Style Q+A with Judy Gabriel

Watch the Judy Gabriel Style Q+A Video

We see her everywhere, and that’s the way Calgary TV personality Judy Gabriel likes it.

As host of her own Citytv “What’s up with Judy G?” segment, Gabriel documents her hobnobbing with Calgary’s style- and newsmakers, all while sporting a killer pair of shoes.

“My actual title is Entertainment Specialist,” laughs Gabriel. “I get to go be part of the culture of Calgary.”

A communications grad from the University of Calgary, Gabriel has done everything from hip-hop radio and TV shows like Bravo’s Books Into Film, to starting her own mini-production company and writing, editing and co-producing her own award-winning documentary, Wandering Souls, about the plight of Calgary’s homeless in 2002. “I just took a camera, myself and a pack of cigarettes, because I knew that’s how I’d get people to talk to me. It worked,” she says.

Gabriel’s ability to relate to the homeless comes from hard-earned experience. Originally from Eritrea, a former province of Ethiopia, Gabriel’s family was uprooted by the Ethiopean civil war, which started in 1974, and forced them to make their way to Kenya.

“We couldn’t go back to Eritrea, because they were taking all the kids and turning them into warriors to fight in the war,” says Gabriel. “So my mom, dad, two brothers, a cousin and I ran away from there, all of us packed into a Jeep, covered in cloth, hay and a sheep to hide us.”

Dropped into the slums of Kenya, they forged a new life, regardless of circumstance. “Just five years after that, my mom worked her way out of that place and became the top designer-tailor in Kenya,” remembers Gabriel. “We eventually got accepted to come [to Canada as refugees]. We immigrated here because we heard Canada was the promised land.” Turns out they were right.

You had never seen snow until you arrived here. How was that?
It was amazing. I remember thinking in Swahili, “We are rich, we are rich.” I didn’t even know what I was saying.

How old were you?
I was 8. You’re very aware of everything at that age. I remember we stayed at this crappy hotel, in one room, and my parents had to go and find jobs. All of us were crammed in there — all the kids in one bed, my parents in the other, and now here we are.

It sounds like your mom was a hard worker. Has she been a big influence?
My mom brought me to this point. I really give her everything for who I am. Raising all four of us on next to nothing. I look back and think: I am so blessed to have everything and I am able to enjoy life at such a different level because these two people did everything in their power to get me to this point.

Do you get your love of fashion from her?
Back in the day, she was matchy-matchy head to toe. And she dressed us up a lot. She made our socks, she made our underwear. Handmade underwear — who does that, right? My mom. And she made us suits … For my first job at A-Channel, she sewed me suits and tailored them perfectly to my body. And I was so happy because there was no way I could afford custom-made anything, and here I had my own tailor!

Does your father have a taste for fashion, as well?
My father used to work as a janitor in the morning and he’d wear a suit. He’d travel by C-train, and he’d wear a suit. He said, “Always be proud of who you are, and dress up — your self-worth is important.”

How would you describe your sense of style?
I like classic looks, like Chanel and Audrey Hepburn. I like the old-school, form-fitted, tailored, below-the-knee pencil skirts and heels. I’d even wear gloves if I could. Very demure, but incredibly sexy and fashion forward. That kind of look will always defy time.

Do you like to shop?
I love to shop. I think every girl likes to shop. If you can shop, shop. I have a lot of suits and jackets that I can’t fit into anymore, but I just keep them in a closet anyway, look at them, and think, one day I’ll fit back into it. But then reality hits, and as you get older, your body morphs into a different kind of shape.

What’s the one thing in your closet you can’t live without?
Besides my boots that I wear every day? A nice black leather jacket that you can wear with everything. And I never leave home without my Blackberry. I remember being so against it at one point, until Rogers gave me one for work. Now I can’t seem to be without it, especially in the business that I’m in. It keeps me on top of all the events and stories. I feel like I’ve got my finger on the pulse of the city.

Do you like to splurge on anything regularly?
I keep it really sensible. I’m not one to splurge a lot or spend a lot of money on one specific item. It stems from how I was raised and has a lot to do with where I come from. I’ve learned first-hand how to stretch a dollar from my parents, who still managed to never compromise our quality of life. So, that’s a constant reminder of what I need, as opposed to what I want. Of course, with my jobas an on-air personality, image is a valuable commodity and you have to look the part in order to survive in this industry. So, when I do splurge it’s on makeup and hair, but with clothing it’s usually a well-tailored blazer that I can wear with almost anything — simple and classic.

