With the wrap of New York and London Fashion Weeks, and Milan and Paris showcases still to come, the nailistas, especially those behind the scenes at Creative Nail Design (CND), are providing a glimpse into what’s hot in nails this fall, winter, and spring. A breakdown for nail techs:

Color
The best nail techs are no longer settling for the basic color palette of reds, corals, and pinks. They’re customizing colors, sometimes to match fabrics, accessories, or even lipstick.

Nail colors are more extreme this season, with fashionistas wearing anything from gray to beige to black. After all, gray is the new neutral. Lighter or cooler skin tones look best in pale, cool shades of gray, while darker or warmer skin tones can handle extra richness with warmer shades of gray.

Nails are deliciously dark and metallic, appearing in hues of gold, silver, burgundy, and sapphire blue. Brown has been declared the polish for fall — think warm, yummy chocolate. Ultimately, rich, dark color is the way to go. For clients who are a bit more traditional but still want to keep a finger on the pulse of fashion, steer them toward the richest reds and burgundies.

Texture
Texture is another defining element of this season’s nails. Creamy lattes, dove-soft grays, cloudy pastels, and gritty, sooty, grainy blacks are all the rage.

Since huge, faux jewels are replacing the “it” bag as the accessory to covet, gem-crusted nails are taking the runways by storm. Sapphires, emeralds, amethysts, and rubies are bejeweling the hottest nails of the season.

Shape
Fall and winter are bringing the longest, darkest nails of the year. Shapes are dramatic and extreme, extending the short square nail to a longer soft almond (this is where tips come in!).

For clients who are reluctant to show a little more length, be sure to mention the almond shape’s lengthening effect on hands, making short, chubby fingers look longer, leaner, and more natural. Plus, this shape is stronger and can actually absorb more impact when filed correctly.

Want to be on the frontlines of global fashion? Start by becoming a licensed nail technician, then take the nail trends from the catwalk to your chair.

-Robyn Tellefsen

Tags: fashion week, nail tech, nail technician, nail trends

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 24th, 2008 at 8:40 am and is filed under Beauty . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.