School Is Very Much In Session With Olive & June’s Fall Collection

Whether you're headed back to class or returning to the office, consider school very much back in session. Olive & June's fall collection is here, and it has all of the autumnal energy we're craving.

"Our community is obsessed with fall and it's probably the launch they look forward to the most," says Olivia Van Iderstine, Olive & June's vice president of content and creative. Taking its cues from the season, the versatile set contains a range of options ranging from neutrals to richer cool tones. And that's not the only seasonally-inspired part of the collection.

"All the shades are named for classes, sort of like how we would look forward to seeing what our schedule is and what our teachers are — we really leaned into that excitement," explains Van Iderstine of the lineup of six brand-new shades. As extra credit, the brand has also made some small yet significant improvements to the collectible box itself (which has been reimagined in a scholarly, uniform-inspired plaid) as well as to Olive University, the brand's online education hub for all things at-home mani-related. In lieu of the paper insert (which clients would mistakenly toss in the bin), a printed panel on the box has all the info you need for salon-perfect nails, every time. "I call it the CliffsNotes, the open-book test on the side of the box to walk you through your mani," she explains, staying true to the scholarly theme of the collection.

Ahead, Van Iderstine takes us through the entire covetable collection and dishes on the inspiration behind each new hue.

Ready to take your mani to the next level? Get everything you need in the Fall Box Mani System. Along with all six shades of the new collection, you'll get all the tools and accessories for the perfect at-home mani. Also included is a limited-edition notebook for you to jot down your to-do lists, bon mots, and more.

"Every collection is a balance," Van Iderstine says. "We want to make sure there’s something for everyone; we look at it as half neutrals and half bolder, richer hues, where we get to have a bit of fun."

"Our community is obsessed with purple — I’ve never seen anything like it," says Van Iderstine. "Art Class is a funky, muted eggplant colour, and our first really cool-toned true purple." True to its namesake, Art Class is a true original: Eye-catching enough for those who like bolder nails, but still muted enough to wear even in a buttoned-up office setting.

"Social Studies is our take on navy," says Van Iderstine. "We call it a sun-bleached navy, inspired by the perfect sweatshirt you’ve had for years — the one that’s so soft, and maybe belonged to someone in your family."

"We’ve also always wanted to do a hunter green and fall just felt like the perfect moment," Van Iderstine says of Geometry, the hue seen here. "We don’t have a ton of greens in our collection yet." Van Iderstine also provided some insight into their naming process. When possible, she likes to give subtle hints about the colour of the polish with the name. In this case, Geometry sharing the same first letter as its polish colour, green.

"Chemistry — again “C," for cream — is a cool-toned version of the peachier, sandy colours we have," says Van Iderstine. "We never make [nude] colours for skin tones. We don’t believe in that. Whatever colour you like is the one that looks the best on you." And while Olive & June's expansive offerings of neutrals may bring to mind the famous The Devil Wears Prada scene in which an editor holds up two similar turquoise belts, the truth is that there are endless nuances in the land of beiges and greiges. "In the neutral space, it's like, 'Where’s that person’s dream shade that we haven’t made yet?'"

"Study Hall is perfect if you love HZ," says Van Iderstine of this vintage rose" shade. Early predictions? "This one will be a slam dunk."

"World Lit is our true mauve — equal parts pink, purple, and grey," says Van Iderstine. "It’s such a romantic colour in the way that world literature takes you away on a fantastical journey."

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