Speaking of hair, any chance of your afro coming back?
[Laughs] I don’t think so. I had it for a while, but after that, I thought, you know, my hair can’t define me. But no matter what you do, as a woman, your hair will always define you. The reason I had the afro was women in my country who fought in the war always wore their hair in an afro, and were really proud. I wanted to connect to them, and this is how I did it.

Is there anything you’ve bought in the last year that was an incredible steal?
I was in Osoyoos, B.C., last summer with my sister, Marty, who is a guru at finding the best bargains, and she found these two beautiful multicoloured sun dresses — they cost only $12 each! So we both bought one. I wear it under a well-fitted blazer.

You’ve talked to a lot of celebs. Is there an interview that stands out for you?
My first junket, for the movie Crash. I was really nervous, because they sent me all by myself to the Four Seasons in L.A. You watch the movie the night before and then do five or six interviews the next day. And I remember meeting with Don Cheadle, and I was just in complete awe because he’s so fantastic.  And Terrence Howard and Thandie Newton — gorgeous and flawless. After the interviews that day, I was leaving and I remember Terrence and Don walking by and playfully saying, “Judy, Judy, Judy,” and asking me to stick around for a bit. I had a half hour before the car was coming to pick me up, so we hung out for a bit and talked. Great guys.

Is there someone you admire in the business?
Besides Oprah? She’s the goddess. Everybody says Oprah, but when you’re growing up and watching television … well, she had a huge impact on women of colour. She wasn’t a slim, perfect woman — she was the everyday woman. She inspired me in a lot of ways. I didn’t know anyone in the industry who would ever help me get to the point I wanted to get to until I saw her and people like Iman, and they were doing it for themselves. They are my role models.

I hear there is a wedding on the horizon.
Yes, I got engaged on February 28th.

Congratulations! Is there a date?
We tentatively set August 21st of this year.

How did your fiancé, John Waddock, ask you?
It’s funny, actually. He proposed to me the last time Pavlo, Rik Emmett and Oscar Lopez were here. We were at their concert, it was packed and they were giving their encore, and he had waited until the last possible moment … he had been carrying this ring in his pocket for months! And then finally, all of a sudden, he turns around and grabs my hand, slips the ring on my finger and asks, “Will you marry me?” And I said yes, grabbed him right away, and said, “We need to get out of here,” and we ran out.

Is he always that spontaneous and romantic?
He’s a musician. And he plays for me every time I come home. Once he surprised me with a piano — one of the most romantic things ever. He found this old upright piano, re-tuned it and asked me what colour I like. I said vibrant red, like Elton John’s piano. So he went and painted it red, and now I have it in my kitchen. Gorgeous.

OK, women all over are getting jealous.
He’s a great guy. I did find a diamond in the rough. Very laid-back, very cool, but incredibly thoughtful in many ways. No relationship is ever perfect, and you have to work at it. And guys do funny things sometimes. They do certain things that to them are a big deal, and to you it might be, “Well, of course, I deserve that,” but really, no, you don’t deserve that. It should be more, “Thank you, oh my god, that was very thoughtful.”

Now the all-important question — do you have a wedding dress picked out?
I have actually bought the dress already! It’s a mermaid/trumpet style [called Efigie by San Patrick], made in Barcelona, Spain. It’s very fitted and flares out at the bottom. I bought it at Ethos in Mount Royal. I went to all the small designer boutiques first. But I realized quickly that if I focused on the name or designer, I wouldn’t focus on the dress. So I took my sister, Marty, around, and she said just try the dresses on without looking at the designer. I just wanted something that hugged my body in a beautiful way, and that still had a Wow factor. It was the third dress I tried on. It didn’t fit my booty, though — ‘cause I got some junk in my trunk. It’s the one thing I have to consider when buying anything!

Where do you hope to see yourself in 10 years time?
Married, hopefully with a couple of children. I say hopefully because you never know in life. I love working in media, producing, creating and writing, so maybe running my own business.

Do you plan to stay here?
I love Calgary. I’ve tried to leave many times, but there is this gravity that pulls me back here. I shouldn’t say gravity; it’s not like it’s pulling me to the ground, but there is a thing about Calgary. This is where I learned so many different things about myself, and how to navigate through this crazy career, and to try and make something out of myself. My family has been here, my friends are here. Calgary has become my culture. I’ve set up roots here. It’s home.