FASHION Magazine

Sometimes the colours in a nail polish collection are so perfect together that it’s hard to pick just one to use in a manicure. (A #firstworldproblem that’s also common when shopping for clothes—it’s much more satisfying to buy the whole look, not one standalone item!) While each shade from the upcoming Thakoon for Nars nail collaboration (available May 1) stands out on its own, together they encapsulate the vibrancy of Thakoon’s Spring 2012 collection. They also share a source of inspiration: Indian spice markets influenced the highly saturated colours, which range from cyan blue to orchid purple. As for Nail Corner’s inspiration, this design was all about bringing Thakoon’s cowboy-meets-Bollywood prints to life.

Read on and see our Thakoon manicure! »

From bags appliquéd with retro car motifs to regal adornments fit for a queen, Prada’s Spring 2012 accessories were certainly drool-worthy. Within the covet-worthy collection, these exquisite floral embellished crystal drop-earrings made our must-have list at first sight. But we opted out of the $540 price tag, and instead decided to make our own wallet-happy version. Learn how to replicate these stunners in three simple steps (easy enough for even the very amateurish of crafters). All you need is 20 minutes and a few inexpensive items.

Let’s DIY! »

Find out how to get the look! »

At Miu Miu’s Spring 2012 show, the models’ faces were left mostly bare, save for a brazen swipe of red across each eye. Bright and severe, the look was a striking accompaniment to the collection’s fairly neutral palette. If you’re bold enough to try it, red is fabulous! So rather than tone down the colour to something more muted, I decided to use a bright, primary red, but soften it by adding both deeper and lighter colours around the edges.

We’re total Phoebe Philo-philes at FASHION. We covet anything and everything Céline. This button-up has been on our wish lists since its pre-Fall 2011 debut. It ticks all the necessary boxes (collars and colour-blocking) and is just statement-worthy enough to make any outfit interesting. Since we’d rather not enter the eBay void of fighting for the last few versions of this shirt that may exist, we decided to create our own!

Let’s DIY! »

By Ilmie Dharmaratna and Nicola St George-Hyslop

Welcome to our new DIY series! Each week, our interns will be recreating some of the best runway looks and most covetable items with step-by-step instructions (and some excellent photo documentation, to boot). And we’re not talking your average tie-dye, but rather, we’re going high-end with pieces from Céline, Prada and Cushnie et Ochs coming down the pipe.

Craftophobes need not panic—aside from some rudimentary sewing skills, the gals on our team have no training. Plus, we’re using household items to create these looks—think nail files and tweezers—so if we can do it, you most definitely can.

Let’s DIY! »

This week’s Nail Corner steals inspiration straight from the pages of our Spring trend report: a delightful mixed-prints look from Carven’s Spring 2012 collection. The bright-pink and lime-meets-chartreuse chevron pattern has a hand-woven quality to it, with soft lines and organic shapes. When translated to a manicure, the prints vary on each nail, allowing them to mix across each finger.

Check out the mixed prints mani! »

Floral prints were in full bloom in our spring trend report and given that we seem to be experiencing the balmiest March weather on record, a floral manicure was a natural choice for this week’s Nail Corner. From Marni and Mary Katrantzou to Erdem and Prabal Gurung, flowers were bright and best done in matchy-matchy all-over arrangements. And, because we’re right in the middle of Toronto Fashion Week, it seemed appropriate to seek inspiration from one of our favourite TFW Spring 2012 shows: Denis Gagnon.

Read on and feel the flower power! »

A few hours after the Erdem show ended on Monday, pictures of the lacy, camouflage-esque floral print started popping up across Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest. It’s always interesting to see which elements of a collection achieve viral (for lack of a better word) status on social media sites and go on to become ubiquitous within months—Miu Miu’s swallows, anyone? So, in effort to start canonizing Erdem’s vibrant print, I took the Fall 2012 design to my nails.

See the Erdem manicure! »

It took less than a split second for me to fall in love with the manicures at Rachel Antonoff’s Fall 2012 presentation. CND tweeted a close-up of the design—which was created to mimic the printed flowers found throughout the collection—and I was hooked. It looks like a cross between a hibiscus and a lotus: wide petals that extend up from the moon of your nail and into a bright-red background. And once you sort out what colours to use it’s an extremely fun design to paint.

See the Rachel Antonoff floral moon mani! »

There’s nothing better than a holiday to inspire a great manicure—and for us, Valentine’s Day sits at the top of the list. After all, pink and red are the most popular polish colours available. From tiny hearts to handwritten love letters, we have five manicures to share that are sure to, at the very least, inspire a night in with your true love: nail polish.

Let’s get romantic! See the manicures »

Yes, technically a quatrefoil is a four-lobed shape—picture the Gothic clovers seen in Van Cleef & Arpels jewellery—and there are only three scalloped lobes in this nail design. However, it still evokes the shapes and lines of a repeating quatrefoil pattern (like you would see in latticework or on wallpaper) and besides, artistic liberties are wonderful things! By painting the quatrefoil design on top of a metallic polish, it gives this manicure a great deal of depth, as well as a sparkly finish. And maybe it also looks like clouds?

Learn how to do this quatrefoil design! »

This week on Nail Corner, we feature two designs that make clever use of manicure guide stickers—a half-moon mani and a tone-on-tone diagonal stripe. Both are even easier to do in person than they look. Plus, for those with a steady hand and playful mind, we present a festive birthday cupcake manicure. Like what you see? Want to share your own nail art? Join us on Facebook or Twitter!

Check out our manicures! »