The shapes of fall 2021: claws, coffins and stilettos

Nails now go to extreme lengths, as seen on Cynthia Erivo at the Met Gala (where she rocked silver talons covered in crystals) and at the Emmy Awards, where New York nailer Gina Oh created for her. a new take on a ’90s French Manicure, giving the look a “modern twist in a super-elongated coffin shape with a swirling design in a new dark brown, perfect with her skin tone.”

Also to be seen at the Emmys: more stiletto nail aficionados, including Michaela Jaé Rodriguez; Emma Corrin, whose black claws pierced her mittens; and Taraji P. Henson, who donned sharp burgundy Swarovski-embellished nails from Hollywood manicurist Temeka Jackson.

A few days earlier at the Met Gala, Henson wore two different nail shapes. “She wore a stylus in one hand and the other a skinny coffin,” says Jackson, who took three hours to create the look. “We did encapsulated art with a silver dimension to add depth to the nails. There were 3D black roses handmade in the UK by artist Glam Susie, surrounded by Swarovski crystals, and a diamond charm that slides over the nail, with bronze chrome polish on her toes. (Jackson, whose clients also include Alicia Keys, Wiz Khalifa, and Saweetie, showcased their CustomTNails press collection in 2020.)

Nail artist Brittany Boyce warns, however, that red carpet lengths may not translate well into reality: “Anything that’s too crisp, especially when you start going on vacation with dark colors, sparks vibes. witch. Maybe around Halloween, but I hope no longer!

The warm colors of the moment

Chrome colors are on the radar of Hollywood manicurist Kimmie Kyees and her clients: “Adele now wears bronzed chrome. Rihanna Has Her Toes Made In A Silver Chrome [a new shade for her]. She’s literally been wearing white on her toes for as long as I can remember and she never changes color, ”says Kyees, who notes that her client used Valentino Beauty Pure Gel Polish 100. “I didn’t do Lil Nas X for the Met, but he was all chrome, and we did silver chrome for his album cover. I just did a French chrome on Iggy Azalea. So that’s one thing.

Jackson agrees, “The Met Gala was the most chrome nail I have ever seen in my career!” It also highlights the return of ’90s airbrush stripes, dots and swirls and, for the holidays, a plethora of throws, charms, chocolate hues and glitter and wrapped leaves.

Meanwhile, Harry Styles UK-based Jenny Longworth Manicurist is a fan of nail polish colors that “match your must-have accessories.” For example, “Match your nails to your Birkin with the new Hermès Box Orange nail polish, reminiscent of the house’s signature shade. Or try The Gel Bottle Inc’s Bottega (sold to professionals only), a shade similar to Bottega Veneta’s signature green. “The perfect match,” says Longworth, “to your favorite Cassette bag or your Stretch sandals.”

Guys with man-i-cures that turn heads

Gender-neutral nail art is more and more deed for men on the red carpet, from Harry Styles and Lil Nas X to Ben Platt, Lil Yachty and Machine Gun Kelly.

Kelly will launch her own unisex nail polish line, UN / DN LAQR, next month on the heels of Yachty, who showcased their gender-neutral nail paint pens and stickers in Crete in May, available on crete.co.

Nail artist Boyce – who looks after Kelly and Megan Fox’s talons and launched his Nails of LA press-ons and wraps in 2020 – notes that the rapper’s signature only paints one hand. In May, she created her black and white checkerboard wavy pattern and coordinating Fox French manicure (a trend in itself) for the Billboard Music Awards as well as her exaggerated claws for the IHeartRadio Awards. “We created something that would match everything from her black leather jacket to her neon pink outfits,” Boyce explains. “I bought as many points and chains as I could find and put it all together.”

And at the Met Gala in September, Platt accessorized his Christian Cowan denim with long nails in a swirl of four shades of blue.

“It was Ben’s idea to use negative space with blue colors in the design,” says manicurist Michina Koide, who lengthened her nails with spikes and used four shades of blue polish. “It was the first time he had his nails done, and he’s a real pro now.”

New this fall is the limited edition of Côte Dear Evan Hansen nail polish duo, $ 30 with $ 4 of each purchase donated to the Jed Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

A version of this story first appeared in the October 6 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.