When it comes to the Met Gala, the nails certainly aren’t the first thing we spot. It is, of course, the fashion followed by the hair and makeup looks. But by no means are the nails are an afterthought. In fact, the manicures are the painstakingly intricate finishing touch to any look. The 2021 Met Gala theme of “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion” served up some of the best nail art looks on the red carpet this year.
Highlights include Cynthia Erivo leaning into the drama with her jewel-encrusted nails that featured a teeny-tiny American detail, and Gemma Chan’s “black dagger crystal” nails, which not only fit her ensemble perfectly but also serve as manicure inspiration that we’re going to try out ourselves for a special occasion. And Ben Platt impressed us with his overall beauty look on the carpet this year: wearing crystal studs on his lash line and a super on-trend squiggle manicure to match his all-denim outfit.
Zoom into some of the best manicures of the 2021 Met Gala ahead.
Getty / ANGELA WEISS
Ciara's Silver Chrome Manicure
Ciara and nail artist Eri Ishizu chose to match her nails to her dress with a full silver chrome manicure.
Getty / ANGELA WEISS
Hunter Schafer's 3D Futuristic Manicure
Hunter Schafer truly didn’t disappoint on the red carpet with her beauty look, and her nails were a huge part of that. Sojin Oh was also the brains behind these breathtaking nails, which were created using custom glass Bio Seaweed Gel clear building gel. Impressive doesn’t even begin to cover it.
Getty / Jeff Kravitz
Megan Thee Stallion's Pink Optical Illusion Manicure
Manicurist Coca Michelle created these epic pink optical illusion nails for Megan Thee Stallion, and honestly, we’ve never saved a nail look quicker to use as future inspiration.
Getty / ANGELA WEISS
Megan Rapinoe's Jewel-Embellished Fingers
Technically, Megan Rapinoe’s star-studded look is finger art rather than nail art, but nevertheless, it’s amazing. Let this be a lesson to all of us to never let the art stop at the fingernails.
Getty / Dimitrios Kambouris
Cynthia Erivo's Crystal-Embellished Nails
Cynthia Erivo’s Met Gala nails were truly epic. Each nail was encrusted with individual jewels, and if you look really closely, you’ll see red and blue crystals added to the stiletto tips, making sure Erivo really nailed this year’s theme.
Getty / Jeff Kravitz
Ben Platt's Blue Swirl Manicure
Ben Platt really served us a wonderful beauty look at this year’s Met Gala. First with his jewel-embellished eye makeup and next with his blue-toned swirl manicure courtesy of Michina Koide – both of which matched his all-denim ensemble perfectly.
Getty / Jeff Kravitz
Rita Ora's 3D Jewelled Nails
With Rita Ora’s nails, at first, we weren’t sure where her Prada skirt stopped and the nails started, because they’re practically camouflage. Manicurist Naomi Yasuda created a this 3D jewel-encrusted manicure as an extension of her incredible look.
Getty / Theo Wargo
Maisie Williams's Gothic Green Manicure
There is a lot going on with Maisie Williams’s manicure, which is just how we like our nails. Cute and chaotic, amirite? This set contains a different design on each nail with shades of black, green, and purple (and of course some rhinestones) and matches the theme of her outfit perfectly.
