Despite having to wake long before the roosters have wiped the sleep from their eyes, radio personality Kari Skelton is ready to rock by 4 a.m., when she starts her weekday shifts at 96.3 Capital FM. The only woman on a morning team that includes industry veterans Rob Christie and Audie Lynds, as well as producer.
Tim Reiss, Skelton says that a usual bedtime of 8 p.m. and a four-shot Grande Americano help her to be sharp at that hour. So does her belief that a radio job is no excuse to show up for work in flip-flops and sweats. “If I’m presenting myself well at my job, it carries over to the air,” says the fan of pencil skirts and four-inch heels.
With her sunny disposition, Skelton knows how to have a laugh with the boys — but don’t mistake her for a “giggle bunny.” Under her put-together ensembles of designer jeans and dress shirts, or sweater dresses and funky boots, is a polished professional with a hard-news background. She was a news reporter and announcer at Red Deer’s KG Country and Zed 99 for five years before landing at Big Earl (the previous format at 96.3) in late 2007.
In addition to co-hosting, she is the Capital FM morning show’s news reader and entertainment columnist. She also produces and hosts Scandal and the City, a syndicated entertainment segment that airs on stations across Alberta and Ontario. It dishes out celebrity gossip, with a Canadian twist. With a career that demands she be involved in the community, the lively, confident and gracious Skelton also makes frequent guest appearances at soirees and media events around town. But the party she’s most looking forward to is when she and her fiancé (Citytv’s Breakfast Television host Ryan Jespersen) say, “I do” at a romantic Costa Rican getaway in March.
I have a feeling you won’t be the type of bride who walks barefoot on the beach.
I think I might have been born in heels. I am more comfortable in heels than I am in runners. It doesn’t matter what I’m wearing, I will always have on a pair of heels. I got my wedding shoes at BCBG. They’re a natural colour with a peep toe, ruching around the toe, and a four-inch stiletto wooden heel.
Are all your fashion statements as bold as your footwear?
I kind of go with the rule “never over-expose.” If you’re going to wear a shorter dress, make sure you’re covered up everywhere else. If you are going to go sleeveless, make sure you’re covered up below. Show off one part. Don’t be totally revealing and out there. Leave something to the imagination.
What are your favourite stores to shop?
Aritzia, H&M and BCBG, and I love shopping at Forever 21. The trends get a little overwhelming sometimes. It’s a really good place for you to try something out and not spend a fortune. You can get everything there.
What is your advice for women who aren’t 21 but want a youthful appearance?
Stick with the classics and then go with a trendy bag or add something small (that is trendy). If the trend is ’80s, maybe wear your favourite jeans and an ’80s-style off-the-shoulder top.
Name your indispensable clothing items.
I’m a big jeans girl — that’s an item I don’t mind spending money on. My Paige jeans were $275, but right now I’m wearing $25 skinny dark jeans. I probably have five pairs — wide cut, boot cut, skinny jeans. Skinny jeans are something I thought no way I’d wear, but there’s a skinny jean for every girl. Honestly, just get into the store and try them on. I shop for jeans at Aritzia, for sure. They have the most selection as far as name-brand jeans and they don’t have a lot of one item, so it makes it kind of unique.
Whose style do you try to emulate?
Kate Hudson. She always looks good in jeans and a T-shirt, and she looks stunning on the red carpet. She has a very organic style about her that I like.
But I bet she doesn’t have to brave -30 degree weather. How do you stay fashionable and warm?
There are a lot of cute touques and furry hats out there now that look great. Get a really nice, stylish warm coat. As long as you’ve got a warm coat and mitts and a hat, you’re good to go. My coat is a Soïa and Kyo, from Smyth & Kang in Calgary, and it was a gift that Ryan gave me our first Christmas together. It’s a beautiful coat, a shorter style with a nice big collar on it and belted. I find I can throw it on with most casual outfits or I can wear it when I’m dressed up.
Any other tricks up your sleeve?
Educate yourself: read magazines, look online. I like to pick out an outfit from a magazine and then go to store websites and try to recreate it online. If you can figure out which stores have which items, it saves a lot of shopping time.
