Chevron Nails Add A Boho Rocker Edge To The Rebecca Minkoff Fall 2015 Beauty Look

Add Patti Smith’s 1976 hit “Gloria” to your IHeartRadio playlist and try to imagine the punk rock and graffiti art scenes in 1970s New York City or, for that matter, the Andy Warhol-led Pop Art explosion in the lat ’60s. These two decades — and, moreover, the infectious excitement and hopefulness that permeated the air in even the grittiest of artist enclaves during this period — inspired the Rebecca Minkoff Fall 2015 collection. Smith’s memoir Just Kids, in which the rocker details her exploits during this time period, during which she pursued her creative dreams alongside her then-lover, photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, was the catalyst behind Minkoff’s new collection which captures an aesthetic that’s both Bohemian and effortlessly rock ‘n’ roll but is clearly informed by the dominant aesthetic norms of the early ’70s.

The edgy chevron nail look created by Michelle Saunders for Essie to complement Minkoff’s fashions also captured this vibe. To create the look, Saunders first coated clean and filed nails with the Essie First Base base coat. Next, she applied one coat of the Essie Mademoiselle nail polish, a sheer pink hue. To kickstart the chevron design, Saunders then created a reverse “V” shape along the middle of each nail using one coat of Essie’s Berry Naughty polish, a deep plum red tone. Next, using Essie’s Midnight Cami, a deep twilight blue shade with shimmer, she created a second “V” shape directly above the berry-colored one, extending the polish to the nail tips. To seal the look and add a bit of shine, Saunders finished the mani with one coat of Essie’s Good To Go top coat.

Can’t you just hear Smith singing, “If we dream, dream, dream for free” when you look at these nails?