American Apparel has expanded their nail lacquer line up with 12 new shades. We were fans of the original collection — Lisa loved Office and for me it was Palm Springs. The new shades take inspiration from simple and straightforward elements of both Angeleno and global culture. Echo Park, a new shade of concrete grey, and MacArthur Park, a muted mossy yellow, both reference neighborhoods where the company first opened stores and where many of its employees live. Others, like Trenchcoat and Army Jacket, are nods to iconic garments and their evocative, eponymous tones.

“Nail polish is our favorite category for exploring color. We planned on releasing only six new shades, but we felt so strongly about all of these that we decided to release a full dozen. Its difficult to pick a favorite–they all compliment wardrobes in different ways. We can’t wait to see the looks people create with them,” said Marsha Brady, a creative director for American Apparel.

Like the original collection, the brush makes the polish easy to apply and streak free. They are also DBP, toluene and formaldehyde-free

For Spring we saw ankle, and knee length socks making a statement on the runway. I love the way this looks particularly with platforms.  This trend easily takes you into cooler temps, and can later be replaced by the vast array of tights that are hitting the shops as we speak.

American Apparel has ventured into the beauty industry, the newly launched nail polish collection features 18 colors and is DBP, toluene and formaldehyde-free. According to the PR Newswire, each of the 18 colors in the primary offering evokes an important part of American Apparel. One is the color of raw cotton, while another — a minty green color called Office — was matched to the color of an accounting notepad found on the seventh floor of American Apparel’s headquarters. Factory Grey is the actual shade used to paint all floors of the company’s manufacturing operations, while Hassid – dark black – is a nod to American Apparel’s Jewish roots. Even the collection’s custom shade of red, “Downtown LA”, took the area where the factory is located as its inspiration.

“We think this nail polish captures what American Apparel is all about — a Made in the USA, high-quality product in a beautiful range of colors. It’s a venture of families in manufacturing, from the factory in which the polish is made to the Nail Lacquer logo created by Dov’s uncle, the noted graphic designer Israel Charney,” said Marsha Brady, a creative director for American Apparel.

American Apparel Nail Lacquer is priced at $6 per bottle and is available in a 3-pack for $15. It will be sold at American Apparel stores worldwide as well as online. I’ve tried and tested the jade colour and I’m a fan, are you?