Get Punk Couture Nails with Deborah Lippmann

The Met Gala -- the annual fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute -- has become known as essentially the Oscars of fashion. Don’t let this moniker confuse you, there are no actual awards given out at the Gala. Rather, the red carpet arrivals that precede the telecast-free charity event are the stage on which the fashion cognoscenti (and the fashion-adjacent D-list) strut their stuff.

The 2013 Met Gala was last night…I’m sure you’ve seen the pictures. This year’s theme was Punk: Chaos to Couture, derived from the theme of this year’s major Costume Institute exhibition. The exhibition, opening to the public on May 9, will examine punk’s impact on high fashion. Picture labels like Comme des Garcons, Junya Watanabe, Ann Demeulemeester, and Helmut Lang (otherwise known as my people).

So, back to the Gala. The revelers were pretty evenly split between those who attempted (sadly, I might add) the Punk look and those who just went with the Gala part, minus the Punk. Those who did try to bring the Punk went all out, sporting accoutrements like spiky hair (Miley Cyrus), Mohawk fascinators (Sarah Jessica Parker), and dress-gloves (Kim Kardashian). The theme carried all the way to the tips of their nails.

Enter manicurist to the stars Deborah Lippmann. She created Punk nail looks that were appropriately on-theme, but surprisingly wearable for us non-Gala people, using her namesake nail polish line. Check out the fun…

Olivia Wilde sported a fresh new take on the French manicure, pairing the stark white Amazing Grace with a thin black tip using Fade to Black.

→ Buy the Deborah Lippmann Nail Polish in Amazing Grace, $17.00, at neimanmarcus.com.


Sienna Miller also used Fade to Black, but fully across both her finger nails and toe nails. Stud accents completed the look.

→ Buy the Deborah Lippmann Nail Polish in Fade to Black, $17.00, at neimanmarcus.com.


Mary-Kate and Ashley, who opted for more of a couture fashion vibe without the Punk overtones, both opted for clean nails buffed with the Deborah Lippmann Smooth Operator Four-Way Nail Buffer. Emma Watson also went for a clean nail look using the pale pink shade Prelude to a Kiss.

→ Buy the Deborah Lippmann Nail Polish in Prelude to a Kiss, $17.00, at neimanmarcus.com.


Stacey Keibler wore the deep mulberry shade Bitches Brew, a favorite of mine for both the color and the fabulous name.

→ Buy the Deborah Lippmann Nail Polish in Bitches Brew, $17.00, at neimanmarcus.com.


Michelle Dockery decided on a super bold look with the chunky blue glitter of Lady Sings the Blues, topped with Gel Lab Top Coat.

→ Buy the Deborah Lippmann Nail Polish in Lady Sings the Blues, $19.00, at lippmanncollection.com.