by Dior's rising star, opines Bongrand. When Dior began his own fashion house, Chanel didn't take it well. She was envious and felt threatened, like a queen fearing the rise of a new, potential ruler.

The series features Juliette Binoche as Coco Chanel.

Various reports by Chris Murphy, Eve Batey, and Kara Warner.

Bongrand, author of four books about Dior, recounts how despite his internal struggles and personal challenges, Dior had a big heart and aimed for personal betterment. She admires his ethical qualities and ability to retain his soul even at the pinnacle of fame and talent.

She felt excited to learn that Todd A. Kessler was developing a TV show about Christian Dior, who established his own label at the then-unprecedented age of 42. She praises Dior for living a life of integrity despite fame.

The series features Ben Mendelsohn as Christian Dior.

During a separate conversation, Kessler explained that in his years of researching Dior, there's never been a known instance of Dior speaking ill of Chanel. He expresses enthusiasm about delving into the fashion world, but emphasizes that 'The New Look' is essentially a series about the choices made during the Nazi occupation.

The program jumps straight into the investigation of Chanel's complex ties with the Nazis during the Vichy era. Bongrand states, "Chanel didn't hide her relations with the invaders. She welcomed the Nazis by offering them copious amounts of No. 5 perfumes. Similarly, she later offered the same perfumes to the liberating American soldiers. Despite her numerous talents, she was more of an opportunist. Particularly loved by the Nazis, it wasn't so much that she despised Jews, she simply adored the Nazis. Throughout their time in Paris, she delighted in their company, frequently dining with them. She even had a lover, the Nazi official Hans Von Dincklage. The common phrase doesn't translate directly, but it's generally not recommended to have affairs with your adversaries."

The New Look features Claes Bang as Hans Von Dincklage and Juliette Binoche as Coco Chanel.

Historical consensus generally accepts that Chanel was indeed "sleeping with the enemy," to such an extent that an entire book is dedicated to the topic, aptly named, Sleeping With the Enemy by Hal Vaughan. The New York Times review of the 2011 publication starts with, “Gabrielle Chanel, widely recognized as Coco, was an unsavory character. Boasting anti-Semitic, homophobic, and excessively snobbish attitudes alongside her social climbing mentality, she was not only addicted to morphine, she was an active collaborator with the Germans during the Nazi occupation of Paris. Still, her contemporary, fresh, and energetic designs, which elevated lowly regarded fabrics to the status of high-end fashion, utterly transformed women’s fashion. Today, her name is still deeply associated with the absolute pinnacle of French style and elegance."

Bongrand highlights, "Her conduct during the war was less than admirable. Yet in a way, she did face consequences, as she was forced into exile in Switzerland." Post-wartime, Chanel did not return to Paris until 1954.

"As an icon predating the war, she was loved by many in France, hence she was somewhat forgiven," Bongrand explains. "On a personal level, Chanel was a rather peculiar individual who does not come across as very likable. However, while researching for the series, I found that she was fantastic with her workers and an exceptional boss. She was generous and supported anyone who approached her with a project or idea by offering them money. She didn't care about amassing wealth. Also, she treated her workers well. So she’s not entirely a villain."

Juliette Binoche in The New Look.

The New Look's first episode distinguishes the disparate ways Dior and Chanel related to the Nazi occupation. Dior's sister, Catherine (portrayed in the series by Maisie Williams), was a French resistance heroine who survived a concentration camp. The episode presents Catherine risking her life and safety, and also clarifies how Dior’s connected clients, many of whom were the wives and girlfriends of high-ranking officials, passed him intel about the Nazi party’s investigation into his sister.

On the other hand, a Nazi official privately tells Chanel at a swastika-adorned ball, "Once you complete our task, your Jewish partners will lose their grip on your company." (Chanel wasn't the only brand to align with the Nazis: Hugo Boss was the producer of Nazi uniforms, something the company expressed regret for in 2011.)

The New Look has a rather unexpected creation story. It was invented by Kessler, a prior Sopranos writer, and producer, who befriended star James Gandolfini while working on the Emmy-winning drama. Similar to Dior, Gandolfini “became globally famous around the age of 40, and chose not to appear on any talk shows to promote it. He eventually felt confined by the character over the course of the series,” explains Kessler. Both the designer and the actor grappled with maintaining a balance between their identities as artists and businessmen.

While The New Look praises Dior the artist, the Dior business also contributed to the making of the series by granting Kessler access to its archives and assisting in recreating some of its founder’s early designs for the show. The Chanel fashion house, on the other hand, was not involved in making The New Look. When asked about the show's portrayal of the late designer of the house, Kessler is quick to emphasize her intricate nature.

“She was a survivor,” he says. “Her mother died. Her father dropped her and one of her sisters off at an orphanage. She was raised by nuns. She began her business in the late teens, early twenties, when it was illegal for women to even have a bank account. The experience for me was to portray a very complicated human being, and present a story where you can feel a person making decisions for survival—and making decisions that have great ramifications.”