When comfort and style come together, enduring trends are born. It follows that haute track pants — sleek and chic, with elastic waistbands for optimal abdominal delight — have been a runway and street style staple for many, many moons now.
In fact, so pervasive is the track pant’s cool factor that the trend has officially transcended the fashion realm. For Spring 2018, the athletic bottoms not only hit the runways of Fenty x Puma, Monse and Public School — among others — their signature stripe motif inspired the season’s breakout mani trend.
Behold, racing stripe nails:
Track pant-inspired nails at Tibi Spring 2018; Image: Courtesy of Jin Soon
At Tibi, Kith and the aforementioned Monse, nail artists Jin Soon Choi, Alicia Torello and Rita Remark (respectively) looked to athleticwear for inspiration. Choi referenced “the street style scene during the 1980s in New York City, when style was born out of curiosity, functionality and individuality.” Torello played off of iconic sportswear brand Champion’s distinctive C logo. Remark paid homage to the varsity letter jacket.
…Basically, they drew track pants on nails — to really cute effect.
Ready to try these chic, clean, easy-to-recreate mani at home? Scroll down for three nail art how-tos, courtesy of our friends at Essie and Jin Soon.
Kith’s “Champion” Nails
Champion-inspired nails at Kith Spring 2018; Image: Courtesy of Essie
You’ll Need: A striping brush; a base and top coat; red, white and blue nail polish
Instructions:
1. Apply base coat.
2. Add two coats of white polish.
3. On the ring fingers, using red polish, paint a half circle with the flat edge going across the middle of the nail and the curved section dipping toward the nailbed.
4. With a striping brush, add blue polish along the flat edge of the red semi-circle. Then, apply blue polish in an elongated “C” shape around the border of the nail, tapering in at the tips.
5. On the remaining fingers, paint a vertical line of red slightly to the right of the middle of the nail. Then apply another stripe of blue to the left side of the red line
6. Finish with top coat.
Monse’s “Track Pant Stripe” Nails
Track pant-inspired nails at Monse Spring 2018; Image: Courtesy of Essie
You’ll Need: A striping brush; a base and top coat; red and white nail polish
Instructions:
1. Start with a base coat.
2. Add two thin stripes of white polish down the middle of each nail with a striping brush, leaving the thumb bare.
3. With another striping brush dipped in red polish, draw an uppercase M in the middle of each thumb. Once dry, go back and outline the letter with white polish.
4. Brush on a glossy topcoat for added shine.
Tibi’s “Street Style Stripes” Nails
Striped nails at Tibi Spring 2018; Image: Courtesy of Jin Soon
You’ll Need: A striping brush; a base and top coat; lilac or black polish
Instructions:
1. Start with a base coat.
2. Create a stripe design on each index finger or a finger of choice, using lilac or black polish (or a color of your choosing).
3. Using a striping tool, apply two coats of the preferred color, with one stripe thicker than the other to create a bold look. Add the stripes vertically or diagonally depending on your mood.
4. Brush on a glossy topcoat for added shine.
