I haven't looked back after giving up gel manicures a year ago. While I love the look of preened hands, and the creative side of nail art, bi-weekly salon appointments were setting me back hours each week and hundreds of pounds a month. As it turns out, I'm not alone.
Thick, glossy French manicures held a certain cachet just a few years ago—not unlike small designer goods (and often just as expensive). Recently, however, I’ve noticed a shift towards bare nails, which was echoed on the runway this season. At Marc Jacobs Fall/Winter 2026 show, nail tech Jin Soon Choi groomed models’ nails to within an inch of their lives, completely sans gel or polish. Similarly, designer Joseph Altuzarra requested no visible colour—instead, nail lead Erica De Los Santos used sheer polishes matched to each model’s skin undertone.
