The Perfect Manicure To Nail The Mob Wife Aesthetic

We never thought we'd see the day, but the understated quiet luxury aesthetic that's been so prominent in the 2020s is being replaced by a look from deep in the recesses of the noughties: the mob wife aesthetic. This trend is the antithesis of minimalist dressing: It's loud, bold, and blingy, and it's full of chunky yellow gold and animal prints. After this audacious energy inspired designers like Roberto Cavalli and John Galliano around the turn of the millennium, it seemed to disappear forever before unapologetically returning on TikTok in early 2024. If you really want to banish your inner clean girl and pull off the mob wife aesthetic to embrace your inner Elvira Hancock, you'll need a matching manicure.

The basic version of these nails simply calls for a long, square shape with a white French tip. However, you can easily bring this retro style into the modern era with a few simple updates, while still maintaining the feel of a woman married to the mob.

The classic Carmela Soprano French nail typically has a deep French tip that cuts straight across the nail, rather than tapering at the center. You can make the mob wife aesthetic your own by going for the long French square nail and combining it with a more modern French tip. Go for a V-cut or pointed French design to bring this trend into the 2020s, while maintaining the signature pink and white combo that our favorite mob wives loved. 

The mob wife aesthetic naturally lends itself to bold, maximalist styles, but you can still get this look if you prefer to keep things subtle. Again, we're making mob wife nails more modern by going for a cleaner, smaller tip than the deep French we usually associate with this aesthetic. You don't need to change the shape of your white tip here; just make it thinner, along the lines of a baby French manicure. As long as you keep the square shape, this remains a mob-approved look.

Experimenting with a thinner French tip certainly makes this manicure more modern, but keeping that deep French style is a lot of fun. Besides, you can still give a contemporary edge to a thicker French tip by going for a round shape. Just try to avoid a tapered almond or oval silhouette, as they're a little too modern and the vintage aesthetic you're going for may get lost in translation.

Movie and TV mob wives have most often been seen with their particular brand of French nails, but a solid color can help you embody this look, too. Director Martin Scorsese is known to use red to symbolize violence and lust, so classic red is fitting. In "Casino," mob wife Ginger McKenna is seen sporting both solid red nails and also red French tips, so either can help you rock this aesthetic. Just keep them square!

If you like the idea of red but want to make your mob wife nails slightly less predictable, pivot to a velvety maroon. Adriana La Cerva of "The Sopranos" went for these a few times throughout the series, again staying true to the golden rule of "square and silky" (rather than the more contemporary matte and stiletto). If you don't like maroon, you could also try a cooler burgundy or even a navy to get a similar effect.