Animal print, pearls & 3 other nail trends at New York Fashion Week AW25

Fashion month is well underway, and kicked off with New York Fashion Week.

Offering an insight into clothing styles set to dominate the autumn/winter 2025 season, the event also showcased stunning nail styles – and we spotted five trends to note…

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Animal print

According to the New York runways, animal print isn’t going anywhere. At the Kim Shui show, Coca Michelle created a number of nail looks using OPI GelColor – including 3D crocodile print and snake print styles. On Instagram, the nail artist shared that OPI GelColor Base Coat was applied and not cured for both looks. For the croc print, GelColor in Cliffsize Karaoke was used to paint scales, with GelColor in Brown to Earth adding definition, then repeated layers of OPI GelColor No-Wipe Top Coat produced a 3D effect. For the snake design, Brown to Earth was used for scales and GelColor in Black Onyx for dots and outlines.

On the Tia Adeola catwalk, models sported stiletto animal print nails courtesy of Yukie Natori New York Salon & Spa, which used Kokoist. On Instagram, the business shared that the nails ‘blend Renaissance elegance with a contemporary edge’. “Hand-painted zebra and leopard prints embrace 2025’s animal print trend, while pearls and gold snake accents add royal opulence,” writes the salon.

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Earth tones

Earthy shades are an autumn/winter staple and added warmth and definition to New York Fashion Week looks. After a five-year break, designer, Christopher John Rogers, returned to NYFW and enlisted the help of team JINSoon. He personally selected rich brown shades, Risque, Earth Clay and Toff, from the nail lacquer brand to match his chic fashion collection.

Naomi Yasuda was behind nail styles for the Diotima runway and used a range of warm red tones on natural nails, as full colour overlays and for nail art accents. The styles, which used Addiction Tokyo nail polishes, complemented model’s rosy make-up looks.

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Fabulous feathers

Feathers on nails? That’s right – and looking at New York Fashion Week, it could trend for AW25. On the Christian Cowan catwalk, models sported feather quill nails courtesy of Julie Kandalec. “I was thrilled to collaborate with Julie on these nails, seamlessly blending our signature polka dots and seasonal feather details,” comments Christian Cowan. After adding colour to nails using CND Shellac™ in Powder My Nose, the esteemed nail artist flipped each index nail over, applied a thin coat of hard gel onto the belly of the tip, held the feather in place then cured. Top coat was applied over the hard gel.

Luar’s fashion showcases are known for their extravagant nail and beauty looks, and this New York Fashion Week didn’t disappoint. Naomi Yasuda used OPI to create a statement feather nail style for models. The three-inch, square nails had bases of OPI Nail Lacquer in Black Onyx or Alpine Snow, or Infinite Shine Lacquer in Livin’ La Vida Mocha, before colour-matched feathers and crystals completed the designs.

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Pearly finishes

There’s no denying that a pearly nail look is oh-so elegant, and the style is set to be big for autumn/winter 2025. Using the Addiction Tokyo brand, Naomi Yasuda created ‘dripping blood red and pearls’ designs for the Meruert Tolegen runway. Dainty pearls framed the top of models’ nails, either on feature nails or all fingers, for a sophisticated appearance.

Coca Michelle also fashioned a pearlescent look for the Kim Shui showcase, using OPI GelColor shades. Via Instagram, the nail stylist revealed that a base of opulent white GelColor hue, Kyoto Pearl, was applied to stiletto tips. The Kim Shui logo was created on thumbnails, painted using OPI GelColor in Black Onyx, with white highlights of GelColor in Alpine Snow.

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XL nails

Long nails have been having a moment recently, and this looks set to continue into the latter part of the year. At The Blonds’ show, extreme stiletto nail shapes were adorned with lace print and embellishments thanks to CND™. “Forget subtlety – we’re piling on the diamonds with unmatched flash and flair, pushing nail length to new heights of power,” shares Jan Arnold, co-founder of CND™. “We used an array of CND Shellac™ colours, including Uncovered, Black Pool, Bouquet, Aura and Battle Royale; dazzling stones were encased in CND™ PLEXIGEL Shaper and length was achieved using CND™ PLEXIGEL Builder.”

At the Thom Browne show, long stiletto tips in shades from bold red, orange and yellow to baby pink, blue and deep green captured attention on models’ fingernails. Nail polish brand, PRITI NYC, created the looks using its vegan formula, complementing multi-coloured hairstyles, patterned outfits and extreme length, colourful eyelashes.