Holiday dress design contest is open to young girls

KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
When still a toddler, fashion designer Jeremy Scott had his own notion on training pants, his mother, Sandra Scott, of Kansas City has insisted. He wanted Carter.
While not all grow up to be world-class designers, many children do develop their own ideas about style early in life.
Now little girls have an excuse to express their thoughts. C.M. Rubin, the author of a children's book series involving a little girl named Ellie, and Bonnie Jean Dresses, a manufacturer, are asking girls 8 and younger to submit a sketch of their ideal holiday dress. Entries will be judged on originality and creativity.
It's a promotional ploy in conjunction with the publication of the latest book, "Ellie, The Perfect Dress for Me" (Scholastic Press). And it may also be an inexpensive research effort for the Bonnie Jean Co. to find out what today's little girls really want. The top three winners have their designs made up by the Bonnie Jean staff and receive two Ellie books.
The book plot revolves around a girl who is invited to a wedding and needs a wonderful dress. Family and friends offer advice, but she wins out in the end.
To enter, submit a creation to Gerson & amp; Gerson Inc., P.O. Box 1192, Jaf Station, New York, NY 10116-1192. Mark it to the attention of "Ellie/Bonnie Jean Dress Design Contest."
Entries must be postmarked Nov. 30. The contest runs through Dec. 7.