There is no doubt about it, the cycle of trends has gone full circle — and the 1990s are well and truly back in fashion.
While Gen X and millennials are enjoying a style revival, Gen Z are taking their first steps into the trends synonymous with the decade.
However, depsite micro sunglasses, chunky shoes, baggy jeans and strappy dresses being very much a part of the 2022 style zeitgeist, it has taken ‘90s hairstyles longer to catch on.
Jennifer Lopez, however, is doing her part to change that. The singer has been loyally sporting an updated version of the half-up, half-down ponytail.
Lopez wore her hair in the semi-casual style for her July wedding to Ben Affleck. Styled by British hairdresser Chris Appleton, her hair was worn in long, loose curls and tied up into a half ponytail at the top.
“Beach waves have had their day and now it’s time for soft subtle girly waves with bounce and movement to enjoy the spotlight, including a mini quiff is a great way to add additional volume,” Barry Kane, senior stylist at Pastels Salon at The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai tells The National.
“Due to its wearability and ease to achieve, it is one of the summer’s hottest looks. I can very much envisage this style being worn to the races or if you are attending a lavish event or a romantic dinner date.”
As an updated and polished take on the classic ponytail, the look keeps hair out of the wearer's face. However, it’s not yet a wedding go-to.
“I would say for most brides it’s maybe a little bit casual but for the bride who likes the step out from the crowd and do her own thing, it’s a winning look,” says Kane.
Lopez has worn her half-up hairstyle fully pulled back, as she did on her wedding day, and with her angel wing fringe worn loose, for a more causal look while out and about in Paris on her honeymoon.
Sam Carpenter, hair artist educator for Eideal and Davines Arabia, says that it is a “very low maintenance” style to pull off, “provided you have access to the right hair tools and products”.
“The most important aspect of achieving this look is to give the upstyle section a gritty feel as this will ensure it lasts throughout any event or wedding,” Carpenter advises. “Using a product such as Davines Invisible dry shampoo will help to achieve this. To achieve the bouncy down part of the hairstyle, you can use a big-barrelled tong or a wide-plate straightening irons as you can control the size of the curl. Then to finish the style and ensure it looks polished, use the Davines Shimmer Mist.”
From the Eideal range, Carpenter suggests the Geenie straighteners (Dh850, $231) and the Loop Curling Iron, which comes in varying barrel sizes, the largest is a 32 millimetre diameter wand (Dh590, $160).
The half-up, half-down ponytail is not the only hair style of Lopez’s to hark back to the 20th century.
In July, ahead of her wedding, she posted another Appleton-crafted look on her Instagram, with a slick, tight bun and two thin plaits framing her face.
See Jennifer Lopez's style evolution in 64 photos — in pictures
-
Jennifer Lopez, in a pale pink skirt suit, and Rebecca Lee Meza at a promotional event for 'Selena' on June 18, 1996. Rex Features -
Jennifer Lopez, in a jacquard maxi, and Ojani Noa at the premiere of 'Anaconda' in Los Angeles, California, on July 4, 1997. Getty Images -
Jennifer Lopez, in a LBD, and Ojani Noa at the opening of Conga Restaurant in Los Angeles, California, on February 22, 1998. Getty Images -
Jennifer Lopez, in a sequinned halter top and black skirt, at the MTV Movie Awards in Santa Monica, California, on May 30, 1998. Getty Images -
Jennifer Lopez, in a white bias-cut gown, at the premiere of 'Out Of Sight' in Los Angeles, California, on June 17, 1998. Getty Images -
Jennifer Lopez, in a lilac slip dress, attends the 'Summer of Sam' premiere on June 28, 1999, at Sony Astor Plaza in New York City. Getty Images -
Jennifer Lopez, in a golden mini, arrives at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California, on February 24, 1999. Getty Images -
