If you’ve got your Autumn/Winter 2017 eye makeup looks down, the next step is your nails. Here are some creative ideas from the catwalks for cheering up those fingertips.

Vintage

As seen at Novis and Jenny Packham

Novis’ manicurist Alicia Torello wittily described this look as “Your boyfriend’s grandma’s vintage couch.” Her take on it was vintage floral, but using black and strong primary colors as opposed to pastels. It’s kind of like color blocking just with a gentle curved line separating the hues. Jenny Packham, on the other hand, stuck to gun-metal grey, dove grey and nude for a more “faded” retro effect.

Novis nail art

WHERE TO TRY IT: The award-winning nail artists at Joli Nails can do pretty much anything you ask for (we once watched them paint a perfect replica of someone’s cat onto a nail). So we have to believe they won’t bat an eyelash if you go in asking for “my boyfriend’s grandma’s vintage couch.” For contact info, see our Concierge listing.

Moody Hues

As seen at Marc Jacobs and Plein

Winter generally makes us want to curl up and cover up, and the colors we gravitate towards during this season reflect the mood. Go for black, gold, chocolate or maroon as your base colors and then choose just a hint of a doodle or sparkle on top of that in white or silver (we don’t want to be all doom and gloom).

Marc Jacobs nails

WHERE TO TRY IT: Inspired by Parisian aesthetics, Sugar Nails opened in Hiroo last year and offers an extensive catalogue for all tastes. A quick scroll through their Instagram feed (www.instagram.com/sugarnailstokyo) will give you a good idea of their relatively understated embellishments. For contact info, see our Concierge listing.

Negative Space

As seen at Prabal Gurun and Tracy Reese

Half-moons, diagonal lines, or just the pointer finger painted in red are all options for creating a modern-art look that’s part color and part natural nail. Ideal for those who want to try something different but still maintain subtlety. Winter accent colors include grey, red, brown, black and navy.

Prabal Gurun nails

WHERE TO TRY IT: Elana Jade in Azabu-Juban offers a variety of manicure options, but they never go overboard on the patterns and colors, achieving the perfect balance between artsy and elegant. For contact info, see our Concierge listing.

Bold Embellishments

As seen at Libertine and The Blonds

Adorning fingertips with preposterous 3D art is nothing new for Tokyo, but now you’ve got the go ahead from worldwide designers to let loose on embellishments. Chains, threads, beads, feathers, even tassels hanging off the end of your nails.

Libertine nails

WHERE TO TRY IT: Tru Nails in Shibuya is known for offering unique and OMG OTT nail art. What can we say, you only live once. For contact info, see our Concierge listing.


Illustration by Bunny Bissoux