Ah, the ponytail. It’s fun and effortless and youthful--but sometimes to a fault. To look less like a little kid on the way to soccer practice and more like a chic-as-hell grown woman, we like to take styling notes from some of the fabulous women rocking it in various iterations below.
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Hamilton star Renée Elise Goldsberry proves that sometimes no frills are necessary to make a statement. Her straightforward, mid-height pony is elegant and refined and lets the rest of her look do the talking.
Sure, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is a supermodel and, as such, can pull off pretty much anything, but this sleek, tightly pulled ponytail (with a segment of hair wrapped around for good measure) doesn’t require a model’s bone structure to achieve.
Glam incarnate Laverne Cox’s sideswept pony is loose without being messy. She wears hers with a middle part, but we also love this look when parted to the side.
You may not be into the bubbled end of this fashion-forward pony, but you can’t deny Alicia Vikander’s sweet Bohemian roots. To do this one, start with some messy French twists on one side of your part, and then work your way down the nape of your neck, where you can tie the 'do off (or wrap around more elastic for the aforementioned bubbles).
A high ponytail is like an instant face-lift. It just pulls everything back and looks super flattering on most faces. Here, Christina Applegate adds a little pizzazz to hers by teasing a bit at the crown for some volume and letting the pony be similarly messy.
Blake Lively, on the other hand, goes for a slicked-back version of the same look. Her ponytail is wrapped and sky-high, but there isn’t a single hair out of place. Make sure to have a lot of hairspray on hand for this one.
