WESTERN STYLE : LOOKS : Ponytail Express

Going Western means going simple where hair is concerned. Something too curly or too poufy can look overly frilly--more like Miss Kitty or a singer from the Grand Ole Opry. The ideal Western look is the ponytail.

Hairstylist Jose Eber, whose personal trademark for the past 12 years has been a ponytail topped by a cowboy hat, says many women are spraying or gelling their hair back and fastening it with accessories. For Western flavor, hair can be secured with handcrafted sterling silver clips found at local sources such as Bootz and Hemisphere in Santa Monica, Alexander Brown in Beverly Hills and the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum gift shop in Griffith Park. Other Western styles include beaded fasteners, buckle-shaped holders with picks and fabric bands in saddle-blanket patterns.

For women with hair too short to be pulled into a ponytail, the solution is to clip one on. A 24-inch-long faux ponytail costs about $100 at Eber’s new Rodeo Drive salon, comes in several shades and can be cropped to suit the wearer.