In line with the fashion world’s newfound love of all things retro and playful, the 60s-loved checkered print is back and cooler than ever. Chic coats and cozy cardigans are two options you can add to your cart, but reality star-turned entrepreneur Kylie Jenner’s making a strong case for rocking the trend as nail art. To bring the look to life ahead of her family’s vacation to Turks and Caicos, the 23-year-old enlisted the help of her go-to manicurist, Chaun Legend.
Her curved stiletto-shaped acrylics are a colorful take on the classic French manicure. Instead of painting a white band at the nail’s tip, Chaun incorporated the multicolored checkered print pattern, painting a sharp diagonal tip instead of a straight or curved line like a traditional French mani. Proving that her nails do the talking, she captioned a photo of them on Instagram with a single sparkle emoji.
We expect the checkered print nail to trend in 2021, as do celebrity manicurists. “I love this look all around,” Smith & Cult brand ambassador and nail artist Jessica Tong-Ahn tells GRAZIA over email. “It has to be my favorite nail look she’s chosen so far. Checkered print is very of the moment, and this colorway brings it some spring-summer energy. I do think that we will be seeing more of this in the coming months, and I can’t wait to give it a try myself.”
For Jenner’s vacation photoshoot, she teamed her bright nails with a waist-length ponytail, a full face of glam, and a cutout tangerine dress from the London-based fashion label Poster Girl. The statement number, named the “Miranda” dress, is part of the brand’s SS21 collection and is available for pre-order online for $122.
But back to the nails, which I’ve been fawning over for an unreasonable amount of time. If you’re in the mood for a DIY project, consider recreating the manicure this weekend. Start by digging through your nail polish and pulling out at least ten different colors (if your collection’s that vast in the first place). Start by painting your nails with a base coat like Smith & Cult Nail Lacquer Base Coat, followed by a pale pink shade of polish like Givenchy N02 Light Pink Perfectco.
From there, you have one of two options. You can either go freehand with a super fine nail art brush if you’re über confident in your creative abilities. If you consider yourself a nail art novice, consider picking up these handy half-moon guides and creating your multicolored square pattern in the space you would typically paint a white line.
If you find yourself staring at the photo of Jenner’s nails in bewilderment and fear, our advice is to take a screenshot of them to show your nail tech. Or, invest in a quality pair of press ons—the world will never know.
