Nail Trends from the Fall 2011 Fashion Week Runways

Using Midnight Mission on all the nails with China Glaze Devotion, Nova, and Solar Flare on the ring finger only, fashion designer Richie Rich stuck with punk looks to match his outrageous club wear and barely-there ensembles. Photography courtesy of China Glaze

Behnaz Sarafpour had Wanda Ruiz from CND create Manolo Manicures, inspired by two styles of custom-designed shoes by Manolo Blahnik for the show. The manicure used clear French tips and CND Blackjack for one set (shown), and the second set used Blackjack smile lines and Putty on the nail base. Photography courtesy of Creative Nail Design

For The Blonds, nail stylist Kristina Estabrooks introduced theatrical manicures inspired by Eastern culture meets ultra-glam. Designs ranged from red sparkly Chinese characters and googly-eyed nails (shown) custom made by CND. Photography courtesy of Creative Nail Design

Kristina Estabrooks created luxe tuxedo manicures fit for a black-tie runway for designer Ruffian. She used CND’s Asphalt as a base, topped with Ice Blue Shimmer, Violet Shimmer detailed with Blackjack, and Super Shiney for the finish.Photography courtesy of Creative Nail Design

Designer Costello Tagliapietra had nail stylist Angi Wingle craft muted mint green manicures with CND by custom blending Brilliant White, Bicycle Yellow, Green Scene, and Silver Chrome, and completing with Super Matte Top Coat for a satin finish. Photography courtesy of Creative Nail Design

Kristina Estabrooks fashioned rainforest-inspired manicures by CND for Jen Kao. She used long, almond-shaped nails based with Gold Chrome and Midnight Sapphire, accented with drops of Gold Pearl, Ice Blue Shimmer, and Midnight Sapphire for a psychedelic stained glass effect. Photography courtesy of Creative Nail Design

Nail stylist Angi Wingle created moon manicures, dubbed “Yazuka’s flesh and ink” by the designer 3.1 Phillip Lim, using CND Desert Suede on the base and Midnight Sapphire for the moons. Pedis were coated in two coats of Midnight Sapphire, nicknamed “Shogun’s metal” by Lim. Photography courtesy of Creative Nail Design

The Blonds used these custom “Blonds have more fun!” and “You don’t have to be blonde to be Blond!” tips from CND. Photography courtesy of Creative Nail Design

Isaac Mizrahi’s confectionery-colored clothing was accented with decadent, toffee manicures custom blended by Wanda Ruiz from CND using Chocolate Milk mixed with five drops of Asphalt to match the lips and eyes. Photography courtesy of Creative Nail Design

Jason Wu had nail stylist Roxanne Valinoti create baroque gilded burgundy manicures with CND using Dark Ruby layered with Bloodline, and gilded with Gold Chrome smile lines. Photography courtesy of Creative Nail Design

Nail stylist Angi Wingle designed for Jenni Kayne a blushing taupe manicure using one coat of nude opaque Desert Suede, layered with Copper Shimmer, washed out with a patina coat of semi-sheer Rose Water topped with Super Matte, all from CND. Photography courtesy of Creative Nail Design

Joanna Mastroianni used the expertise of CND’s Angi Wingle to create a Spectator Manicure using Blackjack as a base, plus Brilliant White moons bordered with Silver Chrome to complete the ’60s influenced beauty look of sky-high French twists and fiery orange lips. Photography courtesy of Creative Nail Design

Monique Lhuillier had Wanda Ruiz from CND present the Shady Lady manicure comprised of Silver Chrome topped with Desert Suede, iced with fall 2011 limited edition Dark Amethyst Colour from CND. Pedicures had two coats of velvet aubergine Dark Amethyst for a cavalier finish. Photography courtesy of Creative Nail Design

Where’s the Soiree from Color Club was at the runway with designer Zang Toi.

Pattie Yankee and the Dashing Diva nail team worked backstage and created caviar-esque nails for models at the Cushnie et Ochs show. Yankee used Limo Service polish, applied nail glue and dipped the nails in black seed beads straight from the designer’s collection. She then sprinkled the nails with black glitter and applied an activator spray to adhere. Photography by Ann Lawlor

At the designer’s request, Pattie Yankee created a custom camel-colored polish from Dashing Diva, coined “Blonde” by Yoana Baraschi. The hue contrasted with Baraschi’s fall orange colors in her ensembles and makeup design. Photography by Ann Lawlor

Nail stylist Pattie Yankee and her Dashing Diva team created neon pink French manicures for designer Tibi’s models to accent the designer’s hot pink accessories. Photography by Ann Lawlor

Created for fashion designer Badgley Mischka, these almond-shaped tips were created with Deborah Lippman’s polish Ruby Red Slippers with Believe highlighting the moons.

Essie Weingarten (right) makes an appearance at Essie’s pop-up salon, where Sand Tropez was an oft-requested hue. “We saw a lot of unusually colorful and bright collections for fall — oranges, reds, greens and blues,” Weingarten says. “As a result, we are seeing a lot of neutral nails that are made bold through interesting textures.”   

