nail file

'The '80s were fabulous. The '90s sucked, and the '70s were just a sad, sad time in human history. Go 1980s! There's something that's just so cute about that time. And not just the yellow nail polish.'

Jennifer Sky.

jen brill's femme fatale red, peaches geldof's chipped black goth-nails, eva mendes' ice cool sparkly blue, dree hemingway's chanel mushroom polish, lauren conrad's rich purple, rihanna's neon yellow, gwyneth paltrow's steel grey and barbie pink.

I am a sucker for the nail polish. Seriously. Ever since i got out of school (where it was no nail polish, all the time), i haven't been seen with unpainted fingers. At the beginning of the year it was the ruby reds, dark bluey-blacks and rich purples of a vampy phase. Now i've moved wholeheartedly into corals, peachy pinks and jade greens - somewhat out of tune with the cool weather of spring, but completely in tune with fashion right now. Oh yeah.

This year has seen nail polish become a huge deal. We've witnessed crowds storming Selfridges in London and Myer in Sydney for Chanel's Jade polish (at a hefty $50AUD no less, i ask you). We've seen nail guru Sophy Robson have the best newcomer catwalk season in years, all from backstage of course, whipping up nail creations for Vivienne Westwood, Louis Vuitton and Alexander McQueen. I've read countless articles dissecting why nail polish has become so big, and not really reaching any clear, understandable conclusion.

For me it's pretty clear. Nail polish is the new lipstick.

You know, in recessions and depressions and anything sad, sales of lipstick spiked. the 1930s? L'oreal released 4 new shades of red lipstick. World War II? Women went without lunch so that they could afford a new stick. And now? Well, I suppose it's a sign of not only what is important for women today, but also the cross-section of society hit by the depression - the youth, with their penchant for colourful polish on their fingers, are also searching out a similar 'pick me up' to the lipstick, in these times. And for them, that is nailpolish.

With the exception of Chanel, who in my experience make incredible colours that chip like nobody's business, nailpolish is cheaper than a lipstick. And it does give you that instant boost and fashion cred that you get from a new hairdo or a new pair of shoes. Having that 'it' shade (i can't believe i just wrote that) on your fingers guarantees you subcultural capital for years. I can't count on both my hands the amount of people who have stopped me when I'm wearing Sportsgirl's Jade rip off 'Apple' and told me how much they loved it, and then asked if it was chanel. When i tell them that it's not, it's from Sportsgirl, one girl told me to tell people it's Chanel, just for kicks. Just as how, once, having Nars 'Laguna' bronzer was a sign of being in the beauty know, and carrying a Chloe paddington around in the crook of your arm guaranteed you a sense of sartorial entitlement, now it's up to your nails to do the talking, as it were.

People notice nail colour as you reach for a drink or twirl your pen around through sheer boredom in a lecture. A friend of mine was intrigued by the dark brown/grey colour of O.P.I's 'you don't know jacques' that i've taken to wearing on and off for the past couple of weeks. 'What colour is that, anyhow?' She asked me. I don't really know. In different light it looks like different colours. I painted it on because it reminded me of the gorgeous shade of creamy brown that the models wore at the Chanel SS 10 Paris show. Another friend of mine loves the rich pink I wear on my toes, another sportsgirl find (dirt cheap, never chips, and the colours are fantastic). She says it reminds her of the dress she wore to her 10th birthday party, all flamenco ruffles and frou.

For me it's got a little bit more imaginative permanence than a lipstick, or perfume. A good manicure can last 2 weeks, and even if you do your own nails (as i do, sans base and top coat, i'm incredibly impatient), retouching them means the colour can last for days. What lipstick or perfume can boast that? They are also as interchangeable as a lipstick or perfume. You can wipe the nailpolish off and start again, as I have done with 3 different colours in 3 days. Nail polish is adaptable to your moods. But it can also play off them, and add to them.

