By Vlad Stivenson
In general, girls love fashion more than boys. Some of them want to become fashion designers when they grow up. There are even some that are too young to know what a fashion designer is, but they love dressing up with mom's clothes and combining them in several ways in order to come up with the prettiest outfit for their tea party with their stuffed animals. There is a tool that's very easy and cheap to get access to for those girls who want to hone their skills.
Fashion on Internet
Thanks to the world wide reach of the Internet, now girls can get access to tons of styles, clothing and accessories from all over the world, even from cultures that are very different from theirs.
What is needed?
There are only two things you need, a computer and Internet access. If your reading this article, chances are you have them already. If you have a child in your house, I'm almost sure you have them already.
Dressing Up a Virtual Doll
There are literally thousands of dress up games at the reach of a few clicks. With only the imagination as a limit, programmers and designers have created dress up games that feature almost every celebrity and character that there is, and even groups of girls. From the Powerpuff girls to the Bratz dolls, and from the RBD pop girls to the cast of High School Musical, girls can play fashion designer with their favorite character, singer, actress or celebrity. There are, of course, generic nameless dolls dress up games, which are more suited for fashion only gaming.
Gameplay
Dress up games are very similar to old fashioned paper dolls, except with a far wider range of clothing. Girls select from a range of different pieces of clothing and accessories for a virtual doll to wear. Girls have fun by making the doll look pretty, stylish, elegant, cute, funny or whatever other idea they might come up with.
One of the most interest aspects of playing dress up games created from places all over the world is that girls are exposed to styles from different cultures. They will be dressing their dolls with Japanese kimonos, Indian Saris, Mexican sombreros, French bonnets, etc. You can even mix several elements from all over the world in order to make the perfect international look.
Building Up a Portfolio
It's a good idea to save your or your girl's creations on your computer for later reference. There are several advantages, for example, re-creating a look or style in real life, or printing it in order to decorate a room. You can also use one that you really liked or enjoyed as a screen background on your computer. Over time, a portfolio will let you show others your work, or give you a base to develop styles of your own. Of course, you can also post a printed version of your girl's work on the fridge, or another special place, to show her how proud you are of her creativity.
