The new season nail trends to know for AW20

 Nail the AW20 nail trends with this guide to the season’s standout styles

Make waves with Simone Rocha’s ocean-inspired crystal nails, dip your fingers in gold as seen at Marni and Preen, and it’s never too soon for deep berry tones. This season is all about the details, and the nail trends are next level.

Backstage beauty at Mugler

UNIQUE SHAPES

Forget what you know about nail shapes of the past and look to the future, specifically, the modern shapes seen on nails backstage at Halpern, Ashish and GCDS, where shapes were more angular talon than nail. As for the truly out-of-this-world, look to Mugler, where nail artist Sylvie Macmillan created ball-bearing surprise nails using BB gun pellets on the underside of the nail. Make that more practical by painting the underside of your nail; it’s the nail equivalent of a red sole.

Backstage beauty at Halpern

Backstage beauty at Simone Rocha

ALL THAT GLITTERS

At Simone Rocha, nail artist Ama Quashie created a crystal wave of Swaroskvi diamonds that was somehow both minimalist and maximalist. “Simone’s show this season was about life and loss, creation, and it’s destruction both in the human experience and the sea. We used this to create a gradient wave on the nails to reflect this,” says Quashie.

Backstage beauty at Simone Rocha

For those in search of the even less practical, metallics and glitter melted off the nails and down onto the fingertips at Preen and Marni, with gold leaf fingers on ears, foreheads, cheeks and on crystal-tipped nails by Marian Newman at Preen, and glitter speckled on foreheads and fingertips at Marni.

Backstage beauty at Preen

Backstage beauty at Marni

Backstage beauty at Chromat

OTT

Go extra with your nail art and make waves with minimal line drawings, as seen at Chromat and Rag and Bone, or go dotty for Rixo’s monochrome polka dots. This requires a steady hand, so screenshot this for to your nail technician.

Backstage beauty at Rixo

Backstage beauty at Rodarte

RUBY RED

If as soon as September 1 hits you ditch your neons in search of something vinaceous, look to Rodarte, Matty Bovan and Oscar De La Renta for chic, polished and deep burgundy inspiration that’s always in style.

Backstage beauty at Oscar De La Renta

Earthy tones at Charlotte Knowles

EARTHY TONES

What do you pair with the Charlotte Knowles beauty look that make-up artist Isamaya Ffrench calls ‘Futuristic Cowgirl?’ “I’ve used quite earthy tones,” said Lauren Michelle Pires, the manicurist known for her incredibly intricate and bespoke nails. “There’s a cocoa, a yellow, a khaki green, a camel and a taupe colour. We’ve made a gradient effect, with a really sharp angular cut that creates a triangle shape. The vibe is quite futuristic so we wanted to play with the shapes and angles of the nails to try and express that.”

Photography by Jason Lloyd Evans.

Read more: How does the new Cerave Hydrating cleanser hold up to the original?

Read more: The best new beauty launches spotted backstage at fashion week

Read more: How to repair a damaged skin barrier, which could be the root of your skin issues