At a party in New York feting her Gotham magazine cover, actress Amanda Peet rocked a downtown style, from her Thakoon dress to her berry lips. Her messy, heavy-banged ponytail is the perfect top to her 1940s-ish makeup. Total girl-crush chic!

For step-by-step instructions on how to get the perfect messy pony, read more.

• STEP 1: Wash hair, skipping conditioner if your hair is anything but ultra-dry. No need to brush out unless your hair is really knotty.
• STEP 2: Apply a little bit of a product that adds volume and texture with a little hold, like Bumble and bumble Styling Creme.
• STEP 3: Allow hair to air-dry. If you're pressed for time, blow-dry with a diffuser, making sure to get some lift near the crown of your head. If you have thick hair, twist it before drying to keep it from getting too huge. If you have bangs, blow-dry them forward with a small round brush. Don't neglect the pieces around your ears.
• STEP 4: Spritz a salt spray, like Charles Worthington Big Waves Texturizing Salt Spray, all over.
• STEP 5: Back-comb around your roots and pull hair back into a ponytail. Secure it with an elastic like Blax Snag-Free Hair Elastics (for best no-slip results, use a brand new one and wrap around as many times as possible) about two or three inches above your brows. It may take a few tries to get the perfect bumpy, hipster-girl ponytail.
• STEP 6: Back-comb around the elastic and rub the ends of the ponytail between your thumb and index finger.