Messy nails are in. Miu Miu just proved they are abandoning perfect manicures for polish on the cuticles

Consider this your permission slip to stop caring quite so much about getting nail polish on your skin.

At Miu Miu’s spring/summer 2027 show , the manicure was deliberately imperfect . Nails came coated in swathes of red polish, some applied unevenly across the nail and, in places, allowed to spill over onto the cuticle and fingertips.

And somehow, because this is Miu Miu, the whole thing looks less like you lost a fight with a bottle of OPI and more like an extremely expensive decision.

The manicure was created by Japanese nail artist Mei Kawajiri, the New York-based artist behind Instagram’s Nails by Mei, who told Vogue the look was inspired by the image of a young girl hurriedly painting her nails before heading out the door.

There was also another, sweeter possibility behind it: ‘that someone you love, perhaps a child or your boyfriend, had painted your nails for you.’

That distinction is important; these aren’t simply badly painted nails, but they’re nails that look human.

After years of immaculate almond shapes, airbrushed nail art, painstaking French tips and manicures so glossy they appear digitally rendered, Miu Miu’s red polish feels almost rebellious in its imperfection.

And Miu Miu isn’t alone in making nails feel a little stranger, sweeter and more fun.

Pinterest’s first Beauty Trend Report 2026 suggests the manicure is moving into ‘Latte Lacquer ‘. Searches for “caramel nude nails” have jumped 943 per cent, while “coffee nails ideas” are up 922 per cent. Raspberry jelly nails are up 828 per cent, with iced latte nails rising 295 per cent and almond milky nails up 301 per cent.

There are blood orange nails, warm caramel, chocolate-covered strawberry and caramel latte shades . The overall mood is cosy, edible and slightly nostalgic, with milky finishes keeping things soft rather than overly sweet.

Then there is chrome, which has apparently decided it’s not going anywhere, but instead is adding colours and patterns.

Pinterest’s data shows a growing appetite for chrome manicures with a twist, rather than the straightforward metallic finishes that dominated a few years ago. Searches for “polka dot cat eye nails” are up a staggering 1,585 per cent, while “jelly pink chrome nails” have climbed 1,469 per cent.

“Milky white chrome nails almond” are up 1,402 per cent and “goth cat eye nails” have risen 911 per cent.

The common thread is that nails are becoming accessories in their own right. Chrome is being combined with stripes, polka dots, jelly finishes , hot pink, gothic details and two-tone effects. The manicure is no longer simply the finishing touch to an outfit.