The fashion world sharpens its nails

Chipped a nail on the way to work this morning? Consider yourself officially stylish. Chipped nail polish is becoming the height of cool – and is making its way on to the front row at the fashion shows.

Blame the glossies, if you like. Meeting fashion editors at Vogue and Elle this summer, Tibi designer Amy Smilovic noticed both had red polish artfully messed around the edge of the nail. Inspired, Smilovic had her own version done and posted the pictures on the Tibi Facebook page, sparking a hot debate. "It may not be for everyone but, knowing that a perfectly painted red nail doesn't fit my personality, I thought it was brilliant," says Smilovic. "It somehow screamed 'I'm put together, I love red, but really, who has the time?'"
The too-cool-to-care look is only one trend in the increasingly high-profile world of nail fashion. At his spring/summer 2011 show at London fashion week, Giles Deacon's models had smiley faces on their fingernails, while at Loewe they sported butterflies. Celebrities from Rihanna to Katy Perry (who recently took the questionable step of having her fiance Russell Brand rendered on every nail) and Alexa Chung (with those smiley faces on fingers and toes in Paris) are also fans.


Meanwhile, the Dalston-based self-proclaimed "Bad-ass nail salon", Wah Nails, is becoming increasingly influential, boasting a concession in Topshop, a pop-up in Harvey Nichols Dublin and space within Lily Allen's Lucy in Disguise shop in Selfridges. It was set up in 2009 by stylist Sharmadean Reid, who explains nails are a recession-friendly way "to display your identity to the world". Not a fan of the chipped-nail look, Reid tips "subtle touches of nail art such as a half moon or a simple gold stud" as the next trend. Bad-ass nails – chipped or otherwise – look set to continue.

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