Nails are getting a new look for fall 2011. Gone are the days of short, neat nails. Fall 2011 nails are going to new lengths; long lengths. Over the past four years nails have been short and sweet; which has been in line with the dark nail polish colors that have been du rigueur of late. Short fingernails have been the perfect canvas for dark colors. Nail polish does not chip as easily or quickly when nails are short; allowing dark colors to last longer than if they were painted on long nails.

Although dark polish is still very much the look for fall, nails are turning up their nose to practicality and going long; very long. The long fingernail is back and reminding Fashionistas of days when they needed to use a pencil to hit the buttons on their calculator.

The shape of the tip of the nail is very important for fall too. The shape of the tip needs to be very distinct in the form of squared off, sharply pointed or well rounded.  Celebrities such as Fergie, Rihanna and Lady Gaga have been spotted wearing the new length in fingernails with very pointed tips.

Will this bring fashion-savvy nail polish lovers back to having tips applied? Perhaps. It should be interesting to see if this new look in nail length makes it off the runways, red carpets, stages, pages of glossy magazines and onto the hands of the fabulously fashionable.