Kate Middleton basically invented the royal ponytail. The humble hairstyle, once thought to be too athletic and sporty for red carpets and royal families, has been a staple of the Duchess for years. Her version is always polished and perfect, but lately Middleton has even taken her ponytail one step further. Instead of simply pulling her back with an elastic or wrapping the base with a strand of hair, Middleton has been wearing a black velvet elastic affixed with a bow.
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J.Crew Velvet hair tie
Madewell Velvet Bow Hair Tie
CARA Bow Ponytail Holder
L. ERICKSON Large Bow Ponytail Holder
Choosing an elastic with a bow is far easier than trying to secure a ribbon around the base of a ponytail (they almost always unravel and can look sloppy—and Middleton has no time for that). The simple bow in a luxe fabric like velvet or silk instantly elevates an otherwise basic ponytail. Fans are already crediting the bow elastic to J.Crew's $22 version—which is currently on sale for only $15.75. But the Middleton effect is already in full-swing: the best-selling elastic is backordered for several weeks.
Madewell, which is owned by the same parent company as J. Crew, has a nearly identical version that retails for $9.50. and isn't currently sold out.
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Middleton has worn the bow ponytail twice in the last week: once to go visit a UCL Developmental Neuroscience Lab on November 21, 2018, and again this morning to to honor the victims of the October 27 helicopter crash at Leicester City Football Clubs King Power Stadium.
The key to wearing a hair bow like Middleton is all about finding the right placement. If you pull the ponytail and bow too high up on your head you'll start to give off cheerleader vibes. If you place the bow too low or use it to tie of the end of a braid, the look can read too juvenile or bohemian. Placing the ponytail just below the crown of your head looks the most polished. We especially love the style on day three or four after a blowout (just be sure to blast your roots with plenty of dry shampoo).
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Jenna Rosenstein is the Beauty Director at Harper's BAZAAR across both print and digital. While attending NYU, she held internships at Women’s Wear Daily, Bloomingdale’s, Harper’s BAZAAR, and Allure, the latter of which she parlayed into her first job as the Beauty Assistant. She left Allure three years later as the Senior Beauty Editor. She spent a few months at Refinery29 overseeing branded content in the same title, before finally landing back at BAZAAR to manage all beauty content. When she's not testing every lipstick known to mankind, getting zapped by new lasers, or interviewing experts and celebrities, you can find Rosenstein at home in New Jersey with her son, husband, and black cat named Maddie.
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