Katy Perry’s Metallic Nails Are Trending For Fall

Katy Perry is declaring a futuristic fall. On the latest stop of “The Lifetimes” tour, the 40-year-old Grammy winner took the stage inside Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena with sharp, metallic talons and a suit of armor.

The outer space wear wasn’t atypical for Perry and neither were her elongated nails. The color, on the other hand, was particularly unique, but also on the nose with predicted nail trends for the upcoming cold weather season.

Perry’s fingers were wrapped in metal casings that modeled the armor on her body. Meanwhile, her nails were accentuated with matching almond-shaped tips half the size. When wrapped around the microphone, the “Teenage Dream” performer’s hands resembled those of a robot, stiff and broken up into parts.

Metallic nails are poised to be the hottest color this fall, an eclectic iteration of the nude and clear hues that dominated summer runways and red carpets. In fact, Google searches for “silver nail polish” increased by 48 percent over the past three months, according to Fresha, a beauty and wellness marketplace platform.

Pattie Yankee — nail artist to Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Aubrey Plaza, Jessica Biel and more — listed “chrome and metallic” in her predictions for the season ahead, alongside “milky tones,” sheer, red, navy teal, deep brown and green. As for the designs to look out for, Yankee said polka dots will be huge.

For the most part, nail trends were much quieter this year than the playful, extravagant styles that dominated in the summers past. Instead of the TikTok-favored two-inch-long acrylic extensions, nails were kept short and bare, with only a clear or light pink polish over top. This switch is representative of a larger shift in consumer mindsets, wherein people are cutting back on luxury spending, beauty services included, amid burgeoning economic fears.

Like her nails, Perry’s onstage hairstyle was a nod to current beauty trends, specifically her micro bangs. The finely chopped forehead fringe has popped up quite a bit over the last few months, starting with Pamela Anderson on the Met Gala red carpet back in May. More recently, Halsey stepped out for the special screening of the thriller film “Americana,” in which she stars, with a neat haircut and anime-inspired blue green coloring.

The tinsel tied in Perry’s long black hair, conversely, harked back to a specific Y2K fad in which A-listers such as Selena Gomez, Kesha and Miley Cyrus inspired teenage girls to get these shimmery strands and feather extensions in their hair. A Y2K reference makes sense for Perry, whose heyday was during this time period.