Grammys: Focus on Lorde's finger fashion

Lorde's dark finger fashion had vanished by the time she accepted her first award, but had already taken off on social media. Photo / Getty Images

Lorde may have looked unusually conservative with her Grammys performance outfit, but she still managed to get social media swiftly talking with her unusual choice of nail art.

Lorde accessorised her simple monochrome outfit with inky black-smudged finger-tips during her performance of Royals.

The odd fashion choice quickly prompted its own Twitter account as well as being likened to a symptom of the Black Plague by one US entertainment news website.

Lorde's Fingernails - using the Twitter handle @lordefingernail - has been tweeting updates since her performance.

One of the first tweets posted said: "I would like to thank my thumb and pinky, without them, these black fingertips would not be possible.''

That was followed by: ''@lordemusic can split an atom...with her fingernails. #justthetip''

And: "The #grammy party starts when Lorde's fingernails walk in. #partylikearoyal''

However, the look hasn't exactly gone down well with entertainment reporters, with MTV describing them as "Black Death''.

"During her performance of her hit song Royals, the 17-year-old singer sported black-tipped fingers, which are one of the symptoms of the European pandemic known as the Black Death, or the Black Plague,'' it reported.

The music news giant suggested Lorde was channelling the Ingmar Bergman-directed film, The Seventh Seal, which "takes place during an outbreak of The Black Death'', it said.

Elsewhere, The Huffington Post is taking a poll asking its readers whether the fashion statement is "freakin' fantastic'' or "totally terrifying''.

It was slightly more positive though, describing the look as "bad ass'' and "creative and a bit creepy''.

Lorde had ditched the look when she took to the stage again to collect her award for best pop solo performance.