A Polished Look in Nails

If long nails are the hallmark of a dangerous woman, what to think of she who is clad in a dress of nails? Thanks to Maggie Barry and Ty Moore of the L.A. clothing line Van Buren, we can now ponder that situation.

The two created a dress made of 2,000 chrome-dipped faux fingernails, which, after appearing last spring at their fashion show in New York, surfaced recently at Le Dome for the final judging of the Fing’rs / Flo Jo nail art competition. It took five days to put the dress together after the designers tossed their original plan to decorate each claw: “We decided the chrome was more uniform and elegant.”

While most might cringe “ick” at the idea of dressing in faux nails, Barry compares her creation to Paco Rabanne’s metal-laced outfits in the ‘70s. And if that’s not recommendation enough, consider the meditative quality: “When you move in the dress, the nails sound like leaves rustling. So there’s a peaceful sound to it, it’s pacifying, plus all eyes are on you.”

A dress for the body and the soul--what more could a woman want?