No where is fashion more prevalent in the USA than New York. And no one in our industry is more attached to NY Fashion Week than Jan Arnold.
While her father invented Solar Nails and her brother Jim managed the growth of the company, Jan was always “out there” on the cusp. Jan never bowed to what others wore in clothing, shoes or makeup. Rather Jan has always been a walking billboard of individuality, healthy living, shopping and how can we not mention. . .nails.
So it was no surprise when Jan and Jim sold their company to Colomer, that Jan wanted to stay on as their “fashion advisor.” Truthfully, I don’t know Jan’s title but when it comes to nail creations, no one does it like her. John Heffner, Jan’s just retired boss even introduced a polish line to satisfy Jan’s intense creative (how do you like use of that word!) needs, Colour & Effects. Truly artistic people use these products religiously. But fame and notoriety didn’t come from this and that didn’t stop Jan’s fashion parade for a second. She was doing NY Fashion Week before it was even a week long.
Jan’s true talents and perhaps one of her top highlights of her career came with the launch of Shellac and the totally unexpected media coverage the line received. Jan as flamboyant as can be (who else can get away with bleached white hair, 6” heel patent boots and a dress you don’t find at Barney’s on any given day) became a sensation and came into the limelight naturally. Shellac was not only revolutionary but it gave Jan creative freedom to explore design like never before. Even though Shellac launched in only 12 colors, Jan figured out a way to “layer” colors to create many more custom colors and with the launch of the next 12 shades, figured out a way to perfect nail art using Shellac exclusively.
The results are impressive but if you talk to Jan, she hasn’t changed one bit. She loves what she does and always has. Who else can do a daily blog at NY Fashion Week complete with photos and commentary AND be backstage for hours on end? Here are some of my favorite pics posted, please visit http://cndfashionweek.com/Spring2012/category/day-1/ to see her entire post:
Day 2
Day 5
Day 7
If anything, Jan has brought nails into the fashion scene and onto the runways. While the focus is still on legs, breasts, and hair, at least nails are big enough for designers to take notice. And if sales of Shellac are any indication of fashion success, then we can only imagine than Jan will be doing what Jan does best for a very long time.
Happy Tuesday!
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