Argyle Sweater Nails Are The Coziest Manicure Trend To Ring In Winter

Every year, winter fashion is defined by a handful of specific prints. Lighthearted gingham gives way to complex plaid, with its crisscross of graphic lines and harmonious colours, while playful florals are replaced by more serious herringbone and houndstooth. This winter, however, one print is taking over everything. Enter: argyle — and it’s coming for your manicure, too.

With overlapping diamonds and clever use of negative space, argyle occupies a cozy space between harlequin and plaid. Inspired by the tartan of Scotland’s Clan Campbell, it’s a classic winter knit, but this season it’s bigger than ever, popping up everywhere from Zara to Sandro. It was only a matter of time before manicurists drew from the pattern. Head to Instagram, and you’ll see that the biggest nail art trend this winter is, in fact, argyle. 

Oksana Zavora, a Milan-based creative nail artist, is one professional who has been inundated with likes and comments since fashioning this set for content creator Sarah Stasi. “Trendy nail designs are definitely influenced by fashion trends,” she tells Refinery29, “so this one already felt like an obvious success from the start.”

Session manicurist Ami Streets agrees that argyle is the perfect cozy season crossover nail art: “We’ve been seeing knitted textures and heritage patterns in street style and on the runway,” she says, adding, “The combination of nostalgic prints in rich and contemporary colorways, (especially in earthy tones like chocolate, brown, and burgundy) translates really well to this fun winter nail look.” 

Zavora continues, “No matter the season, my color palette often naturally leans toward browns and those cozy ‘fall’ shades, so when my client came in with screenshots of argyle sweaters, I instantly knew it would turn into something amazing.”

Unless you consider yourself a dab hand with a nail art brush, this one is best left to the professionals. “When you create designs completely from scratch, the most important part is trusting the process,” says Zavora. In other words, you just have to let your nail tech wing it. Oh, and gel polish — cured after each step — is your best bet to keep the colours crisp and long-lasting. 

Streets says it’s all about building the pattern in stages. “This includes layering lines and colors. Using sheer and opaque shades together gives the design that ‘woven’ feel and stops the print looking flat, mimicking the depth you get in real knitwear.” An ultra-fine detail brush is essential, says Streets, especially for creating the graphic lines. “These are probably the trickiest details to perfect,” she says.

To create the black and white stripes on her clients’ nails, Zavora says she first drew a dark line across the nail, then hand-painted the white stitches on top to mimic the fuzzy texture of a sweater. 

On her recent argyle manicure, Zavora says, “I’m super nerdy about details, and I’m always focused on perfecting the final result, so this set was definitely a fun challenge! A lot of lines, layering of colors and shapes, some patience, and voilà — argyle nails.”

If Instagram is anything to go by, the argyle nail trend is set to blow up this winter. Here’s all the inspiration you’ll need for your next salon visit.

This teal and cherry argyle print created by Amy Jackson is accented with silver glitter, mimicking fine threads. 

Dreamed up by Emi Aoki, this mint, white, and silver argyle is perfectly framed by teal cat-eye nails, creating a sea glass effect. 

The cranberry red and crisp white tones make this argyle-esque set perfect for the festive season. Created by @daomnail_ on Instagram, the pattern is slightly simpler than others here but still delivers maximum impact.

This diamond argyle manicure, created by @lacquerbylydia, is offset by graphic shapes, studs, aura effects, raised gel details, and a deep French tip. With so much going on, what’s not to love?

This indigo argyle pattern, complete with golden threads, looks so good on a nude base with a classic almond-shaped nail. 

Nail artist Matin proves you can’t ever go wrong with layered neutrals — whether that’s clothes or manicures. 

Argyle print is just as chic on shorter nails, as proven here by AKYISH nail salon.