Whether a little bit glam or a little bit goth, dark winter nail colours are always a striking signal of the season. Some match their dusk-by-five surroundings with a navy blue or a vampy bordeaux, while others reflect a certain attitude or emotional expression. For example, a vinyl midnight manicure is a timeless classic in the fashion and music worlds.
“I started doing my own nails and wearing black and dark blue nails when I was 12 years old,” says Desire frontwoman Megan Louise, who we caught stepping off a flight from Paris after DJing Chanel’s store reopening on Saint Honoré this week. At the time, her mother disapproved and now, “I still think it makes me feel a bit rebellious going on 37,” says Louise. “The dark nail is your little black dress, after all.”
She’s worn Chanel Le Vernis in Rhythm, a celestial blue, for as long as she can remember, and an Hermès polish in Brun Bistre that hasn’t left her mind since she stumbled on it during her European tour. “My Berlin friend Ava Vegas had it on her coffee table, and I just had to try it — the brown metallic colour looks really lush and rich, the perfect combo for a moody winter look.”
For nail artist Holly Falcone, who keyed NYFW shows for Sandy Liang, Batsheva and Susan Alexandra this season, the look is a fashion staple. “A dark nail is like a great leather accessory,” says Falcone. “It’s especially chic in the winter and translates through all the different holidays and events winter can bring.”
Then, there are the optical tricks that dark nails perform. According to New York City editorial pro Jin Soon Choi, cold weather has the potential to “render skin tones toward the cool side of the light spectrum, but some unexpected hues can enhance and bring out your skin’s natural warmth,” she says, frequenting Dior Vernis Nail Lacquer in Nuit, a deep red, and her own Absolute Black polish for the season.
“Darker colours are also always flattering to every nail shape, short or long,” says nail artist Sonya Belakhlef, who works with clients like Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michaela Jae Rodriguez and Natasha Lyonne. They point to the darkwave, Matrix-centric and emo revival moments happening on runways and red carpets as a proof that it’s more than a seasonal shift. “Fashion is getting ‘edgier’ so dark nails have been in,” says Belakhlef. “But it’s easy to justify it in the winter!”
