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Julia Roberts was on the red carpet while wearing her latest manicure, but she could have been onstage at Lollapalooza in the ‘90s too, as her nail shape and shade of choice was totally rock 'n roll.

Roberts, who glammed it up in a navy-and-black long-sleeved gown and Chopard jewels to promote her movie After the Hunt at the Venice Film Festival, paired her dress not with red carpet mainstay manis like naked nails or a simple milky shade in a light, baby pink or sheer white, but a super-short black nail. Roberts's nails were filed down into a soft square shape and painted either a true black or ultra-, ultra-dark navy to match the colors of the gown.

A long, inky black manicure feels luxurious, but such a short length has a punk-rock attitude that feels so fun and fresh against a high-glam setting like the Venice Film Festival. It adds a little extra edge and toughens up basically any look, especially sparkly, movie-star jewelry and a fabulous dress. And while milky manicures are the definition of versatile, so is a black nail! After all, black goes with everything, right? Wear it with a gown, wear it with jeans, wear it with a Les Paul guitar in hand and a pair of combat boots on your feet!

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Roberts isn't the only Oscar-winning star who has embraced the rock ‘n roll manicure lately. Nicole Kidman also went short and dark at the Balenciaga Haute couture Fall/Winter 2025/2026 show, though her nails appeared to be more of a blackened burgundy versus Roberts’s deep black. Dark nails are a timeless choice, though they have definitely been sidelined in favor of more neutral nail trends these days, so it's fun to see a ‘90s mainstay color like Roberts’s have a moment in the spotlight once again. And she's not a minute too late, as this red carpet mani arrived just in time for fall mani-pedi season!