spring fashion

Some Very Extreme Nails

A portfolio of Mei Kawajiri’s creations.

Jil Sander By Lucie and Luke Meier Cotton Mini-dress and Satin High-Knee Boots, available at jilsander.com. Hannah Jewett Invite Only and Puddle Play Earrings and Strawberry Barbed Wire Necklace, available at hannahjewett.com. Photo: Fumi Homma
Jil Sander By Lucie and Luke Meier Cotton Mini-dress and Satin High-Knee Boots, available at jilsander.com. Hannah Jewett Invite Only and Puddle Play Earrings and Strawberry Barbed Wire Necklace, available at hannahjewett.com. Photo: Fumi Homma

Mei Kawajiri’s process is magpie bricolage; she uses objects like salt and pasta when she creates nails, and she steals shapes and colors too. A dark-green foamlike design was inspired by a matcha shop in Japan. When a pink puffy couch caught her eye while scrolling through Instagram, she created ten teeny-tiny nail-size versions.

Kawajiri grew up in Kyoto and started as a painter; at 19, nails became her chosen canvas. At 21, she moved to Tokyo to work at a salon. Two years later, she opened her own shop in Harajuku called Foxxy. In 2012, Kawajiri came to work in New York at the now-closed Valley Nails and amassed a clientele of what she describes as “downtown cool girls.” Her completely over-the-top talons — nails with nipples, nails with nails of their own, nails with the kind of nails you hit with a hammer — landed her features in magazines and gigs backstage for Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford, Miu Miu, and Moschino, and her work has adorned the hands of Bella Hadid, Dua Lipa, Cardi B, and even Seth Rogen.

Mei on set. Photo: Fumi Homma

“My mood shifts are crazy. I’m not always the same person, so sometimes I want crazy, dynamic nails. And other times I want simple ones. Those ups and downs help me create many different types of nails,” she says. She approaches all her designs like a mad nail scientist. “I used a transparent neon-pink base and a very thick gel to make the 3-D bubbles,” she says of her pink-couch shapes. For a neon-yellow set spiked with chrome accents, Kawajiri created holes in the tip of each nail with a machine drill, the same tool she’s used to achieve a puzzlelike diagonal design in royal-blue nails.

How to pose with them? “Stand in front of the mirror with one hand holding the phone, the other hand next to your face to show off your design,” she says. But she’s quick to add, “With nails, there are no rules.”

Emilio Pucci Goccia Sequin-Embellished Top, available at pucci.com. Proenza Schouler Black Stretch Nylon Gabardine Skirt, available at Proenza Schouler, 121 Greene Street. Swarovski Millenia Hoop Earrings and Cocktail Ring, available at swarovski.com. Raf Simons Wedge Multi-Strap Mule, not for sale. Photo: Fumi Homma
Miaou Aphex Corset, available at miaou.com Chopova Lowena Slare Carabiner Skirt, inquire at eshop@chopovalowena.com. Diesel D-Venus SB shoes, available at diesel.com. Dorsey Sapphire Silver Riviere Necklace, available at shopdorsey.com. David Yurman Madison DY Madison Toggle Chain Necklace, available at davidyurman.com. Photo: Fumi Homma
From left: Dion Lee Darted Denim Pants and Modular Butterfly Mesh Bra, available at dionlee.com. Gucci Jacket, availableat gucci.com. Bernard James Mirror Signet Ring and Originals Mirror Ring, available at bernardjames.com. Photo: Fumi Homma.
From left: Dion Lee Darted Denim Pants and Modular Butterfly Mesh Bra, available at dionlee.com. Gucci Jacket, availableat gucci.com. Bernard James Mi... From left: Dion Lee Darted Denim Pants and Modular Butterfly Mesh Bra, available at dionlee.com. Gucci Jacket, availableat gucci.com. Bernard James Mirror Signet Ring and Originals Mirror Ring, available at bernardjames.com. Photo: Fumi Homma.
Miu Miu Tops and Skirt, available at miumiu.com. Araks Isabella Panty, available at araks.com. Planet I The Platinum Sunglasses, available at planeti.world/glasses. Tiffany & Co. Tiffany HardWearWrap Necklace, available at tiffany.com. Photo: Fumi Homma
Versace Orchid Zebra Print Gown, available at select Versace Boutiques. Gentle Monster Mote 01 Sunglasses, available at gentlemonster.com. Tiffany & Co. Tiffany HardWear Graduated Link Necklace, available at tiffany.com. Photo: Fumi Homma
Marni Knitted Crop Polo Shirt, inquire with client services. Ambush Low Rise Leather Mini Skirt, not for sale. Swarovski Constella Choker and Matrix Hoop Earrings, available at swarovski.com. Photo: Fumi Homma

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Mei Kawajiri’s Very Extreme Nails