The Return of the Ponytail

The ponytail is back…and it’s better than ever. It’s becoming a go-to style for the fashion elite—John Barrett recently opened Barrett’s Ponytail Bar in his chic New York salon, for instance—and if we learned one thing at Spring/Summer 2013 Fashion Week, it’s that the trendy-again style will be sticking around for a while. On the runways, hairdressers got creative and updated the basic pony in myriad ways...high, low, textured, neat, shiny, matte...so there was literally a pony for every fashion personality.

At Marc Jacobs, Redken Creative Consultant Guido created an Edie-Sedgwick 1960s-inspired pony with a teased, tousled finish. “This is a styled-then-slept-in look,” he says. “The height around the face is enough to highlight the features, but is not over-the-top.” Guido created the show-stopping volume and texture with his Fashion Week go-to product—Redken quick tease 15.

When Michelle Obama is a fan of your clothes, you know the designs are incredibly chic. That's certainly the case for designer Laura Smalls, and the hair story at her show was no different. KEVIN.MURPHY stylist David Glover created clean, straight ponytails that draped sensually over the models’ shoulders—and while the style was beautiful, David reveals it was also functional. “For the designer, the back of the clothing was very important to showcase,” he explains. “This style kept hair from obscuring details on the clothing while enhancing her feminine pieces.” The hair swept across the face at the front to give the look shape, but still maintained clean lines. David used KEVIN.MURPHY Anti.Gravity Spray, Young.Again, and Session.Spray to achieve the look.

The Reem Acra ponytail, created by Rutger for René Furterer, struck a balance between elegance and toughness. “We wanted to come up with a style that was not overstated, but with something extra to give the look character,” Rutger explains. “The look we decided on was a variation on the ponytail. The clean, tight sides and lift at the top of the head work together to give the simple style more power and character.” Rutger relied on René Furterer Vegetal Mousse for volume, Vegetal Scuplting Gel for shine, Vegetal Styling Wax for polish and Vegetal Finishing Spray for hold.

Designer Stacey Bendet for Alice + Olivia was inspired by the classic, lady-like femininity of 1950s America, and the low-slung ponytails created by L’Oréal Professionnel Session Artist Benjamin Mohapi captured that mid-century mood to a T. “It’s positive, energetic and super feminine,” says Benjamin, who sprayed L’Oréal Professionnel Infinium 3 hairspray on a low ponytail then curled it section by section with a large-barrel curling iron for a flirtatious flip.

Lela Rose fashions called for a soft and natural look, so Ted Gibson delivered a downtown chic knotted style that complemented the ease of the collection perfectly. “I didn’t want it to look too polished,” Ted says, “so I pulled half the knot out into a loosely textured pony.” To achieve the look, he prepped with his Build It blow drying agent and twisted random sections of hair while blow-drying to create texture. He parted the hair in the center then pulled it into a pony, twisting the hair until it coiled into a C-shaped bun. Ted secured the hair with pins then gently pulled out pieces from the bottom of the bun.

For their collection, designers Timo Weiland and Alan Eckstein were inspired by The Brooklyn Art Museum’s exhibit on Keith Haring, an artist whose work responded to the New York City street culture in the 1980s. “There is a lot of zig-zag patterns in the collection,” says L’Oréal Professionnel Portfolio Artist Joseph DiMaggio. He interpreted those lines with a modern take on crimped hair—an iconic look during the 1980s—and created a hip-hop ponytail with a mock corn row French braid. Joseph prepped hair with L’Oréal Professionnel Mythic Oil Reinforcing Milk then smoothed it with a flat iron before parting from ear to ear and securing into a high ponytail. Hair at the crown was sleekly crisscrossed like a braid leading into the ponytail, which was then crimped for texture.

The brief for Angel Sanchez called for a structured, modern look and KEVIN.MURPHY stylist David Glover fashioned a slicked-smooth look that was harder in front and knotted into a loose tail in back. “From the front, the hair aligned with the designer’s geometric vision and graphic, bold jewelry,” explains David. “From the back, the look is soft and feminine for a youthful, delicate counterpoint.” He used Body.Builder through the hair to boost volume, Anti.Gravity through the top and sides, and Texture.Master to finish the look.


Another fresh update on the ponytail debuted at the Reed Krakoff show thanks to Guido. Raking hair back into a pony after an all-over application of Redken All Soft Argan-6 oil, Guido said this wet, glossy look furthered reinforced the “jewel trend” he said is beginning to emerge, to be interpreted with either full-on roots-to-ends shine, or “just a touch” around the hairline. “I imagine the Reed Krakoff woman to be urban, sophisticated and modern,” he says. She's a bit sporty, and she’s also strong. This hairstyle doesn't have a period reference; as with the newly-launched Reed Krakoff line itself, there's no real past, only the future. It's nice sometimes to create a style that only looks forward—like in my mind, many American women themselves.”