Nail Forecast — 5 Great Manicures Seen at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2014 in New York City

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is in full swing here in New York City, which means we’re seeing dozens of cleverly manicured nails each day. With four days remaining, a lot remains to be seen but, thus far, we’ve been enamored with these five nail looks. Check them out for yourself!

NICOLE MILLER

To harmonize with the color palette of Nicole Miller‘s Fall 2014 collection — which incorporated dark plums, light olive greens, rich wines, aquas, and blacks with muted emerald and amethyst hues — butter LONDON Global Color Ambassador Katie Jane Hughes designed a nail look that felt strong and assertive but also had a gem-like, regal vibe to it.

To create the look, Hughes applied the butter LONDON Nail Foundation as a base and then brushed on the butter LONDON Nail Lacquer in Union Jack Black, a glossy, tar-worthy black. To eliminate the sheen, she then applied the butter LONDON Matte Finish Top Coat.

Next, Hughes reached for a thin striping brush and applied butter LONDON’s Nail Lacquer in Knees Up, a shiny metallic red, starting at the cuticle, creating a flame-like design. The ruby-like red sheen of the Knees Up polish popped all the more when juxtaposed against the matte black lacquer at the tips of nails.

COSTELLO TAGLIAPIETRA

Like Nicole Miller, who derived inspiration from female warriors, the fellas at Costello Tagliapietra looked to strong women when designing their Fall/Winter 2014 collection — in particular, the heroines in their favorite science fiction and fantasy movies and books.

In keeping with the theme, nail artist Julie Kandalec created a vampy look using Essie’s Berry Naughty nail lacquer, an oxblood red shade, then topping off the two coats of polish with one coat of the Essie Matte About You top coat. Sure, it wasn’t the galactic, metallic, space dust-covered look we’d expect to accompany a science fiction-inspired collection, but that simplicity was precisely what made it so special.

DANNIJO

For Fall 2014, the duo behind the New York-based jewelry line Dannijo created a collection dubbed BOXERina that explored the similarities between boxing and ballet — from the emphasis on movement and choreography to the necessity for precision, the crescendos and diminuendos within a performance of match, and the emotional response elicited from the audience.

Katie Jane Hughes, butter LONDON‘s Global Colour Ambassador, created the look for the Dannijo Fall 2014 presentation, a two-toned metallic look that conveyed femininity and strength. To create the look, Hughes started by applying butter LONDON’s Nail Lacquer in Goss, a shimmering rose gold shade, as the base. She then completed the look by using a makeup sponge to stipple the butter LONDON Nail Lacquer in Posh Bird, a glittery smoky taupe shade, to nail tips.

TESS GIBERSON 

Do you think of French manicures and immediately conjure up images of sheer nude or ballet pink nails with crisp white tips? Well, nail expert Jin Soon Choi will make you reconsider that notion. For the Tess Giberson Fall 2014 show, Choi masterminded a modern version of the French manicure by relying on a monochromatic color scheme.

To create the look, Choi started by applying the JINsoon Power Coat base coat to nails. Next, she applied two coats of a new metallic black polish that will be available for purchase in Fall 2014. Once the black polish had dried, she applied a thin arc of the JINsoon Kookie White polish along each nail tip. Last, she applied a single coat of JINsoon Top Gloss to nails.

MARISA WEBB

Oxblood and wine nail polish hues are poised to make a huge comeback for Fall 2014, and the look created for the Marissa Webb Fall 2014 show was certainly an indication of this phenomenon. Nail artist Honey created the look: a two-toned, color-blocked, geometric mani, with each nail featuring two shades divided by a diagonal line.

Honey started by using the Maybelline Color Show Nail Lacquer in Dressed to Kill, a decadent oxblood red, and then used either the shade Home Sweet Chrome, a metallic silver, or the shade Born With It, an ultra pale pink, for contrast.

Stay tuned for more updates from backstage at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City!