Esme Baptista: Fashion Journalist

By Eldrick Cheong

Through the writings of fashion journalist Esme Baptista, we get a glimpse into the colourful lives of figures in the world of fashion, and away from the mundanity of everyday life.

Figure 1. Photograph of Esme Baptista, 1960 (Taken from: NAS)

A writer for newspaper publishing company, The Straits Times, Esme Baptista’s focus was on fashion, on which she wrote extensively. Her writings included the latest trends, the latest outfits, and interviews with personalities and figures engaged in fashion in one way or the other.

A few of the latest trends she covered include the brushed-up hair (coiffures) of women and the latest “craze on the beach” with fisherman handbags and gay hats in the 1950s. She also has her own column titled “Esme Baptista presents: A Page mainly for Women”. In “Queen Sirikit will win the hearts of many Malayans”, she draws reader’s attention to the Thailand queen when she made her stop at Kuala Lumpur in June 1960. Meanwhile, in “She prefers painting to a desk job”, she registers her surprise at the fact that beauty and brains can go together, as manifested in successful fashion model, Miss Valerie O’Neill. Through such interviews, we get a glimpse into the colourful lives of these figures in the world of fashion, and away from the mundanity of everyday life.

All of her articles are centred around fashion within and around Singapore (or Malaya in general). As a result, they highlight what this coast in the Southeastern part of the world has to offer.