VIDEO: Style Q+A: Nirmala Naidoo

Elections. Wars. Royalty.

These are just some of the stories that have brought CBC News anchor, Nirmala Naidoo, to the front lines, and into our living rooms.

A journalist for 20 years, Naidoo has travelled the globe, spotlighting the best and worst of the human condition. “Sometimes I can’t shake it, the stories haunt me,” Naidoo says.

“It affects me, and I’m glad it affects me. The day it doesn’t affect me is the day I should get out of the business.”

Naidoo’s professional pedigree is hard to dispute. It includes time with the CBC, CTV’s W5, Global, Reuters television in the United Kingdom, bureau work for both ABC and NBC and countless awards, such as being the only Canadian journalist to grace the cover of Time magazine in 2001 — donning a white Stetson, yet.

“I fought the photographer a little on the cowboy hat, because everyone thinks we all wear cowboy hats here,” laughs Naidoo. “But at the end of the shoot, he kept saying, ‘Please, put it on for me; it probably won’t even get used.’ I said, ‘Okay.’ And, of course, that was the one that they used.” A staple in Calgary’s news scene for more than 15 years, Naidoo says she never thought she’d set up roots in the city, but, looking back, is now glad she did. “Calgary is one of those places you come for a short time and you stay forever,” she says.

What’s it like anchoring the news?
I always tell kids who come into the newsroom, you can’t just want to be an anchor. You have to want to be a journalist. The job is to write a good essay every single day of your life to a tight deadline. It’s not always glamorous, and you have to be ready to be in some pretty mucky situations — such as floodwaters and storms. You also have to really want to tell people’s stories. The bottom line is that’s what the job is. It’s not about being on TV being all made up. It’s about being all those other things.

You’ve covered some interesting and world-changing stories. Which ones stick out?
When I was in England, it was all behind-the-scenes stuff, but I covered the first Gulf War from a bureau in London for the American networks — NBC, ABC and Reuter’s TV. That was really neat, because it gave me a sense of how wars are covered internationally. There’s never been a war prior to that one where you were actually getting raw video coming in and you had to decide what was safe to show the public. That was really learning on your feet. We all get watered-down versions of what war is and, working in London, it was not watered down. We were getting footage that we would never be able to air because it was so gruesome.

Do you have a favourite Calgary news story?
There have been many but I enjoy covering developing stories. For example, I think the Ryan Jenkins story was an interesting one to cover. [Jenkins was a reality TV star from Calgary who was accused of killing model Jasmine Fiore in 2009; he sparked an international manhunt until he was found hanged in a B.C. motel room.]
It was such a huge story that straddled the border, it was developing and we didn’t know from one second to the next what was happening — it was a lot of updating and working the phones. It was one of those things journalists love to do — just trying to find out what happened.

Were there some lighter moments and stories you remember?
When I was in London, I was very lucky to be invited to Buckingham Palace. I had to buy a new hat and a new suit. I remember I got there a little bit late, maybe 10 minutes. I asked if I should wait until there was an intermission because the Queen was giving a talk to journalists, and people were getting awards. But they said, “No, no, no, it’s fine to go in.” So I opened the door and walked in. The Queen stopped talking. She remained quiet for what seemed like an eternity while I walked across and tried to find a seat. All the heads in
the whole room turned around and looked at me. All I could think about was find a seat, sit down, put your head down and hide your face with your hat. I’ll never forget that. Every time I see the Queen, I think to myself, I made her mad.

Do you have a “wall of fame” at home with photos from some of these stories?
No, I don’t. And I kind of wish I did. In those days, I was kind of weighing ethics with being a journalist, being a fan and being a professional. Inside I was thinking, oh, I’d really like to shake Princess Diana’s hand, and get a photo, but I didn’t wantto make myself part of the story. Now, years later, I think I maybe should have done that. What did it feel like being on the cover of Time magazine? It was amazing! I got a phone call from New York and they said, “We’d like you to be in Time magazine. We’re doing this article on successful immigrants.” I said, “Oh, that’s great,” you know, shocked, but trying to be nonchalant about it. I hung up the phone. I think I was a little too nonchalant because they called me right back and said, “We don’t think you understand, we want you to be on the cover.” At that point, I was, like, forget nonchalant, and started screaming.

How would you describe your own style?
I strive for timeless elegance. I do have some quirky pieces that are trendier, but I try not to fill my wardrobe with those. Those are more because I just want to have fun for a month or two. Bottom line is I know those kind of pieces are never going to last the test of time. I’m all about the classics.

