In Blackwood, Bethenny Frankel gets up close with her fans

When Bethenny Frankel speaks, she's direct and unblinking. Honesty is very much a part of her brand - and her fans love her for it.

More than 200 of them lined the VIP Shopper's Lounge for Frankel's appearance Saturday as part of the four-day grand-opening celebration at the Gloucester Premium Outlets in Blackwood.

Fans cradled bottles of Skinnygirl alcoholic drinks or Frankel's books, ready for her signature.

"She's real," Heather Blum, 40, said. "I never met a celebrity like that."

As usual, the Real Housewives of New York City cast member and founder of the Skinnygirl brand didn't mince words.

"People don't think about business like a chessboard," said Frankel, who's made quite a few strategic moves.

When she started with Real Housewives in 2008, she was broke but said she knew the show would be a great way to propel her business ventures.

Seven years later, she's the best-selling author of eight books, including Naturally Thin: Unleash Your Skinnygirl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting and I Suck at Relationships So You Don't Have To: 10 Rules for Not Screwing Up Your Happily Ever After.

"I have drive. I'm passionate. I'm organized and decisive," Frankel said in an interview.

Writing is her love because it gives her time to connect, she said. She's working on a few more books, one of which will be dedicated to the art of business.

When it comes to clothing, Frankel's advice is to look for "something that fills in a blank."

"We buy too much crap," Frankel said. "Buy one thing to elevate whatever you already have. It's like a puzzle."

During Saturday's meet-and-greet, she shared fashion tips. As she noted that knits and crossbody purses were some of the highlights she'd seen this summer, all eyes and cameras were on her.

Then came the Q-and-A.

First question: Whom did she trust on the show? After some thought, Frankel named Carole, and Ramona, kind of, though she suffers from "diarrhea of the mouth."

Her dating life? Phenomenal. On a scale of one to 10, she's at a 12, Frankel said, adding that it's "better to be the most interesting woman in the room than the most beautiful."

And she revealed that she's a strict parent. When it comes to her young daughter, Bryn, she hardly compromises because, she joked, "I do not negotiate with terrorists."

As for her fans: "You guys have my back," Frankel said. "I have my own mafia."

Many of whom are just as vocal and direct as she is, if the line of women was any indication.

"She seems like a girlfriend," Gina Parker, 23, said.

While asking Frankel a question, Parker said, she was so excited she was shaking.

She and sister Christina Parker, 29, waited in line for almost two hours, but said it was worth it to see someone they've been following for years.

"You got to see how she changed and evolved," Gina Parker said. "You can do it all, because she does it all."

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