Trick Ponies.(hairstyles)(Brief Article)

Trick Ponies

Reach for an elastic -- the perfect simple hairstyle is now sexy, too. By Danielle Pergament

Women have long had ambivalent feelings about the ponytail: We love that it's fast; we hate that it's boring. And when a hairstylist raves about the "effortless chic" of a ponytail, as Eugene Souleiman did at the recent Dolce & Gabbana show, it can seem like a chef talking about the "colorless brilliance" of an ice cube. Yes, truly effortless ponytails -- the ones that serve only to pull hair back -- look like they came right off the soccer field. But subtle embellishments -- a teased crown, a small twist, or a piece of hair wrapped around the elastic -- can make a ponytail look more elegant than utilitarian, as Beyonce, J.Lo, and Gwyneth have all demonstrated. "The challenge is to create a ponytail that is beautiful but isn't trying too hard," says Souleiman. "It should look like it didn't take more than five minutes and you're not aware of how perfectly it swings in ...