Sylvie MacMillan’s Hot New Nail Trend, NikeSkims and More Fashion News#

Fashion Chatter

The New Nail Trend Causing a Sensation#

Sylvie Macmillan’s square muted nails have been called “the manicure for fall.” Plus, clothing lines from Kim Kardashian and a Gen Z domestic diva.

Sylvie Macmillan, a nail artist in London, has collaborated with brands including Miu Miu, Burberry, Mugler and Nike.Credit...Freddie Payne

Sept. 26, 2025

The designer Phoebe Philo has long been said to have a sixth sense for what women want to wear. That power apparently extends to how they want to style their nails.

In a campaign released this month for Ms. Philo’s namesake label, the French actress and director Mati Diop appears with square nails, each painted in different muted shades. One image, in which Ms. Diop is posing with her fingers intertwined beneath her chin, was featured prominently in marketing emails and for days graced the landing page of the Phoebe Philo website.

As the image traveled online, the manicure gained attention. It inspired articles in WWD, Marie Claire’s British edition and Vogue, which said it was “the manicure for fall.”

But, as some sleuths noted, nowhere in Vogue’s or WWD’s original coverage was the name of the person who came up with the manicure: Sylvie Macmillan, a nail artist in London who has styled shoots for Vogue and Dazed, and who has collaborated with brands including Miu Miu, Burberry, Mugler and Nike. (A Vogue spokeswoman said its article was published only after “everything possible” was done to identify the manicurist. A WWD spokeswoman, replying to an email from The New York Times, said its article had been updated to credit Ms. Macmillan.)

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Ms. Macmillan’s muted manicure for the Phoebe Philo campaign.Credit...via Phoebe Philo

In an interview, Ms. Macmillan, 34, said that it was “disappointing” that some publications did not credit her, and that this was not the first time. “I used to be devastated by it,” she said, but has learned that it is a reality of working in fashion. Brands “paid me to do jobs,” she added. “So, like, I’m not expecting credit from them.”

Ms. Macmillan, who has a background in technical arts and special effects, turned to nails as a medium after working in set design and model making. Her manicures can be theatrical, irreverent or understated. She likened the use of different colors for Ms. Diop’s nails in the Phoebe Philo campaign to the way people sometimes try out different polishes at a salon.

Ms. Macmillan’s handiwork has also included making elaborate table candelabras — a passion project she took up during the pandemic, when nail artists were less in demand. Recently, she pivoted from nail artist to full-time home wares designer.

“I felt like I wasn’t doing as interesting work anymore,” Ms. Macmillan said of her career change. “The idea of going into home wares and having to start from the beginning felt like I had the fire again.”

Shop Talk#

Clockwise from top left, Nara Smith modeling attire from her Reformation collection; Dylan Sprouse in Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses; a Marc Jacobs Gibson guitar; items from Uniqlo U’s latest collection; Sha’Carri Richardson in NikeSkims.

• NikeSkims, the women’s active wear label by Nike and Kim Kardashian’s shapewear brand, debuted this week with a campaign starring Serena Williams, Jordan Chiles and Sha’Carri Richardson. The line of sweat-wicking, body-sculpting attire includes tank tops with built-in sports bras, sheer leggings and jumpsuits priced between $38 and $138.
• Reformation and Nara Smith, the model and lifestyle influencer, on Monday released a 20-piece collection of retro-looking dresses, fall sweaters and gingham pajamas that evoke Ms. Smith’s brand of stylish domesticity. Prices start at $148.
• The latest collection for Uniqlo U, Uniqlo’s upscale line overseen by the Lemaire designers Christophe Lemaire and Sarah-Linh Tran, came out on Thursday. Featuring subdued tees, sweaters and outerwear, the collection emphasizes unexpected fabric pairings like nylon with merino wool. All pieces are priced under $150.
• Guitars and accessories from a partnership between Marc Jacobs and Gibson will be the focus of a pop-up at Nordstrom’s Fifth Avenue store in Manhattan on Oct. 5. Products, such as guitar straps and picks, feature playful illustrations by the British artist Hattie Stewart.
• The actor Dylan Sprouse and the model Barbara Palvin are the faces of the newly released second-generation Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, which have an upgraded camera, allow for hands-free filming and start at $379.

Chatting With … a Watchdog of Fashion’s Environmental Footprint#

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Ayesha Barenblat, the founder of Remake.Credit...Crystal Cox

Fashion week is just one production that September brings to New York City. Since 2009, the month has also been when business, political and technology leaders come to town for the event now known as Climate Week NYC.

This year’s edition kicked off on Sunday, against a backdrop of intensifying natural disasters and rollbacks of environmental protections in the United States. As part of the week’s programming, Remake, an organization focused on climate activism in fashion, hosted a two-day event of workshops and discussions that grappled with the industry’s environmental footprint.

In recent years, brands have announced lofty sustainability goals, signed climate pledges and promised supply-chain overhauls. But as climate science is downplayed domestically, the question remains: Will the industry follow through? In an interview that has been edited and condensed, Ayesha Barenblat, the founder of Remake, spoke about the state of fashion’s climate activism and what might come next.

Which companies or initiatives would you say are genuinely moving the needle right now?

I would say that it’s a lot of smaller brands, some made in the U.S., some not. But also, it’s interesting to see some of the technologies when it comes to resale and rental. Instead of just creating new garments, how do we keep this one in generation for longer?

It wasn’t long ago when brands were basically jumping to declare that they were sustainable or signing onto climate agreements. Nowadays, it’s become a lot quieter. Why?

The truth is a lot of the brands have been falling short. One of the things I’m very skeptical about is voluntary commitments. What we know with voluntary commitments is as political tides change, as economic tides change, the commitments go out of the door. You may have a capsule collection here or there that’s trying to think more about sustainability. But really, there isn’t much of a story to tell.

What are bright spots in the current fashion-climate landscape?

A piece of the conversation that’s often overlooked is the human rights and labor side. The Garment Worker Protection Act in California now ensures that workers make minimum wage. It had been difficult for sustainable brands in the state to compete with high-street brands when they were trying to pay their work force fairly.

Yola Mzizi is a reporter for the Styles section and a member of the 2025-2026 Times Fellowship class, a program for journalists early in their careers.