When Vogue's Anna Wintour made her Instagram debut last month by posting a photo of herself -- and her very bare, very short nails -- hoisting her hefty September issue, she effectively dealt nail art the death knell.

Lots of folks are over the whole fussy nail thang anyway. Too much, too crazy, too tacky, you name it, some people think it's simply pulled a Fonzie and jumped that old shark.

Others, the diehards, beg to differ. Maybe it's the economy (cheaper beauty products tend to thrive when money's tight), maybe it's the Gaga factor, maybe some chicks just dig having complex designs on their nails.

That, as "they" say is what makes horse races.

Despite the race, at Vanity Projects, a "nail art atelier" on New York's Lower East Side, the "trend" is very much alive and much, much more intricate and elaborate than your run of the mill renditions.

READ: We Swore We'd Never Do Another Nail Art Gallery But Check These Out

In places like this, as The Daily Beast says, the art "has begun to take a more high-art spin, with images by world-renowned artists -- think Roy Lichtenstein, Warhol, and Haring -- being translated intricately onto pinkie fingers."

The rationale? According to Mei, a very popular nail artist who has more than 7,500 Instagram followers, it's simple. "People love art," she explains. "Nails are just another canvas."

What say you? Is this kind of art as dead as a doornail? Or is it still cool?

READ: 30 Best Nail Art Designs (for the 30+ Set)