I love that scene in one of the earliest episode of Gilmore Girls where Lorelai varnishes Rory's toes a sinful lolita red because 'everyone knows private school girls are bad, and bad girls wear red nail polish'. A friend of mine without a sinful bone in her body wears the vampiest shade of black/red (chanel rouge noir, of course) on her toes, and the effect is incredible.

I suppose it's just more youthful than lipstick. Don't get me wrong, i love lipstick as much as the next girl, but a hit of shocking orange fizz, or a set of emerald green nails paired with a scrubbed clean with soap freshness and pulled back hair... perfect. It's the best aesthetic for now, where tricks come cheap and everyone knows it. The best way to update a look isn't to whack a great hunk of jewellery with it, or sew some crazy buttons on the hem, but to paint your nails a colour that contrasts and complements your outfit. Instant fashion kudos.

What are the best nail polish colours for now? a mushroom grey colour is perfect for you northern hemispherers heading into winter. I also still love the minty green of Chanel's Jade (and any rip offs therein) for summer, and sipping ice tea in a fragrant garden. A friend of mine got a manicure with the most incredible shade of pink, it was dusky, a mix of pink and grey, subdued, like an antique dress you find in an attic covered in dust, but still resplendent as ever. And for a bit of old-school glamour you can't go wrong with a purple/red that's rich, vampy and just a little bit bad.




Alexa Chung, ever the style barometer, has shown that nail polish is just as lust-worthy as acne uber-wedges. well, almost as lust-worthy. Her fashion spot thread lights up whenever she wears a particularly cool shade, that is, all the time. She's my original inspiration for sea-green nails, and her candy floss pink, coral reds, tangerines, purples and blues are all perfect as well.

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jade-y lady.

It seems like no other colour at the moment captures the zeitgeist quite like Jade. From the milkiest of mossy greens to the richest of deep emeralds Jade has taken over our collective imaginations and, she's not likely to let go any time soon. She's a soft angora sweater from acne, she's an heirloom bracelet from your grandmother, she's the most covetous nail polish colour of the moment...

I didn't need much convincing to fall in love with Jade, mostly because I'm part Chinese. We have jade adoration in our blood, from the very first time you get a Jade amulet slipped round your neck at birth. And though that might seem worlds away from a hip young thing DJ-ing with Chanel's jade nailpolish on her fingers, a mere whiff of the colour is enough to turn me green with envy, if you'll pardon the terrible pun.

Why jade, and why now? Isn't it a little insensitive to use the colour green so much, typically signifying jealousy, when we are in a time of economic recession? Don't read so much into it, the fashion world is sighing as they go jade-crazy. Sometimes a spade is only ever a spade (or jade is only ever jade? har har). Karl Lagerfeld acknowledged after the Chanel FW 09 show that green is first and foremost, before Shakespeare came along and changed it all, the colour of peace. And peace is always a nice message to have, isn't it? Specifically jade green holds a powerful position in China where it is worn by men and women, young and old, because of its healing and restorative powers. Different jade amulets will serve different purposes, but the ultimate power of jade lies in its ability to calm down its wearer. I can attest to this. The jade bracelet that I have worn (on and off, my catholic girl's school had strict uniform policies) for the past 5 years is wonderfully cool against the skin, even in summer heat, even in the sticky humidity of hong kong.

Its milky consistency, that pastel green veering so close to cloudy white in some parts, is so arrestingly beautiful, like a garden just after it's rained. It's steadfastly organic, so often nowadays we sacrifice good quality materials for the cheap because of price and end up with synthetic metal jewelry. It's refreshingly old-school, a family heirloom given to me as a coming of age present by my grandmother I can be assured of its individuality - and even if it wasn't individual and a thousand other bracelets like it existed on girls just like me in china, it's never going to be 'just another bracelet' because of the memories it carries. And it is bang on trend. After flicking through the October magazines and their 'ode to Jade' I went straight home, dug it out of my jewelry box and slipped it back onto my arm.

