It's not often when someone with the talent, experience and exuberant personality of Tara Gilani establishes herself in the way that she has to the South Florida community, at large. Since moving to Miami from New York ten years ago, Tara has been made locally famous with her prominent persona, known as 'The Trend Tracker'. The responsibilities of The Trend Tracker have been to cover the most exciting and current trends in fashion, night life and entertainment, relating to the South Florida area.
The Trend Tracker made regular appearances on Deco Drive, an entertainment segment produced by Miami's FOX affiliate, Channel 7; she also has a full-page feature published in Miami Metro Magazine that carries the aptly dubbed title, 'The Trend Tracker'.
Born in London, England, Tara moved to Long Island and The Hamptons in the New York area at the age of ten, along with her family of two sisters, one brother and her mother and father. Rich in heritage, Tara's mother is Scottish, while her father is of Pakistani descent.
After college, Tara moved to Manhattan to start her career. In the rush of the 'up-and-go' Miami high-life, Tara was generous enough to speak with me about The Trend Tracker and her latest 'trend'. --
Josh Humble: What led you to your interest in the latest of trends and glamour?
Tara Gilani: My career has always been about fashion, style and trends. I've done a lot of writing and promoting for clients in the public relations and marketing venue. I was the vice president for publicity at Macy's in New York for two years; and I've worked for most of the top multi-national public relations agencies out of New York. I've always been addicted to fashion. I think I've had a subscription to Vogue since I was probably six. (laughs) To me, fashion is a glorious part of life. There's a lot of history to it. In 1982, I went to Burson Marsteller (a #1-ranked public relations agency); I have a college education and they said, "Well, what do you know about?" And I said, "I know about fashion; I know about style and trends." One of the first things I did for (Burson Marsteller) was launch Coca-Cola clothes, which was a very big deal back in 1982. A lot of people don't know that the designer of Coca-Cola clothes, which we found by searching, trying to find someone new and fresh, was Tommy Hilfiger. And to the best of my knowledge, that was Tommy's first 'big' job. (laughs)
Editor's note: Tara later established Tara Gilani Inc, her own PR consulting firm. That was twelve years ago.
"I've always been addicted to fashion. I think I've had a subscription to Vogue since I was probably six," -
JH: Are you a fan of Absolutely Fabulous?
TG: I 'looove' Absolutely Fabulous, especially being British!
JH: You're seen a lot with Gerry Kelly (owner, Level Nightclub); what's your relationship like with Gerry?
TG: I adore Gerry. I would marry him if he asked me. (chuckle) Actually, he has asked me! (laughter) I met him a long time ago, and he came up to me when I was just getting started. I had appeared, maybe, only a few times on Deco Drive; and he said, "I'd like to do a party for you." And I said, "Why? You don't even know me." He said, "Because I think you're terrific, and I think you deserve it." And I said, "Wow!" That's how I met him, and I'll never forget that. My December column in Miami Metro is to be titled, 'Very Gerry', and it's about 'Gerry Kelly Couture'.
JH: How long was your tenure with Channel 7's Deco Drive?
TG: Four years; I had a tremendous experience there, and it was my launching pad, if you will.
JH: Tell me about your latest career move to NBC's channel 6, and what will your line of work consist of?
TG: It's going to be very similar. I'll be covering everything that involves style, entertainment, night life, etc. With NBC, they're going to give me a lot of opportunities; first off, they're NBC. It's the 'Peacock' -- It's a television icon.
JH: Thank you so much for your time, Tara.
TG: Thank you, love.
Tara is currently writing a book entitled, 'The F Word' ('F' for 'Fabulous?'), which is based on her life and career. Catch Tara's 'Trend Tracker' segments on the 6 and 11 (p.m.) news broadcasts on South Florida's NBC 6. We wish The Trend Tracker the best in her latest career trends. -V
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