CND and designer Johnson Hartig joined forces for a sixth season to create 17 intricate nail styles for the Libertine Fall/Winter 2017 runway. Inspired by the decorative and flamboyant style of Romanian gypsies and the glorious handwoven embroidery by Uzbekistani village women, the nails were expertly crafted to complete the fashion story.

“This is our sixth season collaborating with Johnson on the Libertine show, and we could not be more thrilled with the outcome,” said CND co-founder and style director Jan Arnold in a press release. “With mutual respect and creative trust at the foundation of this partnership, we’ve built a colorfully diverse world of our own, taking the raw beauty of hand-craftsmanship and translating it into something refined and precious for the nail.”

With guide from Arnold and CND creative lead Heather Davis, the CND Design Lab Team embraced the gypsy as an icon of freedom by upcycling, recycling and handcrafting a nomadic patchwork for nails.

The look was grounded with intricately hand-painted roses in vibrant shades of primary and secondary brights using Shellac or Vinylux. Roses were then “spot varnished” with Shellac Top Coat or left powdery-matte, while backgrounds were either liquid-lacquered with Brisa Gel or treated to replicate silk velvet.

The artists dressed nails with thread, beads, Swarovski crystals, feathers and yarn – creating everything from needlepoint embroidery to a modern shag Mohawk effect.

Some nails featured golden chains and even dangling fringe reminiscent of Rastafarian dreadlocks. In total, CND’s renowned artists put in over 400 combined hours to produce the decorative nail looks.

“Our artistic synergy with Libertine continues to evolve season after season,” Davis said in a press release. “We all know Johnson for his incredibly playful, yet ultimately sophisticated designs, which have inspired some of our most memorable nail artistry yet. This season, we’re taking it to the next level with rich multi-cultural prints and textures that transport you to another world. I’m so proud of the work we continue to do together.”

“CND’s nails are unlike anything else out there on the runway,” Hartig said in a press release. “Every season, I think we can’t take it any further, and then we do! They continue to blow my mind with their artistry again and again…it’s breathtaking.”



How will you translate the avant-garde nail art from runway to real way? Let us know in the comments below!
[Images: Courtesy of Getty Images for CND]