REBEL REBEL
While Rebecca Minkoff has always used nail polish as the “exclamation point” in her fashion shows, working as ESSIE’s global colour designer has exposed the fashion designer to the complexities of lacquer, such as texture— and not just matte, sheer and opaque but more specialized distinctions. “You know, like, ‘I want a really tiny shimmer that looks pearlized versus a glitter,’” she says. Another consideration is how the shade appears in the packaging compared to on the nail. “Sometimes the bottle colour is beautiful, but you put the colour on and it’s not so great, so they have to change the formula so it matches.” For her third Essie colour collection, Minkoff admits she was so immersed in researching the ’70s rock ’n’ roll era for her Fall 2015 runway collection that she couldn’t help but carry that through to the polish story. “Frock ’n Roll” was inspired by glam-rock eye makeup; “Bell-Bottom Blues” alludes to the glittery shades of electric guitars wielded by icons like Jimi Hendrix; and “Color Binge,” “With the Band” and “In the Lobby” are colours Minkoff feels women wore back then in suede, leather and fringe. And for the copper shade, she went back and forth with the labs insisting on a dirtier, grittier version until she finally handed them an oxidized grommet from a bag, resulting in “Leggy Legend.”