It sends a “hidden message.”

Flipping someone off isn’t always possible.

There’s the office meeting with inane questions and an inhumane lack of snacks. The first date, where he says, “My type is normally models.” The sixth date, where he says, “I can’t give you what you deserve right now.” And of course in Paris, where cigarettes count as breakfast and looking excited about anything—even fashion!—is super uncool.

Nail artist Marian Newman solved that problem backstage at Mugler, where she created a “Scandal Manicure” with Kure Bazaar that made nails look longer and coded with a not-so-hidden message.

“We’ve gone back to the ’80s at Mugler today, but it’s a bit rough and rude even though there’s a lot of savvy,” she explained. “What we’re doing is an Italian manicure,” where the sides stay nude and the middle gets a stripe of color, or in this case, a streak of high-shine beige gloss against a clear matte base coat.

“Then the middle finger gets a new shade called Scandal, which is a very, very, very blackened red. We thought, when the models go down the catwalk, maybe they can secretly give everyone the finger without actually doing anything!” she laughs. “It’s a hidden message. A private, secret, sophisticated message.”

Much like Mugler’s knee-high vinyl boots, we’re flipping for it.