In case you missed it, fashion’s biggest night returned just a few weeks ago on September 13! The highly exclusive and much anticipated Met Gala took place at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. This Met Gala’s theme, which is based on the Costume Institute exhibition, was ‘In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,’ and the co-chairs were the Gen-Z dream team comprised of Timothée Chalamet, Billie Eilish, Naomi Osaka, and Amanda Gorman.
The iconic red carpet guides some of the biggest names in the world into the museum for the private event. While the Met Gala itself is very exclusive, the red carpet is highly publicized. People flood the streets of New York City to catch a glimpse of their favorite star getting out of their car. Those who can’t make it in person, continuously refresh their social media feeds for a morsel of content from the red carpet. Vogue and its Editor-in-Chief and Chairwoman of the Met Gala, Anna Wintour provide fans with incredible coverage of the stars and their unique wardrobes. This year, Vogue tapped Youtube sensation, Emma Chamberlain, to host their Youtube Channel’s Red Carpet Interviews.
Emma Chamberlain has become every Gen-Z’s fashion inspo these last few years. So, it is no shock that she was invited to make her Met Gala debut this year. As one of the first guests on the red carpet, everyone went crazy over her gorgeous look! Styled by Jared Ellner, Emma wore custom Louis Vuitton. Alongside her beautiful hair and makeup, by Lauren Polko and Kelsey Deenihan respectively, Emma’s standout feature was her showstopping nails! Designed by Mar y Sol, Emma’s nails took on a life of their own. The beautiful design was completed using Valentino Beauty Pure and gold chains. In her ‘Get Ready with Me’ on Vogue’s Youtube Channel and in her own Daily Vlog on her Youtube channel, Emma shared hilarious remarks about her anticipation of having to conduct interviews with her incredible nails. As the nails took center stage, we just had to talk to the woman behind the art, Mar y Sol!
Cliché: What was the process like of designing the nail concept?
Mar y Sol: I was really inspired by the back of her dress. Jared, her stylist, suggested a nude base so that it wouldn’t take away from the gold in the dress. I’m really happy we went with a nude base color. I’m an artist at heart, I always have been and I love just going with the flow as I create. I try to envision hand movements and then create my design based on that.
I knew that Emma would be working with Vogue and I wanted her nails to look flawless. That means no room for error when applying the chains and also focusing on it looking great from all angles. I used Valentino Beauty Pure: Diamond Gel to adhere the chain. To create that flawless look I hand-painted each design with the diamond gel and carefully applied the chain. However, before beginning any of that I hand-knotted each chain accordingly. I kept her and Jared posted throughout the process by sending photos. As Emma states in her Vogue YouTube video “it was my 5-hour manicure!” – I loved that! But you can only imagine all of the extra hours that went into creating the look behind the scenes. I loved every second of it!
Cliche: I understand you exclusively used Valentino Beauty Pure for her nails. What made you use this product in particular?
Mar y Sol: I recently worked on a shoot with Emma where I used gel from Valentino Beauty Pure on her nails and she absolutely loved their formula. Emma has been getting her nails done for many years. She is definitely a nail enthusiast. She knows the difference in products and appreciates the process of a manicure whether it be gel extensions, acrylic, nail polish, or gel. Inspired by her delicious coffee brand, Chamberlain Coffee, we went with this beautiful creamy brown color that reminded us of an oat milk mocha latte.
Valentino Beauty Pure is a nail brand known globally because of its stellar quality but runs locally here in the US. Unlike many nail brands, it’s true to its name and is a family business. I met the owners years ago and I was happy to see that it really is a family-run business!
“In America: A Lexicon of Fashion” was the theme this year. For every Met Gala I do, I always stay true to the theme. Although nails are a small part of the look they are still a part of the look and I take it very seriously. The nail look was inspired by all the loops and turns it takes to achieve the ‘American Dream.’ The journeys Emma and I, and even the family behind Valentino Beauty Pure, have been on to get to where we are today in our careers are indicative of the ‘American Dream.’
Cliché: What was it like seeing your work on full display on the Met Gala carpet?
Mar y Sol: This is my 10th Met Gala and it honestly feels like my first one each time. It is truly a special feeling to see the photos and videos once the madness has settled down. Our job behind the scenes doesn’t really end once our client hits the red carpet. We have to hunker down and do interviews about the look, sanitize, sterilize, and pack up our kits, and sometimes stick around and/or run around from hotel to hotel to get multiple clients ready for the after-parties. But that is what we sign up for and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world! It is an amazing feeling to see my work on the Met Gala carpet and not just my work but my fellow glam friends with whom I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside these last 16 years.
So much work, sweat, and tears go into creating these looks and it truly is a team effort. We all work together to make these looks come to life on our beautiful clients. From the ateliers and dressmakers sewing perfection into the tiniest of detail to the designers creating these masterpieces which inspire our beauty look. The stylist, makeup artist, hairstylist, and manicurist then collaborate with the talent to create the final look. It’s all a magical stressful exhausting experience but always an honor to be a part of.
Cliché: Her nails were such a focal point of her entire outfit and she talks about them a lot in her Vogue ‘Get Ready with Me’ video. Did it take a lot of convincing to use that length for her?
Mar y Sol: It didn’t take much convincing, I prepped about 12 different mock-up shapes and let her try them on. We both agreed which one would be most impactful and looked the best on her hands. We knew our decision was the right one when Jared, her stylist, said he ‘LOVED THEM!’
Cliché: Where can our readers follow you?
Mar y Sol: All of my social handles are @NailsByMarySoul
Mar y Sol Inzerillo a.k.a Mar y Soul
Read more Interviews at ClicheMag.com
Images provided by Getty Images, @emmachamberlain, and @marysol
