Vena Cava Backstage: Nail Polish Reinvented

Front of house at Vena Cava, the guests were indulging in a bit of nostalgia by rocking out to grunge and flipping through zines, but backstage, the '90s vibe was so thick you could cut it with a Fiona Apple LP. With club-kid glitter eyes, stringy Kurt Cobain hair, and the kinds of cropped, long, earth-toned duds that dominated Buffy episodes, the backstage atmosphere reminded of all the things we were obsessed with in '94 paired with some new things we hadn't seen before. Of note was their new take on nail polish. Nonie Creme of Butter London painted thin, single and alternating colored rings of Butter London Tramp Stamp, Union Jack Black, Scoundrel, Royal Navy, and soon-to-be launched Fluoro Orange on the upper fingers of models. "It's still nail art," said Creme of the look, "It's like creating jewelry from nail polish, and unlike body makeup, it dries shiny. I'm just really into the no-color nail right now, so I pulled out elements of the collection and put little pops of paint on the skin." Rad. Check out all our backstage snaps, ahead.