The essay in question

Holt Renfrew preparing to host the Toronto Film Festival

This is the mini essay that I submitted. We were limited to 200 words and asked to explain why were the ideal candidate for the job.

Why should I be Holt’s Contemporary Correspondent? Because fashion defines my life! It's in my thoughts, my words, and my reference points. From bold Lanvin to of-the-moment Alexander Wang, fashion challenges my thinking of what is contemporary. Is it 60's Edie Sedgwick reincarnated in the hip looks of vintage-clad girls on Queen West? Or the continuous exploration of the new and undiscovered as manifested in Jeremy Laing’s shifting shapes?

Truth is - it's both! And it's everywhere, especially in this great city of ours. I see it in those amazing graffiti walls as the subway passes west along the Bloor Danforth subway, in the sharp folds of the ROM Crystal, in the vivid palette of High Park during spring.

Be it in a building or in a frock, I’ve learnt that fashion is the lens through which we interpret and present who we are to the world. I'll bring my fun-loving, inquisitive perspective along with me as I discover where fashion is headed next!

I was selected!!!!!

Hi everyone!

Today I received an e-mail informing me that I am part of the preliminary selections to be Holt Renfrew's Contemporary Correspondent! This is such amazing news, as I was just discussing with my Life Coach, Lynda yesterday that I didn't think I had the talent or experience necessary to even apply to work at Holts - Canada's pre-eminent department store. Holts in on par with other high-end department stores such as Barneys, Saks 5th Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Bergdof Goodman & Harrods. The store stocks big name fashion brands like Dior, Chanel, Valentino, Gucci, as well as fashion brands like Lanvin, McQueen, and of course up and coming Canadian artists.

Holts recently put out a call for a Contemporary Correspondent to go behind the scenes and chronicle the goings on of the fashion world during Toronto Fashion Week. The winner also gets to sit down with key figures such as Barbara Atkin, head of Fashion Direction (& someone I have learnt so much from), in addition to designers and key industry faces. Of course the winners must look good in clothes, so included in the prize is a $1000 clothing allowance from HR, as well as a Vaio laptop. Ultimately 3 people will be selected to represent Canada's fashion capitals : Toronto, Montreal & Vancouver.

The initial process begins with selection of 5 people per city. Then after a couple of challenges, the winner is chosen by fans on Facebook. AND I was selected as one of the 5!!!!! in all of Toronto!!!!!!!

Unfortunately I wouldn't be able to go in for an interview because I'll be travelling through Germany, Paris, and Luxembourg for the next two weeks. But just knowing that it was possible encourages me to keep believing in myself and dreaming big dreams. As many of you know from posts on my other blogs, I have laid out some definite plans for the future. Lynda said something to me that I will never forget: "Trust that God knew what He was doing when He placed these dreams within you."

CONTEST RULES:

http://www.holtrenfrew.com/holts/pdf/CCRulesRegs.pdf


Here's an excerpt from the e-mail I received today:

Hello Jason,

I’m writing to you because you’ve been selected as one of our Top Contestants for the Holts Contemporary Correspondent Search in Toronto . Congratulations! There were a number of really excellent submissions…so well done.

As such, we’d like to bring you in for a 10-15 minute interview with a Holts judging panel on Monday, June 15, 2009 sometime between 9am and 12pm. At the end of this interview process, two finalists will be selected to participate in a series of fashion-related voting challenges on Holt Renfrew’s Facebook Page, where our Facebook Fans will determine the ultimate winner in each city.

DREAM BIG My friends!