Local Girl Chosen as a Top 10 Semi-Finalist in DebModelSearch.com Contest

Local Girl Chosen as a Top 10 Semi-Finalist in DebModelSearch.com Contest

Teen Retailer Conducts Search for next "Deb Girl" Online

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Teen apparel retailer and mall staple Deb Shops is in the midst of an online model search to find their next "Deb Girl". The contest, which is being conducted on the debmodelsearch.com microsite, started accepting entries from girls across the country in August. Girls between ages 13-25 were asked, along with parental consent if they were minors, to upload photos and answer a set of questions designed to capture their personality and how they might reflect and represent the Deb Shops brand personality.

"Deb Shops is about real teens that are smart, savvy, confident and fun. They live online, so what better place to conduct our search?" says Emily Bonina, Deb Shops spokeswoman, "It gives girls across the country a chance to show us their stuff in an element in which they feel comfortable doing so. I believe that we've provided a fun, interactive venue for teenage girls to express their fashion-sense and tell us what they're all about. We've even enlisted the help of a celebrity judge, fashion designer and reality TV star Jay McCarroll to help us choose the best girl for us."

"I'm all about budget-conscious fashion, and love that Deb Shops sells plus size clothing along with their juniors line, more teen retailers should be doing that," said Jay McCarroll, "I really appreciate that they're giving this opportunity to girls out there who may not ordinarily get a chance to participate in something like this."

With over 6500 contestants approved for the contest, public voting on the website commenced and over 250,000 votes were received from registered users during the first phase of the contest which lasted four weeks. Contestants also promoted themselves on social networking sites, such as Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube, creating commercials and posting to blogs. Based on votes tallied from the public, Jay McCarroll, and Deb Shops, the Top 10 semi-finalists were selected. One more round of voting will determine the winner.

The winner will appear in a photo shoot, on the Deb Shops website, in a Seventeen Magazine ad, and on posters in the retail chain's 350+ stores around the country. She'll also take home a prize package valued at $5,000 including Deb clothing, accessories and other goodies.

The digital agency NetPlus Marketing was an integral part in creating, implementing and promoting the Deb Girl Model Search contest.

The Top 10 Semi-finalists:
Melanie Gimenez, Muncie, IN
Chaia Her, Lansing, MI
Jordan Jensen, Mt. Pleasant, MI
Ashley Johnson, Puyallup, WA
Elise LeCoure, Forest Park, IL
Meghan Matesich, Harrisburg, PA
Kimbriel Shokes, Chubbuck, ID
Kristen Smith, Danbury, NC
Jasmine Thomas, Boyertown, PA
Lindy Wefel, Belvidere, IL

About Deb Shops:

Deb Shops specializes in junior and junior plus-sized merchandise for young women aged 13 to 25 with more than 340 retail stores in the United States, as well as online at debshops.com. The leading teen retailer focuses on popularly-priced, fashionable, coordinated apparel to the junior-sized and fashion-conscious female in sizes ranging from 0 through 24.

About Jay McCarroll:

Jay is the first winner of the hit reality TV show, Project Runway. He studied Fashion Design at the former Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science, now Philadelphia University, where he also currently teaches. Over the years Jay has sold his collection in boutiques, owned his own shop, launched a documentary, designed a customer fabric line and currently operates an online apparel boutique, the Colony at www.jaymccarroll.com. Jay, like Deb, is based in Philadelphia and is enthusiastic about bringing affordable fashion to teens.

About NetPlus Marketing:

A top 50 full-service digital marketing agency based outside Philadelphia, NetPlus Marketing guides leading brands through the interactive landscape to advance their businesses, leveraging the industry's most sophisticated technologies and dynamic media channels. With a 13 year legacy of innovation focused on measurable value and results, NetPlus has delivered award-winning online marketing and advertising programs for clients such as AstraZeneca International, CertainTeed, Deb Shops, Inc., Hunt's, Independence Blue Cross, Orville Redenbacher, Parkay, Harriet Carter, Lane Bryant, RO*TEL, Tale of Two Cities (Broadway Production) and Universal Studios.

Source: Deb Shops, Inc.

CONTACT: Emily Bonina, Marketing, Deb Shops, Inc., +1-215-676-6000 x321,
ebonina@debshops.com

Web Site: http://www.debshops.com/

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