Do you have some wardrobe favourites?
I love pencil skirts. I tend to go for the black ones, and other basic separates that I can pair with accessories.

Do you separate how you dress for work, and how you dress at home?
I never wear pants at work. I always wear skirts and dresses.

Is there a reason for that?
I just like it. I like being feminine and professional, and skirts get that across.

Do you like dressing for winter?
I do, because you can get away with wearing a lot of black, and I love black. It’s my fashion downfall. I gravitate toward black. If I have a choice between an outfit in three different colors, the black always looks best.

Is there something you’d never wear?
Spandex in the summer.

How do you stay on top of fashion?
I like to read fashion magazines to kind of get a sense of what fashion is going to be in for the year. I don’t necessarily go look at Vogue and say, “I have to buy it from that designer.” But I like the challenge of duplicating the look. Sometimes I can find the pieces at Winners, and sometimes not. It’s a great artistic challenge.

Is there a trend you enjoy right now?
I realize I’m buying a lot of stuff with ruffles and big collars. I had to stop myself recently because I know that stuff is going to look dated, and not work with my whole timeless philosophy.

Is there something you wish would make a fashion return?
Everything eventually comes back, so I don’t have to worry about that.

Where do you like to shop?
Anywhere. I could live in a shopping mall. I’m dangerous. I really am. If I have 20 minutes between functions, I can go shopping in that time. I have it timed out to a science. I might only be able to do one shop, but I can walk in, look around and know if there is anything in there for me and walk out. A part of that comes from having kids, because you don’t have a lot of time. I learned very quickly how to make the most of every minute when it comes to shopping. I love shopping. It’s my hobby.

Do you have a list of favourites?
For work, I always find the stuff I need at Melanie Lynne. I also love Holt Renfrew, Banana Republic and Tristan. Those are my standbys.

Is your husband supportive of your hobby?
Not completely, no.

Does he ever join you on these power-shopping trips?
No, never. He never wants to shop, and he doesn’t even want to know anything about it. He doesn’t want to know how much it costs. Nothing.

Do you purge your wardrobe very often?
My husband has been squeezed out of the walk-in closet, and I’ve taken over three closets in the house. I really need to purge, but I haven’t yet.

Have you ever seriously splurged in the name of fashion?  ?
Well, I have a funny story about that. A few months back, I walked into La Chic in Bankers Hall. I started realizing pretty fast it was quite pricey, and probably not what I was looking for. But then I spotted this simply stunning hot pink suede beaded sundress. I said, okay, I’ll try it on.

It fit like a glove. I came out of the dressing room, and the woman said, “You have to buy it.” I looked at the price tag, and it was $5,000. I told the salesgirl it was way out of my price range, and she said it was on sale for $500. Well, immediately, even though prior to that $500 may have been too much, it was suddenly in my price range. So I bought it. It was a one-of-a-kind, straight from the Italian runway, Trussardi original — the only one in Canada. A couple months back, I finally put it on, we got a babysitter and my husband and I went for dinner. I thought, what’s the point of having a dress like that in your closet and not wearing it? So I put it on.

We had a lovely night, and over dessert, while having cheese and wine, my husband spilled his whole glass of red wine all over the dress. There were gasps from the women beside me who were admiring the dress.

Did that break your heart?
Like I said to my husband, who felt horrible about it, it’s just fabric and thread. I loved having it in my closet. It made me feel like a million bucks, and I got a few fabulous hours out of it. And that’s the way I look at clothes — they come and they go. I  ’d like to have some pieces that would last forever, but, at the end of the day, it’s just a dress. And on a brighter note, the drycleaners did finally get out the stain. The dress is a little lighter than it originally was, but it is wearable. [In fact, you can see it above and on our cover.]

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Doing exactly what I’m doing. If I won the lottery tomorrow, I’d be one of those people who wouldn’t give up their career.

FAVOURITES
Drink
A good red wine

Non-alcoholic drink
Diet Coke

Restaurant
Belvedere

Meal
Steamed Dungeness crab with butter

Music
Disco, Jazz, Funk

Band
Santana

Treat
Caviar

Spa
Stillwater

Book
Anything non-fiction

Fragrance
Flowerbomb by Viktor & Rolf

Shop
Harrods

Art
Tribal and aboriginal

Anchor
Katie Couric