Tinsley Randolph Mortimer has been defined within the pages of New York’s gossip and society pages as a well-bred, well-educated, and well-dressed socialite. However, Tinsley has recently strived to evolve off the pages of the tabloids into a more genuine personality that is multi-faceted and, to put it simply, real.
Her wish was granted with the making of “High Society,” a reality TV series on The CW channel that aired in March and April. Her media coverage immediately matured off the New York Post’s Page Six gossip column to the Wall Street Journal. She has been pegged as a modern socialite, someone who has made a career from attending charity balls, promotional events, and glitzy red carpet affairs.
To Tinz, as she is colloquially called by friends and media, maintaining the limelight is just part of her life. The other part of her life revolving around her relationship with her family and friends became a part of the charm of “High Society.”
“It is so frustrating because I want to just be me,” says Tinsley. “I want people to see me.” Opening up her life for the camera was her way of counter balancing the gossip columnists. It just happened to come at a time when she was getting a divorce from her husband Topper Mortimer, whom with she had been in a 17-year relationship since high school.
“People think they know me because they see me on the red carpet posing in a party dress,” she explains. “I am a different person. I just think I wanted people to get to know who I am. Overall I loved it and I want to do it again.” She is quick to add that nothing really prepared her for the experience of letting the cameras follow her about.
“There is intensity to it and it all happens when my life is changing, but I have to say I really enjoyed it. I feel stronger from it, sort of like therapy. You start thinking about how you are living your life because there are cameras there capturing everything you do. It is almost like when you do these things the life that you had before doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is what they capture on camera, it is what people know you for, and it’s what your life is about.”
In conversation with Tinsley she comes across as someone who is in her element, maneuvering through social circles and managing the media. That confidence and panache translated into her own section of the best-selling book The Park Avenue Diet, dedicated to social skills and conversational etiquette. Her poise also awarded her the title of Beauty Ambassador for Christian Dior, whom also put her name on their line of blotting papers. Her handbag line for the Japanese fashion label Samantha Thavasa keeps her the busiest. The company has had handbag lines with society mavens Nicky Hilton and Victoria Beckham.
“Socialite is such a funny word, it is not like a job description,” she says defending the status. “There isn’t a formula to become a socialite. It has been around for decades and evolved over the years. It has recently developed a negative connotation. It is difficult for me because I don’t want to be lumped into a category where people think I don’t work and live this frivolous life. I want to be just Tinsley. I am a designer and have been working with a company for five years.”
Her dedication to her handbag line inspired her to move into a roomy loft in Mid-town after moving out of her Upper East Side digs with Topper. Unfortunately, her ruffle and stud inspired line is only available in the States at the Madison Avenue location and through their online store. The popularity of the line is mostly felt in Japan where Samantha Thavasa has 160 stores. Her clothing line, Riccime, is also only available in Japan.
Branding her self-confessed ‘girlie-girl’ style into multiple fashion products is her dream. “I want to have a broader product line under my name,” she confesses of her ambitions. “I want everything from fashion to fragrance to a home line… What I am currently working on is using the spotlight to have those opportunities. Definitely having the national platform of a TV show helps.”
That exposure also includes her personal life as a debutante from Richmond, Virginia, daughter of a wealthy carpet manufacturer, and decedent of a few founding American Patriots like Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry. She says the later subject is a favorite topic of the press and doesn’t really interest her.
“That is something I don’t like to talk about because it was mentioned in the press because my dad contacted the press to defend me,” she explains. “I am from Virgina and I grew up where people talk about things like that. But I don’t really care. I feel it is what you do today and it doesn’t matter who your great grandfather is.”
Her mother Dale Mercer is now divorced has moved closer to her daughters and was even a character in “High Society.” She added drama to the show when she expressed her disapproval of the split between Topper and Tinsley. However, Tinsley has a different opinion of the break-up.
