We’re in the era of the subtle mani. Thanks to celebrities like Rosalía and Iris Law, extensions are falling to the wayside in favor of natural, short nail art, and we’re seeing even more iterations of Hailey Beiber’s “glazed doughnut” neutral nails. Similarly, many of the manicures seen across the international runways this Fashion Month were also understated. But at the same time, a few nail artists seemed to revolt against the “clean girl” manicure the way they know best: by making the decals bigger and better than ever.
As Paris Fashion Week comes to a close March 5, here are the five top runway-approved nail trends you’re about to see everywhere.
Gladiator Nail Guards
We’re not sure if it’s because Gladiator 2 is set to release later this year, but nail guards made an appearance in a big way this season. At the Di Petsa show in London, each of the models’ fingers alternated between silver warrior-style guards and glittery metallic polish. And at Philipp Plein in Milan, the heavy-metal, full-nail coverings continued, this time with glittering skulls.
Cruella Claws
Pointy red nails never go out of style, but Moschino and Marine Serre both reminded us why this color and shape combination will forever be an iconic duo — especially in an ultra-high-gloss finish (and clasped around whimsical accessories).
Celestial Sparkles
We’re not tired of the metallic nail trend just yet, and this season’s silvers were sparklier than ever. Take the puffy metallic stars and transparent glitter French tips at Christian Cowan, for example, or Chillhouse’s disco-inspired press-ons spotted at the Bronx and Banco show.
Regal Decals
With Marie Antoinette-style courtier curls making a recent comeback, it was only a matter of time before we saw the world of nail art embrace more regal designs. At Luar, models walked the runway with Renaissance paintings chopped into pieces for individual press-ons. The pinky nails, meanwhile, were also decked in gold 3D designs to suggest museum-style frames. LoveShackFancy similarly showed aspirationally opulent nails, only coquette-themed, in the form of pearls, gems, and ribbons tied into small bows at the end of each nail.
Upside-Down Designs
The lunula (the crescent-shaped base of the nail) rarely gets its moment in the spotlight, but at the Vivienne Westwood show in Paris, the lower half of the nail was left completely bare. But this extra-chunky French manicure wasn’t the only design to show love to this part of the nail — nail artist Jin Soon Choi created a reverse ombré manicure for Jason Wu that painted a deep blackberry red at the base with the tip fading into obscurity.
Nearly Naked
At Paris Fashion Week, Chemena Kamali made her debut for Chloé by reviving the boho girl, or the new (old) It girl who only ever wears a barely there manicure. At the Marc Jacobs show, models also walked the runway wearing soft neutral shades. While, from afar, the nails may look bare, the secret to the new nude manicure is to add just one or two layers of a glossy pink color or subtle shimmering polish.