In the fantastic article by Robert Sullivan in October's Vogue US he quotes Roberto Marroni, a jade jeweller in saying 'Jade is a kind of very noble stone, very imperial - and it works very well with a strong woman.' He's not kidding. The girls best able to work the Jade trend are those who wear it with a knowing smile and a glint in their eyes. They are the girls who aren't delicate little creatures but strong and steely women with a story to tell and a purpose to fulfill. She's Kate Moss, the only woman alive who can pull off a skintight satin jumpsuit literally dripping in Chanel Jade Jewelry mere hours after it appeared on the runway (and no, I'm not jealous at all). She's Alexa Chung, her nails a cool jade green, spinning disks at a fashion week party and downing bourbon and apple juice by the bottle. She's Emily Didato, in a cut out frock and super high heels flashing a smile that could charm a crocodile. She's the girl that we see, and then run out to the high street scouring for clothes to emulate her. Not that I would know from personal experience or anything...



grazia uk, tfs, celebcity

Chanel's Fall/Winter 09 collection featuring skillful interpretation of the house's great classics - the skirt suit in boucle, the tweed, the shift dresses and flirty french silhouettes - was punctured here and there by glorious shots of Jade green. Sometimes it was an all out outfit, like Jessica Stam's glorious melange of jade green bustier, silky pants, scarf and hat, or sometimes it was the merest whisper of the colour in a jauntily placed hat or swinging pendant. And all of the model's nails were painted that stunning jade green, a colour oft imitated now, and in stores on limimted release. In Sydney it was available only at the Myer department store where there was a waiting list (yes, a waiting list, you read that right). Surely this is the first time a nail polish colour has causes this much frenzy?

The collection itself was a marvel in restraint. Chanel is what Chanel is, no-one expects Lagerfeld to send out futuristic designs or crazed embellishing, but in the realms of theatrical clothes and staying true to the legacy of a fashion house no other designer comes close. Although Chanel was notoriously averse to colour you could almost picture her lounging on the Lido in Venice in one of these creations, perhaps the pleated silk pants paired with a striped breton top. Save the Jade extravaganza for a Sofia Coppola heroine with creamy skin and tumbling yellow locks - all that green would simply enhance her youth, not detract from it, no matter the matronly cut or fabric. Let her cavort around Versailles or through a karaoke club in Tokyo in Jade.





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But jade isn't always about a full on approach. Most of the time, just like a signature scent or love at first sight, all you need is a touch. Taking cues from ancient gallic wisdom - less is more, an even less is sexy - jade, as directed by Lagerfeld at Chanel, became the accent to an outfit, that little kick of a heel at the end of a kiss, the last slick of lipstick before you head out the door, the way a girl taps her cigarettes on the lid of the packet before she slips them into her mouth. Conjuring up a decadent art-deco world where the women loved jade because it reminded them of opium, the jewelry at Chanel f/w 09 was incredibly beautiful. Circular motifs of jade and diamantes, lacquered cuffs with built up squares of jade and resin, interlocking circular pendants and even a wide jade insert into the heel of a perfect satin shoe - these accessories were glorious in their artistry, historical resonance and overwhelming simplicity. Piled on like Moss or worn as a standalone piece they make a bold statement to all who are watching. Envy me. Perhaps it all that history, but whenever I wear Jade i do feel a little bit regal. A princess, but not one who lives in a gilded cage, one who rules her country with a firm but loving (jade bedecked) hand, noblesse oblige.





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One of my best friends flashed her nails at me recently and they were adorned with jade green polish. With her vibrant red hair and her killer fashion sense she looked every bit as jade-y as any bright young thing on the social circuit. Her look was practically screaming out for a street style photographer to snap away. As I head into the city in search of August's vogue paris (late air freighting is a pet peeve of mine) my advice is this - wear it sparingly and wear it well. Jade is a colour for cool, calm and collected queens. Let that woman be you!

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