Fall Nail Trends

When it comes to nail color the majority of salons out there stock the top two- Essie and OPI. However those ‘in the know’ choose Creative Nail Design enamel, $6.00. Under the creative lead of Co-founder, Jan Arnold, Creative also sets the standard for cutting edge fashion and style. Well-known designers including Badgley Mischka, Carolina Herrera, Anne Klein, Nicole Miller, Betsey Johnson and Cynthia Rowley regularly work with Creative to develop specialized nail styles for their fashion shows.

A new decadent brand of romanticism emerged on the fall runways where textured blacks, stiff collars and gothic-inflected details contrasted with bright, eclectic layering of colorful knits and silks. The girly references of fashion seasons past have been cast aside and replaced with a sobering sophistication.

This calls for a shift in makeup and nail color to rich warm browns and reds. Lips in deep matte red are complemented by lots of lash and deep brown glossy nails, whereas kohl-rimmed eyes look fresh with short bright nails. The nail looks that Creative Nail Design created for the runways fall into four looks:

Courtesan, defined by poetic, rich, billowy fabrics. Large bows, lace, taffeta ruffles, velvet peep-toe shoes. Nails are perfectly manicured in deep metallic burgundy enamel called Baroque, as seen at Douglas Hannant.

London Lolita, the tomboy that loves makeup, wears lots of plaid, short hair, dark eyes and DIY bright Crayola color manicures. On short nails, she polishes in Hand-Me-Down, a vintage in feel, posh fuchsia cream. Seen at Betsey Johnson.

Perfect Mis-Match, artfully layered textures in juxtaposing colors, swingy skirts and chunky knits go with longer, cheerful nails polished in Perfect Mis-Match, a full-bodied ruby shimmer, or Flounce enamel, a butterscotch hue laced with flecks of gold. Seen at Issa.

sHE, has a definitive, powerful style and wears tailored menswear that shows curves but not skin. Nails are certainly not subtle. Groomed hands show off short dark nails in Fedora enamel, a slick, swarthy brown-red crème, or Tweed enamel, the evolution of summer coral, a velvety russet crème thick with
pigment. Seen at Issa, Ellen Tracy, and Ashley Isham.