There are few hairstyles out there as divisive as the low ponytail; one viral tweet reading, “Sometimes my low pony looks cute, but sometimes I look like a young man in colonial America eager to start his woodworking apprenticeship,” amassed thousands upon thousands of likes and retweets for its relatability. It’s either the ultimate effortless hairstyle or it’s giving little lad.
Well, going by the beauty at New York Fashion Week this season, the low ponytail is back. The promising news? There are several different versions for you to try.
The trend first popped up last Wednesday at the Cult Gaia show. Models walked through a shower of flower petals, their hair tied into a low ponytail-like “Infinite Knot.” Designed by hairstylist Karim Belghiran (who used Tresemmé and a whole lot of extensions to get the look), it felt both undone and purposeful.
The next day, at TWP, Joey George created a look he calls “The Fold.” After prepping with Oribe products and diffusing with a Laifen hair dryer, he pulled the hair back with a bronze clip—creating the lowest, loosest ponytail possible.
“I was inspired by the artist and painter Georgia O’Keefe,” George explains. “The hair reflects Georgia’s minimalist style and is created to be undone, restrained, yet sculptural.”
At Tory Burch, the designer cited her inspiration for the collection as “the joy of getting dressed.” When it came to hair, Guido Palau translated that brief into to a sleek middle part, hair bound at mid-length with a simple black ponytail holder. And so, the trend was born… and kept growing.
“I’m very into the low ponytail right now,” hair lead and Aveda stylist Antoinette Beenders said backstage at Maria McManus. “Whether it’s tied with their actual hair, a ponytail, or knotted, it almost feels like it’s this new tuck or something.” The tuck she’s referring to is the fashion-favorite Olsen Tuck, executed by tucking your hair under a statement fashion item.
Luckily for us all, there are many ways to low pony (and we’ll likely see more as Fashion Week travels to London, Paris, and Milan). Vogue senior fashion writer Hannah Jackson put TWP’s styling to the test while attending the Tibi show, using a tortoiseshell hair clip (gifted by her mom!) to hold her hair into place all day long.
“People instantly recognized the look,” Jackson says. “I got so many compliments.” Trend—and pony—secured.
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