Free Friday: DKNY Be Delicious fragrance

This week's giveaway is a limited edition Pop Art bottle of DKNY Be Delicious fragrance. The sweet, clean fragrance has notes of apple, cucumber, rose, sandalwood and white amber, among others. It has a retail value of $55.

• To enter, send an e-mail to style@charlotteobserver.com. Entries sent/posted elsewhere will not be considered.
• Your e-mail must contain DKNY in the subject field of the e-mail. Include your name, phone number and mailing address in the text of the email.
• Entries must be received by 4 p.m. Friday. Entries sent after the deadline will not be considered.
• E-mails that meet the stated criteria will be entered into a random drawing. One entry per e-mail address, please.
• Only the winner will be contacted. Please do not post your answers and contact information in the comments section on the blog.

Getting the hang of things

Uh, no.

I shouldn't even admit this. But hopefully my embarrassment will help prompt others into action.

Until recently, that rickety coat rack I picked up at Metrolina about 10 years ago (with intentions of refinishing, you can see how far I got) is what I've been using to store my handbag collection.

Gah! It hurts my eyes to even look at it now! I'm so ashamed. Here I am, climbing on the soapbox to preach the gospel of "quality not quantity" and "care for your high-quality items and they'll last a lifetime" and I've got my leather bags piled on top of each other and hanging by their straps.

Dust, stress on the straps, sunlight, drying of leather -- these are all things that can harm your bag if not stored properly.

I finally got my act together and worked out a storage system (yay IKEA). I went a little crazy with the label maker, but there is now dust-free, stress-free order to my bags. It may not be the prettiest option, but I don't anticipate losing track of any bag again, or frantically throwing all the bags on my bed to get to the bottom of the pile like I did all the time with the elaborate rack "system."

How do you store your handbags? Any tips to share?

Muuuuuuch better!

I am Samantha Baker. No, Baby Houseman.

Oh Baby, you're so chic!

As a rabid consumer of '80s teen movies back in the day, I aspired to have the wardrobes of a slew of my favorite heroines.

Among my top picks: Samantha Baker from "16 Candles," Watts from "Some Kind of Wonderful," Andie from "Pretty in Pink," Cindy Mancini from "Can't Buy Me Love" and Baby Houseman from "Dirty Dancing," just to name a few.

I remember clear as a bell -- it had to have been 7th or 8th grade -- when I found the Camp Beverly Hills red/white striped boat neck shirt and matching red french terry skirt at Jacobson's in Village in Grosse Pointe. I was beside myself: It was as close as I was going to get to the striped shirt Baby Houseman wore in "Dirty Dancing."

I proudly rocked that outfit at a War Memorial Dance with a pair of white Keds (just like Baby wore).

Fast forward more than 20 years. I recently picked up a copy of "Dirty Dancing" in anticipation of a girls weekend trip to Lake Lure (where they shot some of the film).

I watched it again and STILL loved all the clothing. Oooh! Cuffed denim shorts on the bridge when Baby's practicing dancing! A white peasant top with white jeans (and those Keds again)! A crisp white shirt and high-waisted denim shorts!

Not to go too deep, but quite a few of her looks are popular right now. Was Baby a fashion savant, or are we simply in a retro silhouette cycle? Am I the only one who covets clothes of people who don't exist?

All I can say is that if someone has a line on the shredded pink outfit Samantha Baker (Molly Ringwald) wore to the dance in "16 Candles" you must call me. Now.

Free Friday: Yves Rocher prize packs

This week's giveaway is a two-fer: Two lucky winners will receive an assortment of decadent Yves Rocher products. Among the items that may be included: AOC Olive Oil Body Exfoliant, AOC Olive Oil Silky Body Cream, bath fizzies and fragrance.

• To enter, send an e-mail to style@charlotteobserver.com. Entries sent/posted elsewhere will not be considered.
• Your e-mail must contain the word ROCHER in the subject field of the e-mail. Include your name, phone number and mailing address in the text of the email.
• Entries must be received by 4 p.m. Friday. Entries sent after the deadline will not be considered.
• E-mails that meet the stated criteria will be entered into a random drawing. One entry per e-mail address, please.
• Only the winner will be contacted. Please do not post your answers and contact information in the comments section on the blog.

TFS: It's Finally Over!

The Fashion gods have answered our prayers: Bravo's "The Fashion Show" wrapped up Thursday night.

And, with 52 percent of the vote, Anna (above) was chosen by America as the winner. Yawn.

Anna was the most consistent designer and often the most quiet. She was a sly, silent schemer who clearly understands saleability and classic design. Kudos!

