the posh pony; The chicest look for spring is also the easiest.

Byline: Sarah Brown

The last thing anyone wants is beauty-queen hair." This is Jimmy Paul speaking. The same Jimmy Paul who, as Bumble and Bumble's star stylist in residence, has been responsible for more than his share of showstoppingly perfect Beauty Queen Hair-to appreciative nods, eruptions of flashbulbs-at fashion shows from New York to Paris and Milan over the last fifteen years. But not this season. What happened? Well, the makeup changed-there was essentially none, with the exception of Technicolor lips slicked in shades of cherry and Schiaparelli pink-and the clothes did, too, ushering in a new age of luxe minimalism. It all left little room for last season's acres of indulgent romantic waves. So what exactly do you wear with an understated yet dangerously chic wardrobe and a brighter-than-bright lip? Enter the ponytail. But not just any pony. Let's call it the posh pony.

"At this minute, a ponytail is a great way to look pulled together. There's something sexy, soft, very healthy about it. There's a certain ease that feels right," says Paul, who cites Brigitte Bardot ("I love those set ponies") and Gwyneth Paltrow ("that horsey, well-bred thing") as standout ambassadors of the style.

And though it may be the easiest hairstyle to pull off (have a rubber band? A bit of Mokuba ribbon?), as the spring runways revealed, the ponytail goes way beyond its sporty, Ivy League roots. "Within its simplicity, there are all these different variations, and they all give indications to what kind of woman you are-from casual to dominatrix," says Redken stylist Guido Palau. Exhibit A: the low, tight, trim, side-parted Prada ponytail, which its creator, Palau, describes as "done to an exact point-