The Giving Tree

Written, drawn and narrated by Shel Silverstein. He's a genius.

"Shel Silverstein .. you kinda fucked me up in a beautiful way" Daul Kim

Saw this a while back on Daul Kim's blog and really wanted to share it. The clip really did evoke a lot of feelings albeit being a little trippy. First, I felt sadness, that humans are selfish beings. Then I thought, in my life, the most giving people are my parents and I guess the Giving Tree can represent parents who sacrifice so much for their kids. The clip also made me believe more in the good of people in this world. I guess you can also view the Giving Tree as the giving Earth that we keep tapping resources from and soon have nothing to offer. But like with all things, you can argue the flipside, that the tree is overly giving and too ideal. We as humans who don't perceive this behaviour as normal would naturally be guarded with such behaviour. I guess you can look at it at million angles.

Haha.. there I go trying to be all analytical..

Any thoughts on the Giving Tree?

Black Friday

Been looking at the numbers coming in for the Black Friday sales in America and it looks like everyone there is crazy-shopping!
Boooo... I wanna be there too!

Well, I studied in the states and did my fair share of shopping so this year.. I'm feeling kinda left out :(

Ok, so fun fact of the day:

Traditionally, profit numbers are wrtten in black while losses are wrtten in red.
So, Black Friday refers to the serious business of getting into the black!

Lines outside Target and BestBuy... just look at them!

Getting Organized

December’s right round the corner and I’m feeling all holiday-mood already!

Can’t believe it’s gonna be 2011 so soon..

Well, was looking around the office the other day, and I’m thinking the TPL team needs to get more organized! There are multi coloured post-its stuck on the tables, random papers lodged between our receipt files, “To Do Lists” from months back.. you get the picture.

So I’m thinking, it’s time for an Intervention…

There’s this new online blogstore PaperLovin’ which sells the cutest stationery and cases! You guys should definitely check it out - http://paperlovin.blogspot.com/

We dug into our TPL funds to buy a Worldwide Scheduler, a Pocket Case Regular in Green (of course) and the Half Diary.

The TPL team is all geared… 2011? Ah, bring it!

Accessories Gone Wild

Afteroon everyone! We've been seeing a lot wild jewellery and accessories lately. The ones hitting the market are so tasteful and artistic in design. Here are some of our favourite labels injecting wilderness to their pieces.

Christopher Ross - Bold, wild and yet classy, these belts are all over Atlantis Home and Sea of Shoes. Paired with a simple shift dress or to give waist definition with full skirt, these are to-die-for. Costing an average USD500 a pop, you can only expect impeccable craftmanship. You see second hand, vintage pieces on ebay and it's obvious they really hold their value. I can imagine it being some rich, stylish old lady's heirloom piece she passes down generations to come. If only my grandma had one of these, rocking it out in her sarong back in the day.. if only..

Hanh from Life in Travel with her beautifully styled Christopher Ross Belts

Hanna Bernhard - Ahhh.. lovee.. This husband/wife duo designs almost every animal into a french bakelite, swarovski masterpiece. This label is also a favourite of style icon Iris Apfel. Jane from Sea of shoes did complain that the pieces are heavy and wearing a Hannah Bernhard Necklace the whole day caused her a back ache. Well, I guess there are just some sacrfices that have to be made..

Noir Jewellery - The cutest wild rings out there. All their animal rings are set with pave stones to give that extra BLING! And it's no wonder why Noir jewellery has been favourites of Paris Hilton, Rihanna and Lady Gaga! We managed to grab Pete the Porcupine at a bargain on Ebay, Yay!

Pete the Porcupine at work with us :)

Paris Hilton wearing Jenny the Panda Ring from Noir

Kudos to Nuffnang!

NuffNang - a word synonymous with online advertising. If you don't know Nuffnang .. seriously.. *shakes head*. Well, for those who don't, Nuffnang acts as the middleman between bloggers and advertisers. You see the little "Nuffnang" logo under adverts on most blogs and also the "I serve Nuffnang" banners. The business model is beautiful in its simplicity; a win-win-win situation - bloggers get paid based on readership, Nuffnang gets a cut, Big Fat Corporates get their word out... Why didn't I think of this?!! In just 3 years, Nuffnang is already a multi-national company with presence in Malaysia, Singapore, Phillippines and Australia.