“At this point we are not actually divorced, but we are really close,” she said. “For a lot of people divorce is like a death, but it doesn’t have to be. For me and Topper we have been able to remain friends. He is dating somebody now and I am dating somebody… The show was filmed in November and it was a different time. I am at a new chapter in my life”
On the show she was visibly upset and distraught over the split which spawned more gossip in the tabloids. It was well-known that Topper was not a fan of Tinley’s love of media attention. Back in 2007, The New York Times reported that Topper, real name Robert Livingston Mortimer, had said the following in reference to his wife’s career. “It’s not necessarily the type of goal that anybody should strive for, going out every night for the sake of self-promotion and getting their pictures taken… And I mean, these are girls who went to good colleges. You would think they’d have something better to do.” However, at the end of the article he professes his unconditional love and adoration for Tinsley.
“I am finally dealing with being alone,” she says.” I was always with Topper and now I have this big apartment. I have my dogs, but I don’t always have them.” She reportedly shares custody with Topper. She recently tattooed her dogs’ names, BB and Bella, on the inside of her wrist so she can have them with her all the time. “I love my babies so much. I have a boy and girl. I want them to always be my babies.”
Topper and Tinz met while attending boarding school at New Jersey’s elite Lawrenceville School. Their much publicized courtship included Topper throwing her down in the snow upon first meeting her and eloping at age eighteen. His parents, who are from a blue blood family related to the Standard Oil Company, forced the couple to annul the marriage, but they remained together until they married again in 2002 with nuptials appearing in the New York Style Section. He attended New York University and later became a hedge fund manager. She majored in Art History at Columbia University and became member of the elite society St. Anthony Hall.
She lived at the prestigious house of St. A’s, but doesn’t attribute her success to any connection with the school. “I don’t really talk to anyone I met there. It was fun. We had tea at 4 p.m. and we had these great dinners and everyone gave these toasts. At UVA [chapter] is all men and so it is fun to be able to go in because I am a member. I know their secret handshake. I love doing that.”
Tinsley has a sassy side to her that comes across in the show as she handles controversy and her friends’ drama. The press shot a lot of criticism after the show aired, calling it shallow and self-aggrandizing. However, the more controversy that ensued, the more the fans flocked to the flame that has become Tinsley.
In the show we see Tinsley have it out with her nemesis Devorah Rose, who gave New York Magazine scathing comments about Tinsley. You will see the flamboyant gay character of Paul Johnson-Calderon confess his love for a romantic novel cover model and then proceed to make out with a porn star. Then there is their best friend, Jules Kirby, who made comments that have been called racist and anti-Semitic. We see Tinsley dating a German prince, Casimir Wittgenstein-Sayn, and “American Idol” alum Constantine Maroulis. Most recently she has been linked with a hospitality executive Brian Mazza.
Tinsley isn’t looking for anything serious. She said although she is 33-years-old, her goals are more focused on her brand and design career. “I feel like I need a couple of years to think about myself before I think about having kids. I mean, I can’t not think about it thanks to my mom, but I just feel it is too much pressure right now.”
Behind all the New York glamour Tinsley has a few down-to-earth surprises. Her favorite drink is not any special martini, but a simple Chardonnay. “I know that it’s the worst type of white wine, but I seriously like Chardonnay. I am not that picky, but I do really love it.”
When it comes to music she is just as simple. “I love the radio, Top 40: Lady Gaga, Beyonce. I love music you can dance to, not weird dark college music.” Her latest download was “Memories” by David Guetta featuring Kid Cudi.
Amongst her favorite designers are Zac Posen, Oscar de le Renta, Alexander Wang and Alexander McQueen. “I have a lot of Alice + Olivia because they are so affordable.” Her shoe collection includes Brian Atwood, Louboutin, Alexander Wang’s open- toe booties and a neon pink pair of Jimmy Choo shoes.
She admits to loving dresses because they are simple and can be decorated with accessories. Her style advice: “Don’t follow trends; wear what you are comfortable in. It doesn’t matter if it is a trend or not.”
While not on the society circuit, she might be found at her favorite restaurant Philippe that is in Zagat’s top Chinese restaurants, or at her favorite club, Avenue on Tenth Avenue. She is also a frequent patron of the Standard Hotel bars.
In the end, Tinsley is a just a girl that loves being a girl in the world of high society.
By: Sarah Lolley
