Any time Zoë Kravitz steps onto the red carpet, my heart rate basically catapults through the roof. She is simply incapable of turning out a boring beauty look, no matter the occasion, and that was certainly true at the 2025 VF Oscars after-party. Her black Saint Laurent gown featured some cheeky cutouts at the back, which, when the Blink Twice director turned around, put her rear end on full display—Marie Claire writer Hanna Lustig has even dubbed the detail a "butt window," for reference.
And sure, it's tough to pull focus from the 36-year-old's, ahem, assets, but Kravitz's cherry red manicure was the ideal pop of color for the statuesque black look. As her longtime nail artist, Betina Goldstein exclusively reveals to Marie Claire, "Andrew [Mukamal], her stylist, had the idea to do red from the original reference, [which was] Karen Mulder [at] YSL S/S 1996 haute couture, where the model had red lips, but he felt it would be a moment for her to show off the dress with red nails. From there I went through about 26 different nail polishes, narrowing them down to just four that we chose from." She adds that it had to be the perfect red (the exact shade is still under wraps for the moment) but stresses that it needed the perfect undertone to feel sexy and elegant but still modern.
Goldstein also pulled reference photos of her own, including Rita Hayworth in 'Blood and Sand' and Lana Turner at a 1984 premiere. Both women wore long, blood-red nails with their glamorous white or black gowns respectively. "[I] wanted it to pop with the black but not feel so vintage," says the nail artist. "[We] wanted to do a shorter nail to make it feel effortless, so I shaped her natural nail to an almond/oval shape. It's between both."
With short nails having a resurgence over the past few seasons, it's no surprise the Goldstein and Kravitz decided to take such a classic manicure shade and infuse it with a modern twist. I have no doubt that a cherry red nail trend is on the horizon for spring, with a short and sweet shape to match.
Until the exact shade of red is revealed (and mark my words, I will uncover it), shop a few gorgeous crimson polishes to try for yourself—no accompanying butt window required.
