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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