Dakota Johnson Sets Fall's Biggest Manicure Trend: Brown Sugar Espresso

Dakka Johnson walked Milan Fashion Week with a warm brown manicure that Manucurist Paris CEO Gaëlle Lebrat-Personnaz says is about to become one of fall's biggest nail trends. The actress, long known for soft, neutral shades, has spent recent weeks shifting her entire beauty register toward darker, richer territory — and her nails are the latest proof.

The timing is precise. Earlier this month, Johnson debuted a deeper hair color that her colorist, Tracey Cunningham, named "glossed espresso." At Milan Fashion Week, she carried the coffee theme down to her fingertips with a rich, slightly warm-toned brown that beauty observers have labeled "brown sugar espresso" nails.

Why brown is the shade of the season?

Lebrat-Personnaz, who leads the Paris-based nail brand Manucurist, frames brown as the definitive autumn manicure. "Brown is always a beautiful color to have during autumn," she said. "It's an elevated nude."

That phrase — "an elevated nude" — may explain the shade's momentum. Brown reads natural enough for daily wear while carrying more depth than a conventional neutral. Lebrat-Personnaz also points to the color's emotional pull: the warm shade evokes comfort because of its association with foods like coffee, chocolate, and caramel.

Johnson is not alone in the shift. Anne Hathaway recently debuted her own dark manicure, a shade branded "cherry cocoa" nails. The two actresses moving toward deeper colors within weeks of each other suggests the trend has moved past a single celebrity moment.

The context matters, too. For Johnson, dark nails mark a sharp departure from her typical proclivity for soft, neutral shades. Her recent choices — darker hair, darker nails — show a coordinated move toward richer tones for the cooler months.

How to get the look?

The brown sugar espresso manicure requires little technical skill, according to nail observers tracking the trend. The shade selection is the step that matters most: Johnson chose a rich, slightly warm-toned hue rather than a flat or ashy brown.

The application breaks down into four steps:

• Start with a clear base coat
• Apply two coats of an opaque chestnut shade
• Finish with a shiny topcoat
• Pair the manicure with a favorite fall drink — a shaken brown sugar espresso, for the committed

The formula keeps the look glossy rather than matte, matching the lacquered finish Johnson wore in Milan.

What comes next?

With Johnson and Hathaway both going dark ahead of the season, and a major Paris nail brand's CEO declaring brown the color of autumn, the shade has the runway, the red carpet, and the industry aligned. Expect warm browns — espresso, chestnut, cocoa — to dominate salon menus as fall settles in.