Designer Tadashi Shoji played Chinese artist Wu Junyong’s The Flying Ark video prior to models slinking down the runway at his Spring/Summer 2017 collection. In it, a tiny, feathered crane pulls a tree brimming with animals away from a scorched earth—a visually arresting take on Noah’s Ark if ever there was one. The surreal art piece serves as the inspiration behind the collection, leaving the beauty team to translate it into a bold and unique—yet complementary—beauty look.
For the show’s nails, LVX Nail Lead Teresa King worked with Shoji to develop a unique, graphic, off-the-nail design. “We went back and forth between choosing a white, sheer pink or beige polish for the nails, but in the end we found that a sheer white—LVX Nail Polish in Fantom—was just so beautiful,” says King.
Then, she notes, the two talked about doing something striking: “Something that would pop when the models were going down the runway, that wouldn’t get lost in translation,” she explains. The result is a thin white, tribal-inspired line running from the bottom edge of the nail bed past the second knuckle. “We picked the three middle fingers because we want to make sure the lines are an eye catcher,” explains King. “Against the clothes, the white stripes are just absolutely beautiful.” —Rachel Kossman
Image credits: Rachel Kossman
Close up of the tribal-inspired design created by Teresa King using LVX lacquer in Fantom.
LVX manicurist applying the final touches before showtime.
Model poses backstage with the gorgeous manicure Teresa King created.
