Ashley Elizabeth Miller

When the Nazis took over Paris for four years in 1940, fashion designer Christian Dior began designing ball gowns for their wives.

“Living under Nazi siege was the darkest days of our lives,” said Ben Mendelsohn, who plays Dior at the beginning of Apple TV’s fantastic new series The New Look.

Dior made eye-popping gowns. With lots of fabric. Each design was a winner—and it drove his coworkers crazy. He made dresses for special occasions, while his predecessor Coco Chanel made haute couture for everyday use.

“Survival” was the only thing on Parisians’ minds at the time, and “creation” was how Dior survived. Plus, to be fair, he did not know his designs were being sold to Nazis. His paycheck was spent almost entirely on his sister Catherine and her work for the resistance.

Chanel is a complicated figure. She starts sleeping with a Nazi in the series, then makes a deal with his boss to reclaim the money she says her Jewish business partners stole.

Like blues legend Robert Johnson, Chanel made a deal with the devil to get her bank account back: asked the Nazis for help. She’s eventually found out by a U.S. official in France who lets her go, seeming to dismiss the fling as a wrong turn in the fog of war.

It’s a beautifully shot series. Acting is phenomenal. Celebrities abound. If you’re interested in World War II—get ready for a whole new way to see it.