Jennifer Lopez, in a leather shirt dress, in Los Angeles, California, on February 21, 2000. Getty Images -
Sean 'Diddy' Combs and Jennifer Lopez, in a floral midi, attend the Arista Records Pre-Grammy party in Beverly Hills, California, on February 23, 2000. Getty Images -
Sean 'Diddy' Combs and Jennifer Lopez, in Versace, at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on February 23, 2000. Photo: BEImages / Shutterstock -
Jennifer Lopez, in a pink dress and matching pashmina, attends the 13th annual Kids' Choice Awards in Hollywood, California, on April 14, 2000. Getty Images -
Jennifer Lopez, in white jeans, a crop top and bandana, and Sean 'Diddy' Combs arrive for the MTV Video Music Awards on September 7, 2000 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Getty Images -
Jennifer Lopez, in a pink halter dress, and Sean 'Diddy' Combs arrive at the Latin Grammy Awards on September 13, 2000, at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, California. Getty Images -
Jennifer Lopez, in polka-dot tiers, arrives at the premiere of 'The Wedding Planner' on January 23, 2001, in California. Getty Images -
Jennifer Lopez, in a crystal crop top and embellished jeans, attends MTV's TRL on Superbowl Sunday at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on January 28, 2001. Getty Images -
Jennifer Lopez, in Chanel, arrives at the 73rd annual Academy Awards on March 25, 2001, in Los Angeles. Getty Images -
Jennifer Lopez, in a double-layered gown. arrives at the world premiere of 'Enough' in New York City on May 21, 2002. Getty Images -
Jennifer Lopez, in a pink tracksuit, during TRL at the MTV Studios in New York City on May 22, 2002. Getty Images -
Jennifer Lopez, in a figure-hugging taupe gown, at the premiere of 'Maid in Manhattan' on February 26, 2003, in London, United Kingdom. Getty Images -
Jennifer Lopez, in floral ruffles, arrives at the NRJ Music Awards at the Palais des Festivals on January 22, 2005 in Cannes, France. Getty Images -
Jennifer Lopez, in a suede midi, at a press conference on March 7, 2005, in Tokyo, Japan. Getty Images -
Jennifer Lopez, in Jean Desses, arrives for the 78th annual Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, on March 5, 2006. EPA -
Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez, in Biba, arrive at the MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on August 31, 2006. EPA -
Jennifer Lopez, in Louis Vuitton, attends a photocall for 'Bordertown' on February 12, 2007, at Hotel Palace in Madrid, Spain. Getty Images -
Jennifer Lopez, in a white gown, and Marc Anthony attend the premiere of 'Bordertown' during the 57th Berlin International Film Festival on February 15, 2007. Getty Images -
Jennifer Lopez, in an embellished kaftan dress, attends a photocall on March 21, 2007, at Hotel OMM in Barcelona, Spain. Getty Images -
Jennifer Lopez, in Dolce & Gabbana, and Marc Anthony attend a Dolce & Gabbana party on September 25, 2008, in Milan, Italy. Getty Images -
Jennifer Lopez, in Paule Ka, at a photocall for 'The Back-Up Plan' at Hotel Crillon on April 26, 2010, in Paris, France. Getty Images -
Jennifer Lopez, in Lanvin, at the premiere for 'The Back-Up Plan' on April 28, 2010, in London. Getty Images -
Jennifer Lopez, in Roberto Cavalli, at the World Music Awards on May 18, 2010, in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Getty Images -
Jennifer Lopez, in Roberto Cavalli, arrives at amfAR's Cinema Against Aids benefit gala at the Hotel du Cap on May 20, 2010, in Antibes, France. Getty Images -
Jennifer Lopez, in Zuhair Murad, arrives at the 68th Golden Globe Awards in Los Angeles, California, on January 16, 2011. EPA -
Jennifer Lopez, in a snakeskin mini, at the Capital Radio Summertime Ball at Wembley Stadium on June 12, 2011, in London. Getty Images -
Jennifer Lopez, in Zuhair Murad, arrives for the 84th annual Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, on February 26, 2012. EPA -
