When it comes to big fashion week looks, the theatrics of hair and makeup (and of course, the clothes) can be so great that it’s easy to forget that each and every model will be getting a carefully-designed, unique-to-the-show manicure to compliment the look, and that this is where nail trends are cooked up. Nail art? Started on the runway. Nail gems? Started on the runway. Nude nails? You bet that started on the runway.

Speaking of those nude nails, fashion often gets a bad rap for overusing beiges and taupes. While we understand that designers don’t want to take focus away from their clothes, a request for a nude polish isn’t a death sentence for new nail trend. Just look at how the manicurists backstage mix up new quasi-pastel shades to accentuate the clothes, rather than fade into the background. And of course, it’s these more wearable shades that are ultimately more popular with the everyday consumer who doesn’t quite feel like gluing 8,000 Swarovski crystals on each nail.

That being said, there have been some fab nails backstage this season that manage to subvert the nude nail with clever accents like metallics and gems, or shirk it completely with full-on block colour. We loved the look at Cushnie et Ochs, where the team from the ever-so-luxe Christian Louboutin Beaute created a mini-Mondrian on each nail. A square of jewel-like colour sat on a more muted base, making for a chic but simple look.