From casual to elegant, ponytails work for every occasion

THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 2006
From casual to
elegant, ponytails
work for
every occasion
Heads with ’tails
SENSE OF STYLE
Jill Radsken
he ponytail’s been down, but it was never out. In the same
classic category as fashion’s great white shirt, the timeless
‘tail is back in place among the stylish this spring.
“The ponytail isn’t fireworks, but it’s always subtle (and)
it always works,” said Guido Palau, Redken’s top stylist, who
sent ponytails down the spring runway for Prada and Louis
Vuitton. “It’s the perfect solution to a lot of things.”
For starters, the ponytail solves the how-do-I-wear-myhair dilemma for both day and night. Palau said ponytails can
look casual to glamorous, depending on three things: where
you place your part, where you place the pony and the products you use to style it.
“Within its simplicity there’s a lot of variation,” he said.
Placed high on the back of the head, the ponytail can look
very young, he said, while the blown-out version can be very
glamorous, a la J. Lo. Worn low beneath the occipital bone,
the pony look is more casual.
At Avanti salon earlier this week, owner Stephen “Alex”
Iacobacci and his staff were crafting all sorts of ponytails,
from a slicked back one set while wet to an easy side pony
for the girl on the run.
Iacobacci said the dominant pony — one he saw in triplicate the other night while out to dinner — seems to be the
messy-posing-as-clean ponytail.
“You don’t want it to look frizzy, but you do want it to
look messy,” he said.
To achieve this, he suggested pulling the hair back to the
middle of the back of the head with your fingers (girls with
curly hair should spray their hair with a shine product such as
Rene Furterer’s Fixation Souple beforehand).
The bed-head pony works well high and low on the head,
just not on the side, Iacobacci said.
“You don’t want to look like Chrissy from ‘Three’s
Company,’”he said.
Not unless you want a future pushing Thighmasters.
T
HIGH FASHION: Guido Palau creates
ponytails with a twist. The Redken stylist
calls them ‘the perfect solution to a lot of
things.’
SHE’S ALL SET: Ponies can go from
casual to glam in a flash, depending on
styling products and where you place
your part.
FIT TO BE TIED BACK: Jacquelyn Lerner shows off her glam, messy-posing-as-clean
ponytail at Avanti salon. Avanti owner Stephen ‘Alex’ lacobacci says this look is
extremely hot right now.
BUDDING STYLE: A pony placed high on the
back of the head offers a youthful look.
TAKING SIDES: Avanti stylist Omid designs a relaxed pony for his client Carolyn. It’s a perfect style
for the girl on the go.
MAKING WAVES: Rachel Ayers sports a bed-head ponytail created for her by
stylist Giovanni at Avanti Girls with curly hair are advised to use a shine
spray before embarking on a ‘tail such as this.