On the final day of Pride Month, fashion designer Marc Jacobs tells me he’s done it all. But I can think of one thing he hasn’t done before—been interviewed by me. (That’s because, well, this is my first interview. But Jacobs and I have become friends through me shooting his shows for years.) This past Sunday, the designer and I sat down on the eve of his latest collection walking the runway, not to talk about the clothes or any of those fashion rumors, but to chat about the one thing everyone can’t stop talking about: His nails.
A set of lacquered nails is nothing new for Jacobs. “I’ve been wearing silver chrome polish on my nail at my natural length for about the last two years,” he says. But for this year’s Met Gala, Jacobs went for something new, stepping onto the green carpet with a full set of 3xl square-tipped black nails adorned with green rhinestones. “There's this joy I get from dressing up, accessorizing, and expressing myself,” he says. “This is another component in that kind of joyous puzzle.” We’re both hand-talkers and throughout the interview, Jacobs taps his nails on the table—where casting headshots of approved models are on display—and against each other, making music fit for an ASMR video.
His interest in manicures began as a little boy at home, where his mother gravitated toward classic pink-and-whites. “My mom and her girlfriends always had long French manicures, like Barbra Streisand-ish. I remember being very envious and wondering, ‘Why do women get to do this? It's not fair.’” I, too, connected with nails as a child, and remember going to the nail salon with my mom.
Jacob has now evened the beauty playing field and two months into his acrylics, Jacobs is getting his groove. On Instagram he’s cheekily answered questions from followers (like how does he go to the bathroom) and taking us along on his beauty adventures. “I don't like long stiletto-shaped nails, even though I know it’s a thing. For me, the shape is too pointy. In my mind, this long square is very chic.” He’s also settled on his manicurist-in-crime, Yulenny Garcia, owner of Muñeca Nail Salon in The Bronx.
His latest set, revealed today, was inspired both by his new collection and life in Rye, New York, where he lives with his husband Charly deFrancesco. “I just love the French manicure vibe, and this is like an out-of-control French manicure with pastel colors. While I’m walking down the Main Street in Rye, I think in my mind that I look like all of the women there—which of course, I am not at all like those women.”
Jacobs is also quick to address the other women who have inspired his long, artful nails: Black women. “I've become very sensitive to the origins of this art, which starts with Black women in the seventies who were incredibly talented and creative. This is a part of their history and part of their culture, becoming more mainstream with hip-hop artists in the ‘90s like Missy Elliott and Lil' Kim. I think it's important to acknowledge, appreciate, and respect.”
A single manicure change normally takes Garcia and Jacobs about seven to eight hours to complete—but of course, they take breaks for meals and to admire the classic hip-hop music videos playing in the background. “Marc is very passionate about each set we create,” Garcia tells me about their time together. “He designs each set himself.” Obviously, we would expect nothing less. Jacobs shares that once he gets the “idea in my head for the aesthetic direction of my nails, then we talk about it.” From there, the designer sometimes taps his team for sourcing—the rhinestones on his current set were pulled from the Marc Jacobs Runway trimmings department by MJR designer Claudio Cina.
When asked if we can expect a Marc Jacobs manicure on the runway sometime soon, the designer says, “I think people are expecting it, but no, not right now. I’m doing this for me—it’s a statement of self-expression. I’m just enjoying long nails, you know? Nothing more than that.”
