I watched all available episodes of The Crown season 6 over the weekend, and amidst all the chat about ghost scenes and engagement rings, it was another small – but not insignificant – detail that compelled me to write about it. How Princess Diana, played brilliantly by Elizabeth Debicki, is never seen without an immaculate French manicure, whether holidaying in the South of France with Dodi Fayed, or at home with her sons in London.
There’s a reason for this: Diana really did like to wear the classic French manicure – as so many women did back in the ’90s, the decade in which the combination of a neat white tip and sheer pink base became so popular. Diana’s classic mani lent optimal polish to royal fingertips, paired perfectly with every ensemble, and looked just as glamorous on glittering nights out as it did soft and subtle for visits to community projects and hospitals.
“The French manicure was – and still is – an effortless way to ensure your nails look really well put together,” agrees manicurist Julia Diogo, who counts Rosie Huntington-Whiteley among her clients. “It’s a neutral that ensures nails look clean and chic. Plus, it’s great to help elongate the appearance of fingers.”
Having fallen out of fashion after the ’90s, the style made a comeback a few years ago and is now so popular that Google searches for the style have rocketed by 2,400 per cent this year alone. Nowadays we look beyond those original pink and white tones that Princess Di loved so much, experimenting instead with different colours, textures and other nail art to make our fingertips sing.
