One Nail Artist Was Behind 8 Of The Best Met Gala Manicures (2025)

It’s been a busy few days for Dawn Sterling. The New York-based nail artist– known as Nail Glam–created some of the most exciting manicures seen on the red (or in reality, blue) carpet at the 2025 Met Gala. Naturally, each and every design for the Superfine: Tailoring Black Style-themed event was completely bespoke, and perfectly aligned with the dress code: “Tailored for You”.

Starting on Saturday, Sterling schlepped her nail kits – four cases she jokes are roughly “the weight of a ten-year-old kid, each” – from hotel room to hotel room to get the looks finished. “I have to collaborate with the artist, the stylist and the rest of the glam team to conceptualise the story we want to tell,” she explains. “That’s how the perfect manicure comes together.” We asked Sterling to talk us through the manicures for this year’s Met Gala.

Read more: Met Gala 2025 Red Carpet

Alicia Keys

“For Alicia, we wanted her nails to echo the elegance of her suit: clean, polished, and deeply personal. We matched the nail colour to the exact shade of her suit and added sleek extensions for a touch of glam. The standout detail were custom buttons on each nail, identical to the ones on her suit, engraved with her initials and her husband’s.”

Paloma Elsesser

“For Paloma’s Met Gala look, we went hyper-real. Her character is a futuristic dandy caught in a time capsule, which called for something uncanny and unexpected. I custom-mixed a yellow cream gel with hints of brown, white, and clear to mimic the tones of her natural nail plate, layering it beneath extensions for depth. Then I feathered in the faintest brown lines across the top to push the realism even further.”

Adut Akech

“For Adut’s look, she was completely covered in Swarovski, so we kept the nails refined and understated – natural across the board, with a single flash on the ring finger, encrusted in Swarovski crystals. Quiet elegance to complement the full shimmer.”

Ashley Graham

“For Ashley, we went with a clean, refined nail, a quiet restraint that paired beautifully with her tailored suit-gown hybrid. The look was a modern take on dandyism: minimal makeup, slicked-back hair, and quiet confidence.”

Chappell Roan

“For Chappell Roan’s Met Gala moment, we drew inspiration directly from the swatches her design team shared – layering rich textures, bold pinks, and metallic finishes. Using OPI, we created a sculptural pink jade eye at the centre of each nail, framed by a striking outline of pink, metallic and white. The result is a futuristic and femme nail moment.”

Jerry Lorenzo

“I’ve been working with Jerry Lorenzo for years, and together we’ve defined a signature look. For this Met Gala moment, we kept it understated but elevated: a clean buffed manicure with a hit of 24K gold chrome on the thumbs only. It’s his signature flex – minimal and precise.”

Hailey Bieber

“For the pearlised effect on Hailey’s hands, I custom-mixed Funny Bunny, Top Coat Tin Man Can, and Put it in Neutral to get that soft, luminous finish.”

Anok Yai

“With Anok, the statement was all about extreme length; long, sculptural nails that commanded attention. We kept the color minimal to let the form do the talking. She wore gloves on the carpet for that polished drama, but her after-party look let the nails come out to play – fun, sexy, and totally unapologetic.”