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alldressedup is an exclusive fashion label that embodies the free-spirited and spontaneous charm of the confident, stylish and urban woman who is not swayed by fleeting, seasonal trends. alldressedup features a complete line of fashion and accessories that embraces a contemporary sense of sophisticated modernity. The brains behind the brand is Singapore’s style maven, Tina Tan-Leo, who has 30 years of experience in the luxury fashion retail and lifestyle business. “I was all dressed up at the age of six,” she said when asked the reason for her consummate passion for fashion. With her impeccable taste coupled with a global industry perspective and uncompromising vision, the label has been consistently producing stellar collections driven by a young, talented and dynamic team of designers, production specialists and creative stylists.


]]>Mon, 13 Oct 2008 05:32:14 +0000http://www.beritapublishing.com.my/Madam_Chair/spend-it/look-cool-in-alldressedup/http://www.beritapublishing.com.my/Madam_Chair/spend-it/look-cool-in-alldressedup/ The popularity of non-surgical beauty procedures like Botox and fillers have become increasingly popular as these are non-invasive, non-permanent and can be done in a flash with just a jab. The latest in the market is Macrolane, a volume expander that’s said to give subtle and natural-looking results. Developed by Q-Med, it is based on the same technology that has won Restylane (a filler that’s been used worldwide since 1996, in over nine million treatments) such wide recognition. Macrolane is considered a “lunchtime” procedure as it requires only between 30 and 90 minutes, and does not need a general anaesthetic or overnight hospitalisation. Macrolane can be used to contour and sculpt the breasts, decolletage, buttocks and calves, as well as to restore volume and smooth skin irregularities. It lasts for between eight and 12 months.

Those who undergo the procedure should expect redness, tenderness or swelling, but can return to their daily routine immediately. The gel is naturally excreted from the body and the process occurs gradually and goes unnoticed from day to day. Macrolane can be removed by aspirating the gel from the body if need be.]]>Mon, 13 Oct 2008 05:18:24 +0000http://www.beritapublishing.com.my/Madam_Chair/beauty/beauty-in-a-jiffy/http://www.beritapublishing.com.my/Madam_Chair/beauty/beauty-in-a-jiffy/ CLAUDIA Lynn Cohen, who passed on at the age of 57, was an American gossip columnist, socialite and TV reporter. The daughter of businessman Robert Cohen, president of the Hudson County News Company, a magazine wholesaler, and his wife, Harriet, Claudia was raised in Englewood, New Jersey. She attended the Dwight School for Girls (now Dwight- Englewood School) and the University of Pennsylvania. She joined the New York Post in the late ‘70s as a reporter for its gossip column Page Six. Noted for going for the jugular, creating a column with a savvy and sharp edge, Claudia is credited with putting Page Six on the map.

She left the Post in 1980 to begin her own gossip column, I, Claudia at a rival Manhattan daily. While that column failed, it did further Claudia’s profile in the Big Apple’s entertainment scene. She got married to corporate raider Ronald Perelman in 1985 and had a daughter, Samantha, together. After nine years the marriage fell apart. Claudia walked away with a reported US$80 million (RM265 million) settlement. Despite her massive wealth, she went back to journalism, appearing regularly on the morning talk show Live with Regis and Kathie Lee to talk about entertainment gossip and society news. She died on June 15 last year from ovarian cancer. Her ex-husband, Perelman, recently asked the University of Pennsylvania to rename the historic Logan Hall, next to College Hall, as the Claudia Cohen Hall, much to the shock of Penn faculty, alumni and students.]]>Mon, 13 Oct 2008 05:15:40 +0000http://www.beritapublishing.com.my/Madam_Chair/columns/culture-dessert/http://www.beritapublishing.com.my/Madam_Chair/columns/culture-dessert/ In a market saturated with teak furniture shops, Ayu Trisna has been able to hold her own by offering high-end, custommade pieces and personalised service for the discerning customer. From a flea market stall selling handicraft in 1999, her business has grown to two furniture showrooms and a design house with a growing customer base. Forty per cent of her customers are Europeans while the remainder are local, and most of them have approached her based on word of mouth. Sixty per cent are repeat customers and Ayu has followed many clients as they moved from one house to another. One of her biggest projects so far is furnishing the entire home of an Arab family with custom-made furniture. Besides basic home furniture, she has provided specific pieces with detailed designs for universities, prayer consoles and ornate doors and frames. A lecturer by profession for 16 years, it still surprises Ayu how she ended up where she is now. Her husband had a company supplying door frames to contractors. One day, while studying for her phD and lecturing masters in business administration students, she decided to team up with her husband and son to sell handicraft at the flea market in Amcorp Mall, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

