If you’re anything like us, you’ve already finished all the latest episodes of The Crown that recently dropped on Netflix. The sixth and final season of the hit series follows the British royal family through the decades, with the newest season focusing on the ’90s and 00s, and heavily featuring Princess Diana. Every season is ripe with fashion inspo from the monarchy, but considering Diana is such a style icon, we were playing closer attention to the clothes and beauty this time around.
Australian actor Elizabeth Debicki portrays Diana in the show, and not only is she a spitting image of the icon, she also wears her signature style like it’s her own. She looks right at home in Diana’s chunky sweaters, quaffs her hair in the same fluffy pixie, and keeps her nails manicured with Di’s longtime favorite manicure—a classic ’90s French tip.
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Obviously, The People’s Princess didn’t invent the manicure, but her influence did help to make the classic nail look the go-to mani for the ’90s.
In particular, Princess Di preferred a a squared-off, short white French tip with a sheer pink base. She wore this look to exclusive family events, royal visits, public appearances, and community service projects time and time again. This is the style that’s nearly exclusively on Debicki’s fingers as she reenacts holidays in the South of France and intimate never-before-seen moments with her family in London.
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After the early 2000s, the French manicure fell out of style and was considered dated and even a little trashy. However, over the past few years it came back with a vengeance, starting with a classic French tip and evolving into countless different versions, including muted, baby, “Skittles” colored, star-covered, chrome and matte . Which makes sense, as celebrity nail artist Sonya Belakhlef previously told us that the look “is an incredibly versatile, fun, and classic look that can be tweaked for new looks easily.” Continuing, “it can be very elegant or very edgy, depending on the color used, the shape of the nails, or even the length.”
Diana’s favorite take on the trend has held the test of time and is still as classy and chic in 2023 as it was back then. If you want to recreate the look, it’s easier than you might think, and we have you covered with the step-by-step instructions to channel everyone’s favorite princess.
First, like every manicure, start by removing any lingering nail polish with nail polish remover. Then, cut and file your nails to the classic Princess Di shape—short and square. After that, apply oil to your cuticles to soften and push them back. Wipe clean, then buff the surface of your nail for an even bed and apply your favorite base coat.
After that, paint your base. For a peak ’90s moment, go with a sheer pink polish like OPI’s Mod About You ($12) and paint one even coat on each nail. Let the base dry completely, then stencil out your square tips with tape. Paint a coat of white (try OPI’s Funny Bunny, $12) over the stencil and peel off to dry.
Once your mani has dried completely seal it in with a layer of your favorite top coat and a dollop of nail oil for health. Then, your nails will practically be royalty.