Tortoiseshell nails are the hot new fashion trend for fall

Every now and then, a huge new fashion trend surges through public consciousness and just completely takes over.

I'm thinking athleisure, skinny jeans, massive hair in the 80s, flares in the 60s and 70s and that time in the 90s when everyone wore a scrunchie on their wrist for some unfathomable reason.

But standing firm throughout all of these trends and five-minute wonders has been the tortoiseshell design. Sunglasses and glasses, bags and combs, the tortoiseshell pattern has seemingly been around forever, thanks to its versatility.

Watch Britney put on an epic fashion show on Instagram:

But have you ever considered painting a tortoiseshell pattern on your nails? No? Well you might now, after it emerged that the design had become veritably de rigueur on Instagram.

Rita Pinto, founder of nail salon Vanity Projects says of the style;

"What’s great about this look is that it’s easy enough to try at home, as there is room for error and it will still look good.

"At the salon, we would do this in gel to encapsulate the layers of color to capture the translucency of the tortoiseshell and finish with a high-gloss top coat."

Intrigued? Interested? Mildly bemused? Take a look at some of the best examples of the trendy new nail style for yourself:

And if you really want to go all out with the tortoiseshell thing, you could match your nails to your sunglasses or specs:

Personally, I think they look pretty awesome, and I can definitely see how they're an appropriate trend for fall.

So what do you think? Will you be trying out this new nail style, or is it a case of one fashion trend too many?

H/T: Glamour