Fashion Week
NYFW's Nail Trends Go From Barely There To Completely Bizarre
Featuring feathered extensions, satin finishes, and more.
With Labor Day in the rearview, you might be squeezing in one last summer manicure — or already thinking about fall nail colors. But New York Fashion Week just delivered a whole new batch of inspiration to the mix, offering a first glimpse at what everyone will be wearing on their fingertips next spring.
The biggest takeaways? Coquette isn’t bowing out anytime soon. Purple is trading pastel for something more vibrant. Stripes are fair game, whether you prefer preppy or animal print. And if feathers and hair extensions are any indication, over-the-top nail art is back on the table.
Of course, there’s plenty of inspiration for minimalists, too. At Calvin Klein and Michael Kors, naked nails made the case for manicures that barely look like manicures at all, while 7 For All Mankind proved cherry red might as well be considered a neutral at this point. In other words, whether you want a manicure that can simply complement your clothes or become the whole outfit itself, the runways have you covered.
Ahead, the biggest nail trends from the NYFW Spring/Summer 2027 shows worth bookmarking for next year.
1. Striped Sets
Manicures earned their stripes at NYFW, literally. At Alice + Olivia, celebrity manicurist Pattie Yankee created an alternating red-and-baby-blue set that came with a matching striped tie. Meanwhile, models at Sergio Hudson went a little wilder with metallic cat-eye zebra manicures. Different approaches, same idea: nails that are impossible to ignore.
2. Sunglass Nails
For her first runway show in nearly a decade, Diane von Furstenberg came in hot, with models decked out in funky patterns and electric colors from head to toe — complemented with the new accessory du jour: “sunglass manicures.” Done by celebrity manicurist Miss Pop using Essie’s Special Effects line, the sheer, pearlescent shades caught the light much like a pair of tinted lenses, putting a shiny new spin on the glass nail trend.
3. Pops Of Purple
Forget pastels — purple is getting punchier this spring. At MONSE, celebrity manicurist Pattie Yankee pulled from the collection’s floral inspiration with vibrant violet manicures, courtesy of Dazzle Dry’s Epiphany. Christian Cowan took the color in a vampier direction, with manicurist Gina Edwards layering graphic black lines over purple cat-eye press-ons from KISS.
4. Bow Accents
Look past the ribbons and ruffles at LoveShackFancy and you’ll find one more girly detail in the mix. Using Salon Perfect’s Milky Rose, manicurist Miss Pop topped milky-white nails with sheer pink bows, tying the whole whimsical look together.
5. Satin Finishes
Another way to dip your toes into the coquette aesthetic? Take a cue from Sandy Liang and Anna Sui, where pearlescent manicures had the same light-catching sheen as satin ribbon. At Sandy Liang, nail artist Holly Falcone, co-founder and creative director of Celisse Nails, looked to the satins and moiré textures of Versailles for the sporty-princess manis, using lustrous blues, whites, and pinks. It’s a subtler take on bow mania — no nail art required.
6. Off-Kilter Extensions
The clothes may be the main event at NYFW, but every so often, a manicure can’t help but steal the show. Case in point: the wonderfully bizarre nail extensions at Kim Shui and Showpony, where feathers and long strands of hair transformed extra length into surrealist art. As for how wearable they are off the runway? Well, the jury’s still out on that one.
7. Naked Nails
On the opposite end of the spectrum from avant-garde extensions are naked nails — aka natural manicures that look glossy, healthy, and freshly groomed. That was the approach at Calvin Klein, where celebrity manicurist Jin Soon Choi skipped color entirely, instead buffing models’ nails to a smooth shine. A similarly stripped-back manicure appeared at Michael Kors, though with a glossier finish courtesy of JINsoon HyperRepair and HyperGloss.
8. Cherry Red Manis
Red nails are a classic for a reason: They go with just about everything. At 7 For All Mankind, cherry red polish looked right at home alongside low-slung jeans, aviator sunglasses, skinny scarves, and all the trappings of indie sleaze. Consider it one more reason to keep the color in rotation.
