As Maureen Tcakik noted in the Style section of yesterday's New York Times, the hottest must-have of 2006 is not a handbag, nor a certain pair of earrings, nor even a parasol.

Instead, those who reallly want to be on the cutting edge have accessorized with a teenager. That's right, a teenager. And not one related to them.

Tcakik points out that a number of guerrilla marketers, branding experts, clothing designers and event planners now have taken on an unpaid teenager -- an "intern", as the adults refer to it -- to serve as a guide to youth culture, street lingo and popular trends. The interns get to stack their college applications. The adults get a handle on a world they move ever farther away from: youth.

Is it a fair trade? I can't say. What I can say is that I sure wish all the teenage boys who skateboard in front of my apartment building would go become someone's intern.