“We really enjoyed it but found the transactions very small compared with the long hours we put in.” When in 1999, the Indonesian rupiah hit a slump, Ayu and her husband felt the time was right to bring in Indonesian teak to Malaysia. They started a furniture business with their first outlet in Amcorp Mall. In the early years, Ayu and her husband focused on learning about the trade, the production of furniture, the behaviour of wood and the kind of market they had decided to place themselves in. In 2000 they opened their second showroom in Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam. Business boomed and a third showroom was opened near Mutiara Homes in Mutiara Damansara in 2003. Unfortunately, it only lasted eight months. At the end of 2004, she transferred the Mutiara stock to Section 16, renting a bungalow first, and then buying it over after just five months. Ayu has found that many of her customers, who include famous personalities, come back because her furniture is of the highest quality and they are satisfied with her after sales service. “My aim is for every ending to be a happy ending.” She cites the example of a client whose bed’s four posters began slanting after two years. Upon examining it, Ayu found that it was caused by a design error and offered to replace the bed with a new one.

The customer was noticeably surprised but delighted nonetheless. “I don’t ever want a bad reference. Marketing studies show that if a customer is satisfied they tell at least two people, but if they are dissatisfied they will tell at least seven people.” In another case, Ayu found herself between a rock and a hard place when a customer who had bought, paid and accepted delivery of a dining set insisted she take it back, claiming that her husband and daughter did not like it and that she wanted her money back. The customer threatened to cancel the cheque if Ayu did not concede but Ayu maintained her calm and asked the customer to think over her decision. After a few days the customer called and offered to give Ayu 20 per cent of the price of the furniture if she took it back. Ayu refused, leading the customer to offer her 40 per cent of the price. Still, Ayu stood her ground. When she found that the customer really didn’t want the furniture anymore, she accepted the furniture back on one condition: the customer had to return the furniture by her own means. Ayu says that while it is important for her not to ruin her relationship with a client, she also feels a line should be drawn so that she is not taken advantage of. This is why she made it difficult for that client to return the furniture.]]>Mon, 13 Oct 2008 05:13:19 +0000http://www.beritapublishing.com.my/Madam_Chair/features/fun-in-furnishings/http://www.beritapublishing.com.my/Madam_Chair/features/fun-in-furnishings/ It’s been 25 years and I could easily work another 25 and not feel it,” says Suseela Menon, executive director of UMW Corporation. She has had a hectic day, but still looks fresh and glamorous. When told this, she modestly says, “must be the makeup!” When I met her, Suseela was scheduled to fly to New Zealand the next morning for three days for a series of meetings, and then spend two days in Sydney for more meetings. When she lands back in Kuala Lumpur, she would have to be present at the launch of UMW’s CSR (corporate social responsibility) book. “About 400 to 500 people would be coming for the function and, yes, I have to make a speech,” she says. It’s a hectic schedule she has become used to. “It’s been like that for the past couple of years.” It’s a long way from her idyllic childhood as the daughter of a planter. “I grew up in a very green environment. A planter’s house would typically be surrounded by lots of land and trees. I was born in Malacca, and my father got transferred to Johor, Pahang and then Selangor.” Suseela spent her school years in Johor.

“I had a wonderful childhood, which I appreciate now. We didn’t know what town life was like till I went to my classmate’s house in the city. My siblings and I had each other for company, played rounders, explored the forest and did not have to worry about being kidnapped even though we lived in a very secluded area. There were no distractions like malls, cyber cafes and computers.” The reality only sank in when she left school. She went to London at 16 to do her A-levels. Then it was for further studies at the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators in London. “The ICSA qualification applies to a broad spectrum of careers, especially in the corporate world.” Suseela is the face of MAICSA’s (Malaysian Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators) success story. She appears in their media ads. “I only had two years of full-time education supported by Dad. After that I decided to get a job and did my studies part-time. I did work related to my studies. This is because when you come back to Malaysia, they will always expect you to have experienceand paper qualifications.” Her work experience stood her in good stead as she got a job as assistant company secretary with Tractors Malaysia on her return, after which she was promoted to company secretary. Then she got head-hunted by UMW, where she assumed the post of group secretary.

Today, she holds the position of executive director and is responsible for the group’s secretarial division, public affairs, corporate communications and branding divisions, the IT division and the corporate governance, website and investor relations functions. She also sits on a number of boards in the UMW Group, and various committees, taskforces and advisory bodies. Her job entails extensive travelling as UMW has a presence in 13 countries.]]>Mon, 13 Oct 2008 05:09:26 +0000http://www.beritapublishing.com.my/Madam_Chair/cover-story/umws-multitalented-director-/http://www.beritapublishing.com.my/Madam_Chair/cover-story/umws-multitalented-director-/