DEBORAH ROBERTS

“Find Something That Sparks Joy Each Day And Pass It On!” — Deborah Roberts

which have a strip of yellow floral silk down each side. She would also pine after my blue and white Oscar de la Renta A- line dress which looks like I stepped out of the 1950’s on the way to a southern garden party,” Roberts muses. If you scroll through Roberts social media, from the yellow strapless Harlem toile print gown she wore to cover the Met Gala or the ladylike lace trimmed lilac tea length dress worn to accept an award from the Harlem School of the Arts, it’s evident that legends such as Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly are among her style icons. “I was drawn to form fitting clothes which made women look graceful and beautiful”. Another notable actress also influenced Roberts’ style. In Julia, a groundbreaking show starring Diahann Carroll as a widowed nurse raising her son alone, Roberts observed how the powers of femininity and fashion were not reserved for the elite. Like Roberts’ own mother, the character Julia sewed her own clothes and fans could even purchase patterns of those outfits to make at home. Ironically when Roberts began in the broadcast industry, women dressed like men wearing formal power suits to make them look serious and mature. “All my old head shots have helmet hair style with a crisp blouse and jacket to say, ‘I’m a no-nonsense reporter who’s ready for business’,” laughs Roberts whose more recent style projects confidence, modernity and individuality. She understands that the most effective way to show your capabilities is by wearing things that make you feel the best version of yourself and adds that age does not factor into a woman’s clothing choices. “I like to push the envelope a bit since I love fashion and see myself as youthful but I’m always conscious of being appropriate. I wouldn’t wear a micro mini with high heels, or a dress cut up to my thigh. It says I’m trying too hard. Not my vibe.”

Even makeup free, Roberts looks shockingly young but admits she still has not completely embraced her chronological age and doesn’t love talking about it even though anyone can use Google to find it “I am very active and feel so youthful in the way I carry myself and how I dress. I still wear shorts with a blazer or silk blouse and kitten heels to summer dinners. I don’t want to feel that I’m aging out of any look!” Of course, even for the savviest shopper, it’s not possible to keep everything and Roberts has found a way to use her wardrobe to help others. After her colleague fell ill a few years ago, Roberts wanted to help her family with the bills and it occurred to her that she could have a closet sale. She brought in garment bags of designer items and it was a major hit. People were lined up outside of the ABC conference room to buy gently worn Oscar de la Renta dresses, Khaite sweaters, Off White shoes, Gucci blouses, Chloe pants and Dior skirts. A substantial amount of money was raised and the joy in the office was uplifting. Some people missed the sale and asked Roberts to please do it again, so it has become a biannual tradition with the proceeds going to a charity of her choice. There are a few things that Roberts admits she will never get rid of. One being a 20-year-old Ralph Lauren chocolate brown crocodile skirt and the other a black crepe Gucci dress accented with draping cascading from a gold ring. “I would run back into a fire to save them--- after my family and dog were out safely, of course.”