From personal experience, ever since I started thepoplook.com, everywhere I turn online I see Nuffnang. They really have a strong control of the social media market, from blogs to tweets (they have Churp Churp which does the same thing for Tweeters), Nuffnang's omnipresent online.

Yesterday, I was just sent an email from a friend with the subject title: "When will you reach this?". Opened the email and it's a link to an article of Nuffnang being featured on BBC! I was in awe and very much inspired. It's people like Mr Cheo and Mr Tiah that have become role models for all young entrepreneurs. A big congratulations goes to Nuffnang and team!

Anyway, to sum things up, I'd like to share a quote. Mr Cheo's advice for budding entrepreneurs:

"Find something that you think can make money, and make sure you run it by a couple of people and don't drag your feet on it. Just do it.. There is no better way of knowing something will work than to actually try it out. You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."

You can read the full article and watch the interview on BBC here.

This or That?

Hey, so most of you saw our list of questions on Facebook last night. We had an instant, (some were pretty funny) response :) I guess I can conclude that most of you guys are in front of the com on FB at 11pm..hehe.. And for those who haven't seen our Facebook posts (tsk tsk), here's the list of questions and the majority vote:

1. Leather of Lace? Leather


2. Camel of Red? Red


3. Kitten Heel or High Heel? High Heel


4. Coat or Cape? Coat


5. Minimalism or Opulence? Minimalism

We couldn't answer the questions on FB as we are automatically "thepoplook.com" when we log onto the page. So we decided to blog it instead :)

Joanne:
Lace - I love the look of lace against skin and Malaysia is wayyy too hot to have any item of clothing in leather. And I can't really do Gangsta Chic.. hehe..
Camel - Chloe comes to mind with models dressed in all-camel on the catwalk - so chicc.
Ideally, High Heel - but I have fear of breaking my ankle in anything over 4 inches, I'm a flats girl :)
Coat - do capes keep out the cold? And who's gonna say no to a Burberry Trench?
Opulence - For sure! the current LV campaign, ladies in full skirts and cinched waists -40s glammm!!

Maryanne:
Lace - Well, I just got a pixie haircut so I try to play up my feminine side :)
Both - I refuse to choose. I think they would go well in an outfit together.
High - I'm 5'2", fine.. 5'1".. I rest my case.
Cape - Batwing, my recent obsession! So, I go cape, it's like a batwinged coat.
Minimalism - I love the idea of muted luxury. So yes, definitely minimalism.

And finally, to the more important part, here's what the industry experts said:

"Leather, leather's more sexy and more edgy " Jourdan Dunn, Model

"Leather, I'm bored of it, this was last season. Lace, see through, see through, sexy" Anna Dello Russo

"Definitely Camel, it goes with everyone's skin tone" Olivia Polermo

"Red Hot, I love a little bit of colour. And I think Red is one of those sophisticated things, you can use it as an accent, even as a lipstick" Kim Hersov, Editor-At-Large Harper's Bazaar UK

"High, just more sexy. Tallerr" Emma Hill, Creative Director Mulberry

"Both, but preferably not one on each foot" Elle Macpherson

"Cape, cape is easy" Olivia Polermo

"I think there's something very rigorous about the coat. I love the masculinity of a coat on a woman. But at the same time a cape hides something, and I like the idea that the cape becomes much more mysterious" Antonio Berardi, Designer

"Oohh.. So now I love a cape, don't get me wrong because there is a little bit of wonder woman in every young girl" Cat Deeley

"Mixture of both. Cos you wanna look chic when you walk in and glamourous when you take it off " Julien Macdonald, Designer

Hope everyone's having a great week so far and getting ready to relax tomorrow! Love holidays mid-week :D

House of Harlow in the office

We are true fans of House of Harlow :) Spotted on Maryanne at the office.

Join our House of Harlow Best Friend Competition to win yourself a House of Harlow Sunburst Necklace!