Jennifer Lopez, in Chanel, attends the Chanel spring/summer show as part of Paris Fashion Week at Grand Palais on October 2, 2012, in Paris, France. Getty Images -
Jennifer Lopez, in Lanvin, attends the 21st Unesco Charity Gala on October 27, 2012, in Dusseldorf, Germany. Getty Images -
Jennifer Lopez, in Zuhair Murad, arrives for the 70th annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, on January 13, 2013. EPA -
Jennifer Lopez, in Gucci, at the Chime For Change concert at Twickenham Stadium on June 1, 2013, in London, England. Getty Images -
Jennifer Lopez, in Versace, attends the Versace show as part of Paris Fashion Week on July 6, 2014, in Paris, France. Getty Images -
Jennifer Lopez, in Versace, arrives for the Fashion Rocks concert in Brooklyn, New York, on September 9, 2014. EPA -
Jennifer Lopez, in Zuhair Murad, arrives for the 72nd annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, on January 11, 2015. EPA -
Jennifer Lopez, in Elie Saab, arrives for the 87th annual Academy Awards ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California, on February 22, 2015. EPA -
Jennifer Lopez, in Valentino, at the Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall, New York, on June 7, 2015. EPA -
Jennifer Lopez, in Giambattista Valli, arrives for the 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, on January 10, 2016. EPA -
Jennifer Lopez, in Anouk, arrives for a screening of 'Ice Age: Collision Course' in Los Angeles, California, on July 16, 2016. EPA -
Jennifer Lopez, in Ralph & Russo, arrives for the 59th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California, on February 12, 2017. EPA -
Jennifer Lopez, in Valentino, arrives at the Met Gala in New York on May 1, 2017. EPA -
Jennifer Lopez, in Georges Chakra, arrives at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles, California, on October 9, 2018. EPA -
Jennifer Lopez, in Balmain, and Alex Rodriguez arrive at the Met Gala in New York on May 7, 2018. EPA -
Jennifer Lopez, in Roberto Cavalli, arrives for the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 20, 2018. EPA -
Jennifer Lopez, in Versace, arrives at the MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall, New York, on August 20, 2018. EPA -
Jennifer Lopez, in Ralph & Russo, arrives for the 61st annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California, on February 10, 2019. EPA -
Jennifer Lopez, in Zuhair Murad, at the 2019 Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills, California, on February 24, 2019. EPA -
Jennifer Lopez, in Versace, at the Met Gala in New York on May 6, 2019. EPA -
Jennifer Lopez, in Maison Yeya, at the 44th annual Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto, Canada, on September 7, 2019. EPA -
Jennifer Lopez, in Valentino, arrives for the 77th annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, on January 5, 2020. EPA -
Jennifer Lopez, in Georges Hobeika, attends the 25th Critics' Choice Awards in Santa Monica, California, on January 12, 2020. EPA -
Jennifer Lopez, in Valentino, arrives for the Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, California, on February 8, 2020. EPA -
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, in Valentino, arrive at the 78th Venice International Film Festival on September 9, 2021. Getty Images -
Jennifer Lopez, in a black-and-white striped skirt and top set, attends the 78th Venice International Film Festival on September 10, 2021. Getty Images -
Jennifer Lopez, in Georges Hobeika, attends the 'The Last Duel' screening during the 78th Venice Film Festival on September 10, 2021. Getty Images -
Jennifer Lopez, in Giambattista Valli, attends the Los Angeles screening of 'Marry Me' on February 8, 2022. AFP -
Jennifer Lopez, in Monot, arrives for the MTV Movie & TV Awards in Santa Monica on June 5, 2022. Reuters -
Jennifer Lopez, in Tom Ford, attends the Tribeca Festival opening night in New York City in June 8, 2022. Getty Images
