Going to the Authority on Girls’ Trends
A 9-year-old’s take on spring girls’ fashion: Hippie is in. Off-the-floor bell-bottoms, vests with dangles, and beading and fringe everywhere. Check out “Morgan’s Picks” coming in March to Sears.
“Morgan” is fourth-grader Morgan Brittany Dolly, who was chosen from among 3,000 entries from 8- to 12-year-olds who e-mailed their spring predictions to the retail giant’s panel of buyers, which included MTV stylist Cyndi Wheat. The professionals decided that Morgan sees what they do: The ‘60s look has cycled around again, as have detachables and reversibles.
“Reversible skirts and dresses,” Morgan explained in an interview by phone from her bedroom closet, where she was perusing her own wardrobe, “are like if you go out to a party, and you want to wear the side that doesn’t have the over-top on it, you just--boom--put it inside-out and wear it to the party. But then, say, if you have to go to church, like choir practice, you can go to the bathroom and flip it inside-out so it would have the layover on top of it, and it would look more church-wise.”
Morgan, who was recently on “The Rosie O’Donnell Show” commenting on some of Rosie’s recent outfits, was brought to Manhattan by Sears last month from her Cumberland, Md., home where she lives with mom Krista, dad James and sisters Jade, 7, and Peyton, 3. She wowed a clutch of sophisticated Sears buyers who turned her loose with carte blanche for nearly 12 hours one day in garment-district showrooms so she could find what will look smart for the girls’ size-7-to-16 set. Her selections--$5.5 million worth that day--are the heart of the Morgan Picks line, which will be in stores this March.
“She picked up on it so quickly,” said Greg Sandfort, Sears vice president and general manager for children’s apparel. Morgan will remain a consultant--and, possibly, be given more responsibilities in the future, Sandfort said. “She was very good at directing the salesmen. It was ‘I like it. I like it. I don’t like it. I like it. No, don’t even show me that, I’m not interested.’ She’s so point-blank, honest and frank.”
Morgan’s big Manhattan turn-off: “Everybody wears too much black.”
And she has strong ideas about bottom lengths, which are key for “tweens”--that is, those ‘twixt children and junior sizes. It’s yes to floods over capris and clamdiggers. She’s big on khaki. She likes glitzy denim pants but she wanted to shed the glitter. And for the detachable legs to turn trousers into shorts, why not include a little tote to carry them along when the day warms?
Added Sandfort: “A lot of the manufacturers were taken aback. She’s very polished for a 9-year-old. She has a certain amount of charisma.”
Morgan wasn’t sold on the season’s expected big-selling scoop-neckline tops. “I’m an active girl,” she pointed out. “They might slip off a shoulder.”
Recently, more tween clothes have come from juniors designers who interpret downward in the age range. The look must be pretty and feminine but, as Morgan put it when asked to pick out a look for her best friend, Katie Getty, “not too hot.”
