Chevrons and chain-mail nails at Gareth Pugh

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The models at Gareth Pugh’s fall 2010 show were modern-day femmes fatales dressed in hard-edged black leather and Art Deco-inspired chevron shapes repeating throughout most looks. To echo the collection’s theme, Marian Newman from Creative Nail Design shaped and painted nails in the same chevron pattern, using a color called Ivory Coast and several shades of black.

“The silhouette of the collection was angular with the occasional hint of softness, so I translated this onto many of the nails for the girls,” says Newman, who cut the nails diagonally so they formed a chevron point with the apex at the center of four fingers.

For an even more extreme look, Newman mixed in a chain-mail nail that mirrored a medieval detail from the clothing.

“I have long been fascinated with metal chains imitating the movement and feel of fabric,” Newman says. “To complement the draped chains of some of the pieces in the collection, miniature versions of the chains were applied to the chevron nails as an accessory.”

It’s a nail look that only the models in Pugh’s show and possibly Lady Gaga could pull off.

-- Melissa Magsaysay