Earlier this summer, we declared Essie Clambake the must-wear nail color. But sometimes, Clambake sells out (if only temporarily). And upcoming seasonal changes call for a wider array of possibilities. What better place to look for inspiration than the beauty routines of elegant, red-nail-sporting women? Here, a selection of our favorite Top Shelf'd women on the red nail colors they love; from hues of orange-reds to deep burgundies, OPI to Chanel, find your fall shade within:
Pili Restrepo
“I do my nails myself. I’m wearing Essie’s Clambake, which is the best color of summer! This, and that red Hourglass lipstick are amazing together. I’m a red nails girl. Red lip and red nails, or nothing at all.”
Haniya Riaz-Khan
“Lately I've been liking Big Apple Red from OPI. I can do a deep red but not a true red, I like a bit of an orange tone. It’s a bit more summery.”
Bonnie Wright
“There’s a shade by OPI called Malaga Wine that I’ve probably been wearing since I got my first pedicure”
Laura Myers
“In New York there’s always a nail salon open late but in London it’s more difficult. I always do short red nails, anyway... Today, I'm wearing Burberry Military Red.”
Suzanne Koller
“My feet don't look very nice now [Laughs] but I love a pedicure. I go to a place next to the office called Institut Carlota, on Avenue Hoche. A lot of people go, mostly older women, but it's really good. And kind of old-fashioned. I only use Chanel Le Vernis—I love Dragon. It's like the lips! I love to put red lips on girls, but I only put red on my feet.”
Bianca Balti
“But this winter I like the Chanel Rouge Noir kind of color. Super dark. Dramatic. That's the way Italian women are—a bit of shock, in some sense.”
Tamara Mellon
“I love long red nails, I’ve had them probably for the last two or three years. My favorites are Jin Soon in Coquette and Obsidian. I also like Deborah Lippmann Pump Up The Jam [ed. note: discontinued] and Dark Side of the Moon.”
Katherine Power
“Every week I wear the same Tom Ford red, Scarlet Chinois...I’ve probably done red pretty consistently for like the last three years. The Christian Louboutin is another good red. But the bottle is a little embarrassing unless you’re in Beverly Hills, they’re all like, ‘Oh, the Christian Louboutin one!’ But I get my nails done in the valley, and they’re scared of it.”
Maayan Zilberman
“I started wearing drugstore press-ons because that was a big thing back in the day. I order them in stiletto shapes and file them down, and then I paint them. This is my red— Orly Nail Lacquer in Haute Red.”
Eniko Mihalik
“Actually one of the best gifts that I’ve ever gotten was this Chanel nail polish, and it was a very, very beautiful red that they only had for one season, and I tried to get it but I couldn’t. And literally two years later, I was working the day before my birthday or something, and they used that color on my nails, and I told the manicurist, this is my favorite color, and what would I give if I could get it…And she’s like, ‘Yeah, but it’s discontinued. I’m sorry, I would give it if I can…’ And I’m like, that sucks. Somebody sneaked into the picture and said, ‘Oh, by the way Eniko, happy birthday!’ So at the end of the day she’s like, ‘You know what? It’s your birthday… here’s the nail polish.’ I was like, yes! Yes! My favorite nail polish ever, and it’s all mine!”
—as told to ITG
Feeling blue? Read here for the best blue shades to paint your fingers with.
