THE STUDIOLO: Things I Just Don't Get: French Manicures

My inbox is finally unclogged of all those Black Friday deals. Whew! I don't think I've ever received so many emails about sales and giveaways in my life! I got through Thanksgiving without spending a dime on stuff I don't need, so I'm celebrating with the second installment of Things I Just Don't Get (in case you missed it, here's the first one). Today we're looking at French manicures. This probably isn't going to be of interest to my male readers. (Do I have any male readers, aside from Oliver, my dad and my pop-in-law? I'm not sure. Holla atchya' girl if you're a dude and you read my blog.) French manicures, for those who don't know (and/or don't care, and/or are dudes), are a type of manicure designed to resemble natural nails, characterized by pink-ish/nude base nails and white tips. Like so:

Image courtesy Stylist

Some say the style originated in eighteenth century Paris, and was popular in the U.S. in the 1920s and 1930s. Others say Max Factor invented the look for Parisienne fashionistas in the 1930s. What most people like about them is the versatility; they can be quite classy, at once polished but not flashy, and coordinate with a variety of outfits. I've always had a slight aversion to them because I've thought they were a bit tacky. That's because most French manicures currently look like this:

Or worse, this:

See? Kind of tacky, no? As is often the case, when the high-style hits the unwashed masses, it gets bastardized and transforms into a horse of a different color. Like anything, when done well, this look is elegant and sophisticated, but when done poorly, it runs the risk of looking trashy and cheap.

Apparently, there is a difference between the French manicure and the American (French) manicure, which features a beige base, as opposed to the pink base used in the French version. Why beige? Why choose to look slightly dead? I do not know. The American version also presents a more square nail shape, another feature I do not understand. However, my biggest pet peeve with French manicures is when they are applied to the TOES:

There are so many things wrong with this image - the color, the nail shape, the feet. FUNK. And not in a good way.

Well, a few seasons ago, haute couture introduced a re-imagined French manicure with a twist: crazy colors in new locations, often referred to as a reverse French manicure. I love a short, dark nail (mine are almost always short and painted some deep red, purple or springy pink) and there's something about bringing in two colors that I find ballsy and fun.