New York Fashion Week’s spring/summer 2027 shows delivered party energy—and a short list of beauty ideas that survive outside the tent. Amid bowl cuts, yellow lids, and competing crimps, Vogue’s beauty editors flagged three looks they saw nearly everywhere and called out as the easiest to recreate as fashion month rolls on: low ponytails, metallic accents, and naked (or nearly naked) high-shine nails.
Those three are the focus here—not because they were the only stories backstage (Who What Wear also tracked crimps, slipknots, soft purple, cinnamon cheeks, and more), but because they translate to a weekday bathroom without a glam squad. Think of this as a practical SS27 starter kit.
1. Low ponies: the week’s most-tapped hairstyle
According to Vogue, the low ponytail was the top-tapped style of NYFW—no longer reserved for “little lads,” as senior beauty editor Margaux Anbouba put it. The runways treated the same idea like a choose-your-own-adventure:
Cult Gaia: Karim Belghiran secured an “infinite knot” with Tresemmé.TWP: Joey George created a version nicknamed “the fold.”Tory Burch: Guido Palau kept it radical in its simplicity—just an elastic.Maria McManus: Antoinette Beenders built a “coil pony” of curls prepped with Aveda All-for-One Leave-In Elixir.Zankov: Freda Rossidis pulled hair coated in Mr. Smith mousse into graphic low ponytails.Lii: Tamara McNaughton went for a chill slack-back in a low elastic.
Who What Wear’s adjacent report helps explain why the look stuck: imperfect twists, off-center knots, and loose slipknots at houses like Diotima, Cult Gaia, Anna Sui, and Christian Cowan all favored low, lived-in structure over high-gloss ballerina perfection. Hairstylist Dylan Chavles, speaking backstage to Who What Wear about a slicked-but-not-shellacked bun, wanted hair that did not feel like “princess hair”—the same ethos that makes a low pony wearable.
Try it at home
Prep with a light leave-in or mousse so the pony has grip without crunch.Part as usual; gather hair at the nape or just above, slightly off-center if you want the imperfect-twist vibe.Secure with a thin elastic. For a Cult Gaia–adjacent knot, loop the length once through itself and leave a long tail.Pull a few face-framing pieces loose. Mist with flexible spray—never helmet hold.Texture menu: stick-straight for graphic polish, soft waves for Tory Burch ease, or defined coils for a McManus-style pony.
Takeaway: One elastic, one intentional mess. If it looks too perfect, loosen it.
2. Metallic moments: sparkle with a point
After gilded couture beauty earlier in the summer, Vogue reports that spring ready-to-wear offered a wider spread of metallic, pearly, and sparkly accents—small winks rather than full disco.
Altuzarra: Bobbi Brown’s Hannah Murray painted a “metallic broken socket line” for a deconstructed ’60s eye that, she noted, flatters a range of skin tones.Connor Ives: Aaron de Mey swept MAC glitter onto “glamazon” lids at The Grill.Eckhaus Latta: Fara Homidi took metal body-side with silver paint across a torso.Collina Strada: Francelle Daly used MARA Pearl Peptide Glaze for pearly “glass skin” with a fairy-tale indie-sleaze edge.Maria McManus: Romy Soleimani dabbed glitter-flecked Estée Lauder Futurist Hydra Plump lip balm on eyes, cheeks, and lips.Coach: Guido Palau flecked metallic confetti into hair.
Who What Wear adds related cool-metal energy from icy lids at Kim Shui and Luar and glazed, balm-shiny eyes at Diane von Furstenberg and Ulla Johnson—proof that “metallic” this season can mean pearl glaze or clear shine, not only foil shadow.
Try it at home
Broken socket liner: Smudge a champagne or pewter cream shadow along the socket crease, then tap a metallic pencil only on the outer third so the line looks interrupted, not ringed.One glitter zone: Pick lids or inner corners or a single cheek highlight—Connor Ives energy without full-festival face.Pearl skin: Mix a drop of illuminating primer or pearl glaze into moisturizer; press on high points.Balm sparkle: Clear or lightly glittered lip balm tapped on lids and Cupid’s bow for McManus-style light catch.Hair confetti (optional): A few cosmetic-grade metallic flecks at the parting for evening only—brush out before bed.
Takeaway: Metal works when it is a punctuation mark. One surface is chic; five is costume.
3. Naked nails: buffed, shiny, barely there
High-shine naked nails on hands and toes were NYFW’s chosen finish, per Vogue. The point is grooming that photographs as healthy, not color that photographs as trend.
Heirlome’s debut: Nail artist Yukie Miyakawa finished nails with Buff Beauty’s Shine Sheets for a buffed, natural look she told Vogue felt freshly specific.Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger: Jin Soon used her Jinsoon Effortless Nail Buffer & Shiner; she said even models were surprised by how naturally shiny their nails looked.Michael Kors: Soon added quick-drying HyperGloss for subtle sheen.
“The key to a bare nail look like this is that everything has to be beautifully done,” Soon told Vogue—shape, cuticle bed, and surface. She also noted that OG editors have long preferred the look for both aesthetics and short appointment times: “the ultimate naturally groomed nail.”
Who What Wear’s nail storyline ran cooler and more colorful in places (frosted “sunglasses” nails at Diane von Furstenberg, amethyst cat-eyes at Christian Cowan), but the wearable mainstream takeaway from New York still aligns with Vogue’s naked shine: polish is optional when the manicure itself is the product.
Try it at home
File to a soft squoval or gentle almond—whatever matches your nail bed.Push cuticles gently; never force. Moisturize, then wipe oil off the plate before shine.Buff lightly with a fine buffer or shine sheet until you see a natural glass reflection—stop before the nail thins.Optional: one coat of clear or sheer “hyper gloss” for longer wear.Toes get the same treatment; SS27 runway logic put hands and feet on the same clean brief.
Takeaway: Naked nails are high-maintenance low-color. Budget time for shape and cuticles, not for choosing a crimson.
How to wear all three together
The trio builds a coherent SS27 face and frame without competing:
Low pony keeps the neck and earrings visible.One metallic accent (socket line or pearl skin) replaces heavy contour theater.Buffed nails finish the look so phones and wine glasses do not break the spell with chipped neon.
If you only adopt one idea before London, Milan, and Paris move the goalposts again, make it the low pony—it is free, fast, and already the week’s consensus. Add metal for night and keep the nails naked all season. That is NYFW beauty you can actually live in, not just screenshot.