Hitting it on the nail

When you're so focused on what comes down the runways, you forget all about what goes into putting on the shows. Luckily Jennifer Altman, the talented photographer with whom I work in New York, loves to go behind the scenes, and this season she took notice of the manicurists who shape, buff, paint and remove polish all day long.  Creative Nail Design was responsible for the models' nails at 55 shows last week, using only three teams of three people. Can you imagine?

The company flies manicurists in from all over the country. At the Costello Tagliapietra show Friday night, the nail pros were from Nashville, TN, Harrisburg, PA and Englewood, NJ. They were chosen for their speed, proficiency, and their ability to work in tight places (like under tables).

With roughly 20 models per show, the manicurists paint about 200 nails at a clip. By the end of the week, they had painted 11,000 nails! Oh well, it was better than in the spring season they said, when sandals and open toed shoes take that figure up to 22,000.

(photos by Jennifer Altman / For The Times)