During fashion month, it all comes down to the details on the runways—from the stitching on the hems to the designs on the nails. And while the clothes are often billed as the leads in the show, designer Jason Wu says the beauty moments are stars in their own right.
"It's a team: Hair, makeup, beauty, nails—all of it, every single detail, " Wu told InStyle backstage ahead of his Spring 2025 show. "Without them, the whole thing doesn't come together."
Wu and many other designers were very intentional about the nail looks for this season, collaborating with the best nail artists to amplify the story they shared through their designs.
Ahead, the nail artists of New York Fashion Week Spring 2025 share the inspiration and creative process behind these trend-setting looks.
Cut Outs
Out of every nail look I saw this Fashion Week, this is the one that stopped me in its tracks. “We don’t see a lot of cut-out nails on the runway or really in general,” says Julie Kandalec, a celebrity manicurist who created this look for Christian Cowan with CND. “So we wanted something that was totally memorable, unique, and a play on the star because the star is one of his big brand elements.”
Kandalec used an e-file to carve out the crescent-shaped hollow at the tip of gel nail extensions and then used CND’s Brisa Gel to adhere the star details. The look is so delicate that the models had to get dressed before putting them on. So, if you want to recreate a cut-out look for yourself, plan it for a low-maintenance special occasion.
Elevated Nudes
A simple nude polish will never go out of style, but recently, we’ve seen nude looks that go beyond just a swipe of polish. For Prabal Gurung, celebrity nail artist Gina Edwards created this smoked quartz look using the KISS Bare But Better Nails in style Nude Drama as a base and a blooming gel mixed with a creamy white polish. “A blooming gel allows any gel color to disperse,” Edwards tells InStyle. “Some of the polish is dispersed on the nail, and then on others, the color is a little more vibrant, but we still want to just keep soft.”
Long Square
The rigid, geometric lines of square nails have slowly made a comeback. Earlier this year, it was all about the short square. But this long look by nail artist Dawn Sterling for Off-White is proof that the square nail is back in full effect. Coated in a custom Bordeaux red, the look is sleek and sultry. “I am a square girl,” says Sterling. “I’m also from Brooklyn. I was just really inspired by how I feel and my clients feel when they have that fab fresh square set! I wanted the models to have that touch of realness in a very chic way. Square will always and forever be THAT GIRL! We will see a lot more squares this season.”
Creative Frenchies
The French manicure is classic for a reason—it’s a style that looks good on all nail lengths and shapes and can be customized for a more interesting look. For the alice + olivia presentation, nail artist Miss Pop created this floral French and the chrome French in the main image of this article.
Edwards says she'll never get tired of the French manicure. "There's something about the French," she says. "I [often] see people doing a different twist on it, and that's what it's about—taking something traditional and classic and making it different."