If the difference between men and boys is the price of their toys, for young women and girls, it may be the price of their accessories. For thrifty, fashion-conscious females ages 3 to 18, Claire's is the queen of costume jewelry, handbags, and hair bows, as well as free ear piercing. The company operates about 1,900 stores in North America, primarily in malls, under the Claire's and Icing banners. (Icing targets women between 18-35.) It also operates more than 1,100 Claire’s stores throughout Europe, and more than 400 franchised stores are in about 30 other countries. Claire's is owned by private equity firm  Apollo Global Management.