House of Harlow Aztec Bangles, House of Harlow medium stacked ring, and antique rings from Jonker Street Malacca

To Keep Sane..

We've been pretty busy at work lately, and it can get pretty stressful. So, we're sharing with you some of the things we love doing that helps us de-stress at the office. Hopefully you find these useful, if not entertaining :)

1. Blogs. We love catching up on blogs - both fashion and lifestyle ones. It's always inspirational to see pretty, strong girls strutting their stuff :) Here's our fave list:

• Fashiontoast
  
• Karla's Closet
  
• Sea of Shoes
• Business of Fashion
• Tongue & Chic
  

Rumi of Fashiontoast

Karla of Karla's Closet

Jane of Sea of Shoes

2. Net-A-Porter. We drool over beautiful pieces of jewellery, clothing and bags and it's also a good place to see what's the new luxury trend hitting the market. Net-a-porter also has exclusive interviews with some of the biggest designers, it's really a rare glimpse to listen to a designer's take on their own collection. The latest, Mathew Williamson talks about his exclusive collection for Net-a-porter.

3. Singing. When we need a good break, nothing beats singing our-lungs-out to songs on Youtube. Some of our fave songs lately on repeat 1 at the office :) Kara Dioguardi - Terrified, Bruno Mars - Just The Way You Are, covered by Chuan.

Yeap, that's mainly what we do when we're bored or stressed. Anybody wanna share what they do to keep sane?

House of Harlow Best Friends Competition

The House of Harlow Best Friends competition is now on!!

End of year is nearing, the holiday mood is definitely kicking in and the crazy parties are gonna start! So, here's your chance to win this highly coveted jewelry piece from House of Harlow + RM200 coupon; and two of your best friends RM200 coupons each.

Don't need to crack your heads. Just keep it simple. E.g.

"My friends and I deserve to win because we have supported each other through thick and thin. These coupons would definitely be a good way to celebrate our friendship."

We accept answers in English and Malay. Nothing fancy, really, it's the votes that count :) So, start going through your folders of pics and email us at thepoplook@gmail.com now!

We are so excited to share this with you - what's life without best friends?

Florals and Pastels

So, since it's fall/winter now, I guess us in warmer countries should be looking at the Spring 2011 line instead :) And there's no complaining what's coming our way - happy colours in floral prints are seen all over the D&G Spring 2011 Ready-To-Wear catwalk.

The D&G collection is definitely a perfect marriage of vintage cuts and pastel colours - the floral rompers are inspiration from the flower power days and those 50s bloomers are also back in full force. I love it! Really, I'm such a grandma at heart :)

Source: Style.com

Lanvin for H & M

The short clip for the Lanvin/H&M collaboration is out and has gone viral! The much anticipated collection will hit H&M stores 20th November, and I'm just upset that we don't have a H&M in Malaysia yet. What's taking so long?? The price points aren't high, it's fast fashion, and that is perfect for us, right? Well, I guess this new clip that shows every piece from the Lanvin for H&M collection should keep us quietly entertained for about 5 minutes before we ask again - where is H&M in Malaysia??

The prices of these to-die-for cocktail dresses are pretty steep even for H&M standards. They range from USD199-USD249. We are talking about the same price range as brands like Juicy Couture, Alice and Olivia and BCBG. It goes to show that even as Lanvin collaborates with a very mass-targeting brand, Alber Elbaz has stuck to his guns, to provide luxury products, even if it means higher prices.

"I have said in the past that I will never do a mass-marketing collection, but what intrigued me was the idea of H&M going luxury rather than Lanvin going public" -Alber Elbaz.

Well, I guess these prices shouldn't be bothering us much - since WE DON"T HAVE IT IN MALAYSIA! huh..

Well, after all my complaining, I must say that I enjoyed the clip, trippy yet fabulouss. And I'm glad there's a brand like H&M in the world, for the masses yet collaborating with names like Jimmy Choo, Sonia Rykiel and now, Lanvin. And I continue to hope to see a H&M store in this part of the world (Malaysia) soon!