Lorraine Mansbridge has been brightening television screens for over 25 years. As both host and producer of Edmonton’s Global Morning News, Mansbridge has explored the entire city and interviewed a broad spectrum of local philanthropists, philologists and philosophers. A former Miss Manitoba, she always seems to have the right turn of phrase, not to mention the right outfit, for each segment.
Mansbridge (no relation to the other nationally recognized CBC broadcaster of the same last name, Peter Somebody) began her career in the late 1970s as Canada’s first female “disc jockey” for CKY Winnipeg. Audiences loved her dulcet tones, but it was a hard time to be a woman in the industry, she says.
Mansbridge was offered a fantastic opportunity to quit before she was fired. “I haven’t worked with a woman yet,” growled her erstwhile employer, “and I’m not going to start now.”
So she moved from radio to TV, and then from the “Peg” to the City of Champions in 1982 to host ITV, now known as Global Edmonton. She tried anchoring the news but quit after only four months. “It just wasn’t for me,” she says. “I wanted to focus on the good news.”
In the mid-1990s she began to focus on human interest pieces, which has led to some of her most fulfilling work on many levels. “Life and death stories are why I get up in the morning,” she says. “You’re sharing with people, making a difference, and that’s where you learn what life is all about.”
Many of her professional forays in this city have become personal passions, such as the MS Bike Tour, the Ukrainian Shumka Dancers’ annual fundraiser, and the Fashion With Compassion fundraiser for Sorrentino’s Compassion House.
Her fashion sense is inspired by frequent visits to Tel Aviv, New York and London, but she is proud to call Edmonton home. At 52, her pace has not abated, but her style has, certainly from the big hair and big shoulders of the 1980s. “When I was 26, I dressed older because I wanted to be taken seriously,” she says. “Now, a pair of dark, dressy jeans are my favourite thing. How you present yourself is still really important, but we’ve redefined what that means. You no longer need a business suit to be taken seriously. Secondly, it makes you more relatable to people.”
It’s not uncommon for you to go through three wardrobe changes in a single day; how do you find clothes that are adaptable?
Usually what I wear on-camera is what I’d wear if I were out on the street. If it’s an event that’s not too dressy, like delivering a speech, then I wear a turtleneck and jacket with some jewellery. I change a lot during the day because different things require different clothes; that’s just the way the world turns. It’s totally about the accessories. You can take a camisole and put it under an edgy, short jacket, put a couple of necklaces on and it’s something you can wear on TV. If you didn’t have the necklaces it would be too bare, or you would need a different top. If I’m going from on-air to a gala, then I go to the closet for the cocktail dresses. Over the years I’ve gathered together a lot of stuff.
Because you’re always on the go, you do most of your shopping while on vacation. What’s your strategy?
About two or three times a year I go to a store, they line the clothes up and I stand in a fitting room for four hours saying, “Yes, no, yes, no, yes, no” — and then I’m done. I’m all about sales — it has to be a good price or I don’t want it. To me, the pleasure is in getting really good quality for a steal.
Who is one of your favourite designers?
I love Elie Tahari. It’s not too expensive, has a bit of edge but not too much, and it’s fun. They have pieces that mix and match; it’s a little bit trendy but very wearable and takes you from season to season. I stick with the basics, and then it’s not hard to put something together every day.
Can you get away with wearing the same thing twice?
I prefer not to, and I don’t have to. I rarely throw anything away. Sometimes I’ll wear something and viewers will call and ask where I got it, and it’s something I bought 10 years ago. The secret is to have pieces that are classic, really good quality and not dated. Then you can use accessories to create and update and make something old look new.
What advice would you give to women on how to be contemporary yet age-appropriate?
[Laughs] Your clothes should express whatever point you’re at in your life. What you wear is important, but to be obsessed by it is sad. This Christmas I pulled out some old cocktail dresses and I was so happy they still fit, but they don’t work anymore. One was a hot pink sequin dress that any woman in her 30s would have killed for, but at 52 it would look like I’m trying too hard. It’s just not flattering. There are things I can wear now that are still fun but don’t look like I am trying to be 30. My advice is to find something you’re totally comfortable in that makes you feel terrific. And whatever stage you’re at, the power is in being able to embrace it. I admire any woman who is comfortable enough in her own skin to wear what she wants to wear. People then read it as an honest approach towards who they want to be, rather than who other people think they are.