All this non-drama and horrid design, lighting and production has left me with a bad taste in my mouth for "reality" fashion. I am not even sure *gasp!* if I can muster the normal enthusiasm for the return of "Project Runway" in August.

Thoughts?

A few of my favorite things

I am a product junkie. I love discovering new (to me) products. Also, much to the chagrin of my friends and family, I love working into conversations references to my new favorite foundation or bronzer.

Here are a few products with which I am currently obsessed:

Benefit PosieTint: I thought nothing could shake my love of Benetint, the reddish cheek and lip tint that looks like a bottle of nail polish. That was until I tried it's pinkier cousin, PosieTint. Love love love the subtle pink on the cheeks. The super sheer pink looks great on lips, too, and is a great foundation for clear gloss.

Diorshow mascara: The women in my family bonded recently over our shared love of this fab mascara. My cousins and I fussed so much about the product, my mom tried it too, and is now hooked. We of the blond eyelashes love big, fat, eye-opening lashes, and this product delivers with little effort.

What are some of your recent favorites? Do tell!

Free Friday: Burberry Summer fragrance

Up for grabs this week is a bottle of Burberry Summer eau de toilette, a fragrance with hints of citrus, green apple, water lily, white musk and moss, among others.

The rules for entry are as follows:

• To enter, send an e-mail to style@charlotteobserver.com. Entries sent/posted elsewhere will not be considered.
• Your e-mail must contain the word BURBERRY in the subject field of the e-mail. Include your name, phone number and mailing address in the text of the email.
• Entries must be received by 4 p.m. Friday. Entries sent after the deadline will not be considered.
• E-mails that meet the stated criteria will be entered into a random drawing. One entry per e-mail address, please.
• Only the winner will be contacted. Please do not post your answers and contact information in the comments section on the blog.

Occupational hazards: Models

Cabine of Christian Dior, 1957, by photographer Loomis Dean is among the works included in the "Model as Muse" exhibit at the Met in New York City. (Courtesy of Time Life Pictures / Getty Images)

How hard can it be to model, right? You're thin, you walk around in fabulous clothes, you spin and smile. You'll think differently after checking out this slide show (thanks to fashionista.com for the linkage).

If you're in NYC before Aug. 9, make sure to check out Model as Muse is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

TFS: Then there were four

You sir, are no Alber Elbaz.

The end is near! The end is near! Thank God!

I finally caught up on The Fashion Show (again with the TV drama -- we switched from DirecTV to Dish Network. See me repeating "Change is good. Change is good"), and there was finally some real, legit drama!

Praise be, Yabba-Dabba-Do Johnny finally got his egotistical, no-sewing behind tossed off the show. Just a tip, Mr. "I've Got Investors" -- If you're going to shamelessly rip off Lanvin, it's best not to articulate it to your fellow contestants.

Or repeat it in front of a camera. Or do it at all.

Here's the Lanvin dress actress Maggie Gyllenhaal wore to the Golden Globes that may or may not have inspired Johnny.

Tomorrow night, we'll get a look at the collections of the final four -- Daniella, Reco, Anna and James-Paul. Then, viewers will vote to pick the winner.

The countdown is ON!

In other fashion competition news, Project Runway announced the contestants for the return Aug. 20 on Lifetime. Among the 16 is Charleston designer Carol Hannah Whitfield, who participated in the inaugural Emerging Designer show at Charleston Fashion Week in 2008.

Free Friday: Maca Root for the men

This week's giveaway is a pair of products from The Body Shop, For Men Maca Root Face Wash and For Men Maca Root Shave Cream. The set has a value of more than $25.

The rules for entry are as follows:

• To enter, send an e-mail to style@charlotteobserver.com. Entries sent/posted elsewhere will not be considered.
• Your e-mail must contain the word MACA in the subject field of the e-mail. Include your name, phone number and mailing address in the text of the email.
• Entries must be received by 4 p.m. Friday. Entries sent after the deadline will not be considered.
• E-mails that meet the stated criteria will be entered into a random drawing. One entry per e-mail address, please.
• Only the winner will be contacted. Please do not post your answers and contact information in the comments section on the blog.

CLT makeup artist tapped for Fashion Week

Makeup artist Samantha Smith, owner of Potion beauty boutique at Birkdale, was recently chosen to work her magic at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim at the Raleigh Hotel in Miami Beach.

On July 18, she'll joining the BECCA cosmetics makeup artistry team to beautify runway models during the annual swim wear event, which will be showcasing looks for the 2010 season.

Her fab store in Huntersville carries the equally killer line (I am a serial lover of all things BECCA -- like this and this and this) that is a perfect fit for swimsuits and summer weather.