Trendwatch: The Tapered Square Nail Shape

While we talk about color trends every season, did you know there are also trends in nail shapes too? Almond shaped nails have been made popular recently on celebrities and catwalks, but this season the hottest look is the tapered square, according to celebrity nail artist Naja Rickette.

We cornered Naja during the chaos of New York Fashion Week to get the inside scoop on the tapered square nail shape:

“Nails are a big part of fashion, and with the resurgence of nail art in fashion, nail shapes, colors and designs all change with trends. The tapered square look is flattering for most hands and I feel it is more wearable than the pointed edges that have been in high demand for the past year or so. The tapered square is a fashionable statement that even professional women in a conservative setting can rock along with the fashionistas.”

But how do we DIY the shape? Is it complicated?

“The shape is simple to achieve” says Rickette. “Initially, you follow the same technique as achieving the pointed shape, but you square off the top. Beginning with one side wall of the nail, file on an angle towards the center of the nail and repeat on the other side. Holding the file very straight and squared up on the edge, file straight across to achieve a square edge.”

And colors? What looks best on this nail shape?

“For the fall, dark colors will look great on this shape. Try royal deep purples and oxblood vamp colors (think Chanel’s Vamp
and Essie’s Wicked). This tapered square shape would also look great with a double or triple lined french. The tip can hold a number of colors. Think a dark burgundy base with a gold french line, layered on top of a deep oxblood color french line and then a deep purple. This shape is also elegant enough for a single color of mannequin nude (Deborah Lippmann Naked), sheer pink or dark colors in vamp, purple or browns.”

Will you be trying the tapered square this fall?

Image: above supplied by Naja Rickette.