Zendaya Swaps the Naked Nail Trend for a Nostalgic Fall Manicure Shade
Introducing punk-rock eggplant purple.
Zendaya, like many celebrities, spent the summer dabbling in the naked manicure trend: a look defined by short tips, impeccable cuticles, and soft flesh-toned colors. Memorably, the Challengers star wore milky pink bubble bath nails with a structured square shape to the 2024 Paris Olympics in July. And in September, Zendaya sported an opaque blush nude shade with an even shorter natural shape at Paris Fashion Fashion Week. Beloved by the likes of Kaia Gerber, Gigi Hadid, and Kendall Jenner, naked nails are clean, elegant, and versatile—qualities that make them particularly well-suited to busy press tours and back-to-back modeling gigs where celebrities might be wearing several different outfits in a single day. No wonder they were such a hit at fashion month.
On Thursday, Oct. 17, however, Miss Z stepped out in Los Angeles wearing her first fall manicure of the season: a dark eggplant purple that almost looked black from afar. Although I can't confirm the exact shade yet, it certainly looks like an OPI polish Kylie Jenner has been wearing since she was a teenager: Lincoln Park After Dark. If you're old enough to remember the golden age of Tumblr, you've probably owned at least bottle of the inky plum lacquer before. That said, Zoya and Manucurist both offer similar shades of blackened aubergine.
The rest of Zenday's ensemble played into the nostalgic vibe of her manicure. The outfit's crowning jewel, of course, was a rare vintage T-shirt featuring a print of artist Gilbert Young's painting, "He Ain't Heavy." The 28-year-old paired the covetable graphic tee with baggy brown pleated trousers, blue socks, and white On Running sneakers in keeping with her brand ambassadorship for the Swiss footwear company. She also accessorized with stud earrings, a gold chain necklace, and a gold cuff bracelet that accented her nails nicely.
Apart from her punk rock purple polish, however, the Euphoria star looked effortlessly undone with her honey-blonde hair pulled into a messy bun and her skin left largely makeup-free. That's the power of freshly painted nails—you'll still look polished, even if you skimp on the rest of your glam.
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Hanna Lustig is a staff writer at Marie Claire, where she gets to gab every day about the topics she holds most dear: fashion, beauty, and celebrity. Hanna’s editorial journey began with formative internships at Elle and InStyle, where she was lucky enough to work for some of the smartest women in media while she was still in college. Hanna then accepted a digital culture reporting fellowship at Insider, where she helped carve out a new beat dedicated to covering influencers. Those experiences later served her well as a staff writer at Glamour, where she developed a knack for spinning quick turnaround celebrity news and trend reporting into juicy long-form feature stories.
Diane Keaton once hung up on Hanna during an interview, but thankfully that mishap did not derail what has otherwise been a deeply fulfilling career writing for and about women. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Media Studies from the University of Tennessee, where she was mainly taught to love and revere Dolly Parton. When she’s not at work, Hanna can likely be found listening to pop music, talking to her dog, and gossiping with her best friends. For more of Hanna’s perfect opinions on pop culture, you can follow her on Instagram and X.
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