Sugar & Spice Forget what girls are made of--what do they <i>buy</i>?

As we've said before, when it comes to deciphering thecapricious world of trends, it all boils down to what theoh-so-cool, MTV-viewing, Britney Spears-worshipping younger setwants. That's especially true for teen girls, who constitutethe target audience for many a marketing entity. Everyone'spretty curious what next femme-focused fad will sweep thenation-the fad that transcends all age levels and becomes avast crossover-sort of like those pandemic power beads. So weasked a couple experts what their predictions are for thistrend-setting group.

Karen Bokram, publisher and founding editor of Girls'Life magazine, confirmed our suspicions that the power-beadphenomenon was on its way out the door. So what's next?According to Bokram, we'll see a lot of kids heading to classwith child-friendly versions of formerly adult electronic tools.Electronic organizers, such as Vtech's Helio, and wireless"intertainment" systems, like Cybiko (which people canuse to send and receive instant chat messages or play interactivegames), will find their way into the backpacks of many a savvyteen. Beverly Hills, California-based Charmed.com even has a rangeof Internet-ready fashion accessories like necklaces and braceletsthat allow wearers to access the Web and receive and sendvoice-activated e-mail.

"It's kind of interesting that the only trends we wouldassociate with [business]-women are trickling down to suburbangirls," says Bokram. "Electronic organizers are reallythe lead thing."