Glenn Close will play Carmel Snow in the upcoming Apple TV+ series “The New Look.”
Snow was the significant editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar from 1934 to 1958. The 10-episode historical drama’s cast was recently revealed by the streaming service, reuniting Close with executive producer and series creator Todd A. Kessler.
Close’s desire to collaborate with Kessler once more was spurred by their successful previous work together on the critically acclaimed series “Damages,” which won Emmy and Golden Globe awards. Close discusses her excitement about taking on the demanding role of Carmel Snow, a genuinely iconic and revolutionary figure in fashion history, in an exclusive interview with Bazaar.
Glenn Close as Carmel Snow captures the refined elegance
The first pictures featuring Glenn Close as Carmel Snow capture the refined elegance that is connected to the legendary person who first used the term that serves as the inspiration for the show’s title. “It’s quite a revolution, dear Christian,” said Snow, summarizing Christian Dior’s revolutionary influence on modern fashion after the designer’s ground-breaking 1947 debut. Your gowns appear so fresh now.
Working together with fashion editor Diana Vreeland and art director Alexey Brodovitch, Snow’s time at Bazaar was crucial in changing the face of fashion magazines.
Her goal to create a magazine for “well-dressed women with well-dressed minds” revolutionized the industry, according to Stephen Mooallem, editor-in-chief of Bazaar, and provided a platform for creatives such as Dior.
Snow also helped to launch the careers of well-known authors like Truman Capote and Richard Avedon. She also brought to the world’s attention the extraordinary abilities of female photographers such as Diane Arbus, Toni Frissell, Louise Dahl-Wolfe, and Lillian Bassman during a period when male photographers dominated the field.
Carmel Snow’s Contribution to Bazaar
Snow had an effect on fashion as well. Snow made the bold choice to shoot editorials outdoors during a time when most magazines restricted their photo shoots to sterile studios, giving readers a chance to see models and clothing moving in ways they had never seen before.
“She broke away from the prescriptive and narrow views prevalent in fashion magazines at the time, truly examining fashion from a contemporary perspective and imagining limitless possibilities for women,” according to Mooallem.
While navigating Bazaar during the pivotal World War II era, Snow adjusted to the shifting terrain, mirroring the change in priorities.
Due to a lack of materials, the magazine highlighted American brands that created slimmer silhouettes using industrial fabrics like denim. The New Look, which shows designers like Dior, Coco Chanel, Pierre Balmain, Cristóbal Balenciaga, and others in the wake of the Nazi occupation of Paris in 1940, may serve as a representation of this pivotal period.
Ben Mendelsohn as Christian Dior, Juliette Binoche as Chanel, Maisie Williams as Christian’s sister Catherine Dior, John Malkovich as couturier Lucien Lelong, Emily Mortimer as Vera Lombardi, and Claes Bang as Spatz are among the amazing cast members Glenn Close joins in The New Look. On February 14, 2024, the first three episodes will debut on Apple TV+. After that, new episodes will air every Wednesday until April 3.
The Early Life of Carmel Snow
Born in St. Justin’s, Dalkey, Dublin, Carmel Snow was the daughter of Annie Meyne and merchant tailor Peter White. After her father passed away on April 7, 1893, from pneumonia, she and her mother, Annie, moved to America, where her mother became well-known for being a dressmaker for wealthy New York society ladies.
Carmel improved her French skills while attending the Soeurs de Sainte-Marie convent in Brussels in 1903. Her former assistant Anne Rittenhouse introduced her to Vogue editor Edna Woolman Chase in 1921. Condé Nast then offered her the position of assistant fashion editor.
Carmel joined Vogue in 1926 as the fashion editor. She married George Palen Snow that same year, wearing a cream-colored satin gown embellished with seed pearls and antique Burano lace that belonged to her family. After the couple’s divorce, there were rumors that one of their three daughters had schizophrenia, though this diagnosis has not been confirmed.
