Teen girls make friends, learn fashion tips

Seven girls gathered Tuesday afternoon in an open room on the second floor of the Carolyn E. Wylie Center in Riverside. They were all teens with a similar problem -- they don't have many friends and needed some tips on interacting with other teen girls.
The group was participating in the second meeting of the Wylie Center's pilot program "Capable Girls Group," which began its first four-week session last Tuesday.
The social group for girls between 13 and 17 provides a safe, structured environment for youths with developmental delays to expand their friendship network and learn normal teen activities such as fashion, makeup, dance and situational etiquette.
The girls participating in Tuesday's activities came from Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
Lisa Dryan, director of mental health for the Wylie Center, organized the program, in which her 13-year-old daughter Cecilia has been participating.
"I wanted my daughter to be in something and nothing existed," Dryan said. "That's one of the wonderful things about Wylie: I can think like a parent and create a program like this one."

A Gossip Girl’s High & Low Fashion Appeal

Taylor Momsen has been making fashion headlines for a few seasons now thanks to the Gossip Girl's controversial style. (Think: no pants.) But it seems bona fide fashion heavyweights are looking to the teen spirit for inspiration, too. Not only has Momsen found herself in the good graces of Madonna, she's also apparently piqued the fancy of John Galliano.
"Momsen was hand-picked by Madonna to be the face and muse of Material Girl, the juniors label that will launch at 200 Macy’s stores next week," says Women's Wear Daily. The line was in large part designed and inspired by Madonna's own spawn, Lourdes, but it's Momsen that will act as its spokesperson. "The role entails doing the launch of the line on Aug. 3 at Herald Square. And I’ll be tweeting and talking about the line. We did a photo shoot for the first pieces of the collection. It’s a really great line. It’s really cool," Momsen told WWD.
Also included in the partnership: being photographed and styled by the original Material Girl herself. The appearance in Madge’s ads won’t be Momsen’s only major campaign this year. Galliano has cast her as the face of his namesake fragrance, to be released this fall. She also racked up an endorsement gig with New Look in London. Maybe Momsen’s personal style choices might not have been so regrettable after all.

Girls at Comic-Con Find Marketers Ready for Them

FOR years, the stereotypical Comic-Con International attendees were male comic book fans who gathered every year in San Diego to dress as their favorite superheroes and debate esoteric topics like which Green Lantern is the best ring slinger and whether Darth Vader wears socks.
But as comic book fans grew up, married and raised children, a new fan base emerged: their daughters, who have grown up in a world ruled by Supergirl, Princess Leia and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

And marketers, including publishers, toy manufacturers and Hollywood’s entertainment giants, used Comic-Con 2010 last month to promote products for girls and to build anticipation for new ones.

Mattel, for example, used Comic-Con to promote several toy lines for girls, offering an exclusive set of its Polly Pocket dolls dressed as superheroes.

Mattel also promoted a new franchise, Monster High, which features dolls, books, clothing and accessories for girls, as well as animated webisodes that highlight the high school experiences of the awkward yet fashionable teenage offspring of legendary monsters.

While Polly Pocket has been popular among preteenagers for years, Monster High is a fledgling brand for Mattel. The franchise received a robust introduction in June, wider than usual for a toy line not based on a movie or television series.

Dolls, plush toys and electronics are already in stores, and a clothing line is available exclusively at Justice, a retailer of preteenage brands. The first of a series of books, written by Lisi Harrison, a best-selling author for young adults, is scheduled to be published Sept. 1, and Universal Pictures has acquired the film rights to create a live-action movie musical.

To broaden the franchise, Mattel is planning to focus on Internet and television marketing. Monster High has its own Web site and a fan page on Facebook, and a TV commercial that introduces the characters to viewers began running last week. And Friday — notably, the 13th — the ghouls of Monster High will haunt YouTube with the debut of a Monster High music video directed by Nigel Dick, who has directed videos for Paul McCartney and Britney Spears, among others.