Jason Wu Launching Nail Polish
Photo courtesy of Jason Wu
Double digits: Jason Wu and Creative Nail Design have collaborated on nail polish.
Designer Jason Wu has taught us that shades of gray can be every bit as dazzling as grand statements in color—even the first ladies of bright and bold hues, Michelle Obama and Anna Wintour, famously worship his serene, often achromatic vision.
For the past several seasons, Wu has test-driven the versatility of his signature misty neutrals, hiring Creative Nail Design to give his models coordinated manicures in customized sterling shades of putty and chrome.
Fall 2010’s results, in particular, earned high praise from the likes of Vogue while convincing us that colorless nails can be elegant and lively—if we leave them in the right hands.
This spring, we’ll be doing just that as Wu and CND finally make their dynamic partnership official, releasing a special five-polish collection in salons and online in May.
At long last, we can toss aside American Apparel’s Mouse (which, let’s be honest, always looked more drab than dynamic) and upgrade to Miss Wu, a dreamy, cloud-spun shade almost too sophisticated to worry about chipping. But we’ll take that risk.
Gray will always be Wu’s main attraction, but his other two go-tos—understated colors and the powerful female muses who wear them—factor heavily into the collection too.
Aside from Miss Wu, the other three hues are named after iconic leading ladies: Brigitte, fittingly, is “voluptuous,” “warm” and “pink.” Sophia, meanwhile, is all about nighttime drama, a stunning shade of deepest mushroom.
Of course, no nail set is complete without some version of red. For Wu, that comes in the form of Veronica—a decadent blue-red shade that looks alluringly regal, much like the inimitable Miss Lake herself.
For a fun twist, you can top off any of the hues with the Anna Effect, a specialized high-dimensional finishing coat that creates “unexpected” textures when it dries. Is the title a clever tribute to Miss Wintour’s renowned ability to warp—and define—seasonal aesthetics according to her whims? We can only hope so.
The Jason Wu and CND Color Collection will be available in May for $47 at specialty salons and on cnd.com.
