How to join the fashion elite

A Maltese fashion aficionado was among London's fashionable elite who were invited to judge wannabe catwalk starlets contesting for the popular title of Britain's Next Top Model.

A chain of events placed Jamie De Cesare in the right place at the right time and led to him being asked to judge the models during an episode of the popular television show's fifth series being aired on UK Living.

Five years ago Mr De Cesare took a leap in the dark and set off to London, with no plans other than to pursue a career in marketing. He had just completed his Masters in integrated marketing communications at the University of Malta.

With a keen interest in the arts - particularly music, photography and fashion - the 29-year-old drifted towards a job that blended marketing with fashion.

His break came when he was appointed marketing manager with a worldwide distributor of Swarovski crystals that also produced dresses ranging from prêt-à-porter to haute couture.

As it happened, the company also provided dresses for popular UK television programmes like Dancing With The Stars and Strictly Come Dancing where Mr De Cesare met Lisa Snowdon, the host of Britain's Next Top Model.

He was given the task of managing a unique collaboration with designer Isabell Kristensen to make three unique dresses for a fashion show in Next Top Model. That was when he met distinguished milliner Louis Mariette who provided headdresses for the one-off gowns.

Meanwhile, the company was also asked to embellish the clothes to be worn by Mr Mariette, a judge on the reality television show.

As one thing led to another, Mr De Cesare's creativity and charming and bubbly personality catapulted him into a network of people from the London fashion scene - he was invited to attend a reception to be aired as part of episode five of the television show's fifth series.

During the programme, Mr Mariette introduced the reception as an "intimate gathering of high society" and asked the models to strut their stuff in front of "London's fashionable elite".

This event was one of the judging obstacles the contestants had to surmount in the fierce battle to win the title of Britain's Next Top Model. They modelled Mr Mariette's hat creations in his studio where the judges - including Mr De Cesare - asked questions as part of the judging process.

"It was quite intimidating to be under such big cameras. You really have to put all your insecurities aside and be as confident as you can," Mr De Cesare said.

He recalled how, on the morning of the reception, as he prepared for one of the most memorable evenings of his life, he realised the shirt he planned to wear was damaged.

As he rushed to go to work - the plan was to go straight to the event after that - he grabbed the first things that landed in his hands.

He slipped into another shirt which was not ironed and threw on a 30-year-old dark grey golf V-neck that belonged to his father.

He then complemented the look with multi-coloured trainers, a bow tie and a beret which, he admitted, he only wore because he had not managed to get a haircut in time.

He laughed as he remembered how, despite this last-minute wardrobe concoction, he was posted on London's fashion blogs.

After the event he was invited to become a member of the Fashion Business Club, created to bring bright-minded, fashion business professionals together to listen, learn and do business together.

"It's a nice club to be in," he smiles.