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Fingernail Finesse


Article # : 13860 

Section : LIFE
Issue Date : 12 / 1988  2,259 Words
Author : Wendi Winters
Wendi Winters is the fashion writer for Manhattan's West Side Spirit as well as a special correspondent for the Antelope Valley Press. She has written several fashion articles for THE WORLD & I.

       "Nail polish is disposable jewelry for the hands," explains a salon customer. "I can change the color of my nails to match my clothes, or my mood," she points out, her brightly painted nails punctuating the air in a finger ballet of frosted fuschia.
       
       A woman's hands reveal silent volumes about her. In today's image-conscious society, they are visible signposts pointing to her health, level of confidence, and personality. The fingers of reigning she-demon Joan Collins are razor-edged daggers dipped in blood-red lacquer. Liza Minnelli's "Sally Bowles" of Cabaret, a reckless character in the last gasp of a decadent era displayed fingernails were chewed to the quick and painted an anxious poison green.
       
       Before they became accepted as serious artists, Cher, Barbra Streisand, and Diana Ross all sported vividly decorated nails several inches in length. Now, in keeping with their dignity as Oscar and Grammy winners, they have adopted more natural manicures, while Dolly Parton and La Toya Jackson continue to flaunt their clawlike grasp on extreme fashion. On the other hand, Nancy Reagan, Kitty Dukakis, and Barbara Bush are always well manicured and keep their nails a subtle color.
       
       With such contrasting displays of digital style on some of America's most visible role models, what are the prevailing fashions in hand and nail care for American women today?
       
       The quirkiest fad, among those with the time and money to indulge in it, is the long, highly decorated nail. Each nail is painted with several colors in bold patterns, usually in geometric or fanciful swirls; ... (1999 of 13439 Characters)
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