Ponies on the catwalk
Illawarra Mercury
Wednesday March 30, 2011
The ponytail is one of the top trends for the season says KATE McILWAIN. If catwalk trends at the recent L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival are anything to go by, the hottest hairstyle of next season will be the good old ponytail.But these are not just any scraped-back ponies. The new styles are all about shine, texture and volume and it takes a little extra work to get the right look, says art director Peter Thomsen from Shellharbour's Chelsea Hair.Thomsen has been chosen as a L'Oreal session stylist this year, which means he will be attending all the different fashion shows around the country. When we speak, he's just returned from the Melbourne Fashion Festival, where he worked behind the scenes on a number of catwalks.He says hairstyles ranged from brushed out waves to flowing voluminous hair, but the standout styles were three variations on a slicked back ponytail."The biggest trend was definitely the ponytail. It was pretty much about textured ponies, you were seeing very sleek, shiny bases with the actual ponytail hanging very straight, which was a very dry, sleek looking ponytail."And I enjoyed the Alex Perry show the most, where we wound in hair-pieces for all the girls then cut it off very blunt looking. It looked amazing with his collection."Thomsen says these minimal but beautiful styles that swept every scrap of hair away from the face helped to take the focus back to the clothes and were perfect for combining with fashion trends like asymmetrical dresses, textured jackets and flowing silk gowns."We're seeing hair a lot slicker with much cleaner lines, so you're really looking at the clothing. The hair wasn't a strong feature, but it was so beautifully done."As for make-up matches, the ponytails at LMFF were combined with anything from natural blush-toned make-up, lush berry lips or smoky purple cats-eyes (as seen on Alex Perry's catwalk).Thomsen says the ponytail is extremely versatile and can be adapted to many occasions."A ponytail can be worn through the day, pulled back quite tight with a bit of texture, and you can even wear a textured pony to the beach. For our changing climate it's a classic, versatile style," Thomsen says. "Then for the evening the look is more polished and sleek."Although these ponies work best on those with long tresses, girls with short or medium-length hair can easily get the essence of this style by applying volumising mousse and hair gloss and slicking their hair back.Thomsen also suggests taking the ponytail lower, towards the nape of the neck, so that it remains neat and sleek.Girls with curls can also interpret the style, especially the textured pony, by blow-drying their curls into a straightened wave, slicking their hair back with mousse and using straightening irons to work with their natural texture.Peter Thomsen's tip for a perfect ponyMake sure you get the ponytail as tight as possible. Hold your palm flat against your scalp as you tie the pony and tilt your head slightly back so you don't get any loose, baggy sections at the nape of the neck.Slicked-back fishboneAs seen on the Sportsgirl National Graduate Showcase runwayWhat you need: volumising mousse, gel hair gloss, elastic bands, hair pins and hair straightener.Good for making a statement: take the extra time with this style to glam up a simple dress or set it off with embellished shoulders or an asymmetrical neck-line.1. Start with the textured pony, as featured below.2. Divide the ponytail in half and create two even fishbone plaits.3. Tease the plaits out with your fingers to create full, messy texture.4. Using hair pins, pin the plaits up around the base of the pony.Textured ponyAs seen on Runway 2, LMFF Designer Award presentation by Vogue and WoolmarkWhat you need: volumising mousse, gel hair gloss, elastic band, hair pin and hair straightener.Good for every day: wear it on the weekend, mess it up for the beach or add some extra shine for a night out.1. Apply mousse to dry hair.2. Using an elastic band tie hair into a tight ponytail level with the ears. Take a small piece of hair from under the ponytail and wrap around to conceal the elastic, secure with a hair pin.3. Draw lines of mousse over the crown of the head and pat the mousse into the hair. This will contrast with the dry-textured ponytail.4. Use straightening irons to create a slight kink through the mid-lengths and ends and use a light hair gloss for extra shine.Sleek ponyAs seen on Alex Perry's runwayWhat you need: volumising mousse, gel hair gloss, shine spray, elastic bands, hair pins and hair straightener.Good for when you want to be perfectly polished: make an impact at an important work meeting or when you're heading straight out to drinks on a Friday night.1. Mix volumising mousse and hair gloss in your hand and apply to hair.2. Pull hair back in line with ears and secure with an elastic band. Take a small piece of hair from the bottom of the ponytail and wrap tightly around to hide the elastic, secure with hair pin.3. Iron the mid-lengths and ends of hair perfectly straight.4. Apply shine spray all over to give a mirror-like finish.
© 2011 Illawarra Mercury
