From soft and feminine to dark and gritty, nails were a big feature at this year’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia. Here’s a round-up of the trends to come out of the shows.
Neutral Nails
Just as barely-there makeup and pretty, feminine hair was a common request this MBFWA, pretty pinks and nude nails dominated the runways.
“Nails are nude this season in shades of bone, muted grey and neutral pink,” says Karon McKendrick Taylor, FABY Australia colour stylist and general manager.
Nails at Macgraw were the palest of pink, while the sheer versions at Ginger & Smart added a sophisticated touch to neutral nails.
At Yeojin Bae an edgy softly pale pink was chosen for hands (a coat of Faby Matte Top Coat added plenty cool factor), while a toes were painted with a neutral nude.
White-out nails
At Akira, nails went pure white to reflect the designer’s first foray into white designs. White opaque polish (Optical White by FABY) was meticulously applied by nail professionals, followed by a coat of Faby Matte Top Coat to add that element of designer cool. At Gary Bigeni, nails were also powder white (this time with CND Vinylux in Cream Puff) but for this contemporary show, an off-centre polkadot (thanks to CND’s Creative Play Nail Lacquer in Royalista) added a punchy pop of colour.
Solid, opaque and matte
While there was some nail art to be seen – such as the burgundy tipped nails at Jennifer Kate – most of the looks were striking block colours. Case in point: the dark and sophisticated nails at Aje.
“The look is clean and natural, using more of a solid coverage,” says McKendrick Taylor. “Opaque nude, as opposed to sheer nude, with a touch of matte top coat.”
All that shimmers
Nails were glittering silver at Daniel Avakian, while at TOME nails were given added decadence with crystal embellishment. Nails and toes at this elegant show were dark burgundy (Faby’s What are You Doing Tonight) with a decadent Swarovski crystal added to the moon.
Short and rounded
Forget exaggerated talons, the nail shape this year was elegantly pragmatic.
“The length is rounder than previous years and we were not requested to add any nail tips,” says McKendrick Taylor who kept all her nail looks “natural and relaxed”.
Daringly different
There are always going to be exceptions to the rule and Di$count Universe delivered. Lead nail artist, Skye McIntyre for CND Creative Nail Design, created punk themed talons that had plenty of edge.
“We’ve got tips with different colours in glitter ranging from black, blue, pink, silver and red,” says Skye McIntyre. “It is a punk theme and we’ve used CND Creative Play in Su-Pearl-Ative, Black + Forth, Got A Light?, Flirting with Fire, and Viral Violet to get the look for the show.”
Classic with a twist
At Gail Sorronda the nails were inspired by fast cars and the roaring 20s. The brief to the nail pros at CND was “the 1920s Ferrari”. Answering it perfectly, they enlisted the brand’s classic shade CND Vinylux in Classic Red and boosted that feeling of luxury with a medium-length rounded shape.