Nail stylist Amber Stores created a fresh and edgy look using Ginger + Liz’s Grey Area polish with sand embedded into the polish to give a texturized look. To add dimension to the nail design, Stores used Caution underneath the free edge.  Photography courtesy of Ginger + Liz

Nail stylist Lisa Logan created several two-toned Minx fashions to complement designs in Katie Ermilio’s fall collection. Photography by Lisa Logan

Happy Dots from the Minx Professional by Lisa Logan collection is worn by this model for designer Bess. Photography by Joseph Richards

Cinnamon Minx in degradé gives a beautiful opal effect. Designer Dennis Basso had nail stylist Lisa Logan and her team, as well as Minx co-founders Janice Jordan and Dawn Lynch-Goodwin, assist backstage. Photography by Lisa Logan

The model is wearing the Eclipse design from the Minx Professional by Lisa Logan collection on the Bess 2011 runway. Photography by Joseph Richards

From OPI’s Texas Collection, Suzi Loves Cowboys was worn on the fingers, providing a rich chocolate color in contrast to Rebecca Taylor’s fall line. On the toes, models wore San Tan-tonio to give a light honey hue.

Where grunge inspirations met floral and sheer fabrics, Charlotte Ronson selected OPI to complement her edgy clothing with models wearing Samoan Sand.

Orly Dreamboat created a classic look paired with a bold red lip for designer Milly. Dreamboat is a sheer beige that flatters any skin tone. Photography courtesy of Orly International

Priti NYC created custom shades for some of the most iconic American designers, while staying true to its eco-friendly and non-toxic philosophy.

Tracy Reese’s models wore Complete Salon Manicure from Sally Hansen in Shiny Penny, a rich bronze (shown), and Oxide, a gunmetal gray.

On the runway, designer Prabal Gurung enlisted Sally Hansen in Crinoline topped with flecks of black for an Asian-inspired design.

Designer Joy Cioci used Zoya’s Caitlin on the nail bed and Dove at the tip.

Nail Taxi used Zoya polish at Victor de Souza’s show in Dove.

At Rosemount Australian Fashion Week, CND did nails for several designers, including Gail Sorrondo’s Stem the Flow collection. CND Putty was used over short, rounded nails with Brilliant White highlighting the moons. Photography courtesy of Creative Nail Design

At Australian swimwear designer Lisa Maree’s Rosemount Australian Fashion Week show, Minx’s MinxLusion was used in different combinations on many of the 40 different models to give a colorful rainbow prism effect. Photography by Tabitha Jones

Black Minx made Australian designer Lisa Maree’s snakeskin swimsuits pop for her summer 2011 collection. The color complements the colorful, luxurious pieces showcased at the Rosemount Australian Fashion Week. Photography by Tabitha Jones

The SwitchFunky nail stylist team backstage at the Lisa Maree summer 2011 show in Australia from left to right: Jocelyn Street, Margareta Nasyully, Michelle Hunt, and Breeana Martin. The stylists are wearing Minx’s Tease Me Black and Silver. Photography by Tabitha Jones

Minx’s Silver Lightening stands out against this high-color design at a fashion show in Dubai on May 21. The event raised money for the Senses Residential School for special needs children. Photography by Sonette van Rensburg

For the last ensemble at the Mert Otsamo fall/winter show in Finland, Minx nail stylist Mirka Poikkeus created a layered look with a rendered set of MinxLusion nails embellished with crystals and delicate feathers taken from the final piece of the collection. Photography by Numi Nummelin

At London Fashion Week, hat maker and wig designer Charlie Le Mindu’s designs called for super-long nails to match the sky-high headpieces. The custom-made Minx nails are 5-cm. long in matte nude with a glossy blood red star at the bed and red on the free edge. Photography by Marian Newman

This model from the LG Fashion Show in Toronto is wearing an ensemble from Amanda Lee Kew’s fall 2011 line, and Minx’s “Longevity” from Minx Professional by Marian Newman. Photography by Karim Olen Ash

U.K. nail stylist Marian Newman created this new nail fashion in collaboration with Minx co-founders Janice Jordan and Dawn Lynch-Goodwin for Alexander McQueen’s autumn/winter 2011 line. Jordan named the design “Crystal Cave” for the way the icy crystals look embedded in silver. The look was achieved by applying a translucent top coat with black fading to silver applied over a flat silver base coat. Photography by Becky Maynes

At Rosemount Australian Fashion Week, Toni Maticevski used an assortment of pink polishes from Zoya, including Jolene, Sweet, and Flora, plus peach polishes Zanna and Piper.

Zoya manicurists polished fingertips and toes to create an ombre pink nail. This model is wearing a piece from Toni Maticevski’s fall 2011 line.

“My Fair Lady” was the theme of Sue Wong’s fall 2011 show, which took place at her private residence in Los Angeles. Wong wore China Glaze’s China Rouge topped off with Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat for a high-gloss shine to accentuate the delicate appliqué and intricate embroidery.

At the DSquared2 show in Milan, Gelish from Hand & Nail Harmony was used in the unique pieces from designer Antonio Sacripante. The soak-off gel polish was used in Red Roses for many of Sacripante’s models. Photography by Max Salani