As illuminating as it is utterly ravishing, this painterly Disney+ biopic from creators Lourdes Iglesias, Aitor Arregi, Jon Garaño, and Jose Mari Goenaga tracks the titular fashion legend, as embodied by the brooding Alberto San Juan, as he arrives in the French capital from Madrid in the ’30s, determined to make his mark. But, in a landscape dominated by the pared-back elegance of Chanel (a delightfully venomous Anouk Grinberg) and, later, Dior (a magnanimous Patrice Thibaud), the Spanish revolutionary initially stumbles—and realizes that in order to stand apart, he must hone his own signature style and deconstruct the era’s traditional silhouettes to create something entirely, and thrillingly, new. Watch it for the stunning avant-garde costumes, the dreamy-eyed cinematography, and the fascinating insights into the fiercely competitive world of post-war haute couture.
How to watch: US release date TBA
Photo: Roger Do Minh
This equally glossy 10-part Apple TV+ series from Todd A. Kessler examines the same period, but with a different designer at its center: Christian Dior, here played by a grizzled Ben Mendelsohn, as he popularizes the wasp-waisted, full-skirted “new look,” a symbol of Parisian glamour and optimism in the wake of World War II. His rise to prominence, however, poses a threat to his contemporaries: Cristóbal Balenciaga, Pierre Balmain, and, most significantly, Coco Chanel (Juliette Binoche), whose previously undisputed status as the most influential couturier in the world was then coming into question. Cue a ruthless battle, featuring a host of other familiar faces, too, from Glenn Close in the part of Carmel Snow, the legendary editor of Harper’s Bazaar, to John Malkovich as designer Lucien Lelong, and Maisie Williams as Catherine Dior, the designer’s sister, a French Resistance fighter who was awarded the Legion of Honour and remained a lifelong muse.
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