Dorinda Medley Gets Candid About Lady Gaga, Meghan Markle, and the One That Got Away
The Real Housewives of New York star Dorinda Medley, known for her jaw-dropping one-liners, is never one to shy away from a strong opinion or a fabulous party. During New York Fashion Week, she hosted a party in collaboration with the designer handbag reseller Rebag, where fans, friends, and fellow Housewives—Carole Radziwill, D’Andra Simmons, and Margaret Josephs—mingled and shopped while a drag queen put on a raucous show. All in all, it was a Dorinda Medley party: she made it nice, everyone behaved, and had fun. Between sips of bubbly in Rebag’s crowded Soho boutique, Medley, in true Sagittarian fashion, offered Interview her gut reactions to 10 topics chosen at semi-random, from Lady Gaga to the Iowa Caucus, and everything in between.
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SHAPEWEAR
“Love shapewear. Love shape tape. In 1990, the first thing I learned when I bought my first real black tie dress—I was going to do a big event at Buckingham Palace, believe it or not—you always have to build the dress from your shapewear up. I was taught in London that soon as you buy a dress, you then go buy your undergarments. I was wearing shapewear and taping before Kim Kardashian.”
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HUSTLERS
“It makes me want to pole dance because if Jennifer Lopez can do it, I can do it. All I want to do is pole dance. I think it’s the best exercise. I know people are going to come at me, but I found something very powerful about watching her pole dance. I love that she says that statement, ‘Get them drunk enough to overuse their credit card, but not too drunk that they don’t know what they’re doing.’ I’m like, ‘That sounds like a very good plan.'”
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VINTAGE SHOPPING
“Listen, I’m a collector. I invest in my clothes and I keep them forever. [My daughter] Hannah has stolen a lot of them. What frightens people about vintage shopping is that they feel like it’s kind of musty. We live in such a wasteful society now with all these Topshops and H&Ms. People buy and throw away, buy and throw away. Isn’t it nice to invest in pieces that you can take care of and you can see another generation wear?”
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LADY GAGA
“I love Lady Gaga. In fact, I am viewing a jacket that Mark Bowers had made for her originally, for a performance of hers, that I now own. I love her mother, Cynthia. We’re very good friends. Stefani [Lady Gaga] was actually one of Hannah’s prayer mentors at Sacred Heart a hundred years ago. Hannah was in the video she filmed at Sacred Heart. We love all things Stefani, Lady Gaga, whatever. I think she represents so many sides of women’s power, their glamor.”
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#MEGXIT
“That’s a touchy one. I love London and I love Queen Elizabeth. If it were me, I would have at least waited a little bit. I wouldn’t want to do anything to cause any disruptions. Listen, they have their reasons. We never know the whole story, and let’s just hope they’re happy with their decision.”
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DRAG QUEENS
“If you want to know how to get dressed, or you want to know any secrets about dressing or makeup, find a best drag queen friend. They know how to do it better than any woman ever. It’s true. They can teach you things you would never expect. And most of the time they pull it out of the kitchen. They’re like, ‘Ah, honey. Just mix this stuff and throw this on and tape this over.’ And before you know it, you look fantastic. They know all the secrets, they embrace life, and they’re very courageous. That’s what I love.”
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GIRLS’ TRIPS
“It’s so important to spend time with other women. You can be vulnerable, you can be free, you can have fun, you can talk about the things that are going on in your life. If you feel isolated or like you’re the only one, it can cause depression. But when you are with your girlfriends, you’re sitting around and you’re on holiday and you’re having a drink and you’re just laughing. And it’s not about husbands, it’s not about kids, it’s not about work, it’s just about being together. It’s a great way to check on yourself and take the temperature of everyone and say, ‘Really? You’re going to do that too?’ Or, ‘I went through that.’ And when I lost [my husband] Richard, I got to tell you, my girlfriends were everything. My girlfriends, my gay friends, my family. They were everything.”
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THE IOWA CAUCUS
“That, I don’t know so much about. Isn’t that horrible? I don’t have that much interest in politics like I used to anymore. I’m fatigued. It’s turned into such a circus. It’s less political and more emotional. I don’t like a lot of the fear-mongering that’s going on and I’d had to sort of mute it a bit because it really affects me.”
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BRAD PITT
“Oh, Brad Pitt. I thought you said ‘Brexit!’ I love Brad Pitt. The man is aging beautifully, isn’t he? His Oscar’s speech made you fall madly in love with him. He just seems so tangible. Here’s another great story: I actually had Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in my town house for dinner one night with Norah Jones. A long time ago, when Richard Medley was alive. He’s very down to earth. He is very un-Hollywood. He’s just got this swagger about him that’s very sexy. I was very jealous when he ran off with Angelina Jolie. I was like, ‘Why not me?'”
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ASTROLOGY
“Well, you know, as everyone knows, I love all that stuff. Ghost Hunters, Paranormal Witness. I’m a big believer in saints and anything to do with that. I believe the world is a much bigger place than we know, so I am open to all of it because I think it is very relevant. When we don’t believe that there’s something bigger going on, I think that it’s a big mistake. You don’t need to take it on 100 percent, but you should listen to it. I am so excited when I get a fortune cookie. I believe my whole life is going to change at the end of the dinner. Like, ‘Hold on. Let me get ready.'”
