With a nod to Mary Millicent Rogers, we present some classic looks and spectacular jewelry.
Tinsley Mortimer Feature – Spirited Glamour
Tinsely Mortimer1 – Spirited Glamour
Carmen Marc Valvo purple silk dress with sheer black overlay ($1,050) from Frances Khan, Richmond, Roanoke and Virginia Beach. Seaman Schepps multi-stone 30-inch necklace in 18-karat yellow gold and pearls ($7,080) and estate 18-karat gold necklace with carved emerald medallion, signed Marschak, Paris ($11,500), both from Victoria Charles Ltd., Richmond. Miriam Haskell long gold necklace with jade and pearl beads ($150) from Quirk Gallery, Richmond. On left arm: Seaman Schepps Jazz cuff bracelet in emerald, sapphire and diamond and 18-karat yellow gold ($57,500) from Victoria Charles Ltd., Richmond. On right arm: Seaman Schepps five-link bracelet in pink sapphire, blue sapphire, yellow sapphire, emerald and ruby set in 18-karat yellow gold ($50,500) from Victoria Charles Ltd., Richmond; on left arm, Miriam Haskell gold wrap bracelet with jade and pearl beads ($70) from Quirk Gallery, Richmond. Fabiola pink satin clutch from Samantha Thavasa by Tinsley Mortimer, New York ($285).
Tinsely Mortimer2 – Spirited Glamour
Monique Lhuillier black lace gown ($3,900) from Coplon’s, Richmond. 18-karat yellow gold Italian heavy oval-link bracelet ($8,215) and Seaman Schepps medium “Mousetrap” bracelet with 6.79 carats faceted rubies and 3.36 carats diamonds set in 22-karat yellow gold ($29,350), both from Victoria Charles Ltd., Richmond. Blue stone beaded-shank ring ($53) from Peyton Hall, Richmond. Hat from the hat tree at Tuckahoe.
Tinsely Mortimer3 – Spirited Glamour
Rundholz ivory dress with layers of black tulle and lace ($825) from S.H. Merrick, Gordonsville. Jimmy Choo black velvet sandals ($665) from Coplon’s, Richmond. Jade drop earrings with 18-karat gold, pearls and diamonds ($4,950); estate c.-1950 French 18-karat gold, sapphire, turquoise and diamond blossom-shaped pin ($9,950); c.-1960 18-karat gold cluster blossom-shaped pin ($7,850), c.-1960 turquoise and diamond 18-karat gold bracelet ($9,850) and c.-1960 18-karat gold opal and diamond ring ($1,250), all from Charles Schwarzschild Inc., Richmond. Sterling silver Dot Nuansa large round cuff bracelet ($995) from Schwarzschild Jewelers, Richmond.
Tinsely Mortimer4 – Spirited Glamour
Velvet jacquard gown with silver toggle belt ($8,000) from Hermès stores nationwide or Hermes.com. Tiffany circlet diamond bracelet ($30,000), Legacy aquamarine and diamond bracelet ($30,000); Tiffany flower diamond bracelet ($17,400), 13.38-carat oval pink tourmaline and diamond ring ($26,500) and (on right hand) 3.34-carat round diamond ring with tapered baguettes ($139,000), all from Tiffany & Co., Vienna. Native American jade and silver earrings from a private collection.
Tinsely Mortimer5 – Spirited Glamour
Brunya navy blue satin dress with beaded detail ($525) from Coplon’s, Richmond. On left arm: Miriam Haskell turquoise bead bobble bracelet ($155) from Quirk Gallery, Richmond. David Yurman large oval turquoise Albion ring in sterling silver and 18-karat yellow gold ($1,850) from Schwarzschild Jewelers, Richmond. On right arm: silver and turquoise cuff ($239) from The Phoenix, Richmond. Native American sterling silver Heishi necklace; Hopi black onyx, coral, turquoise and mother of pearl cuff bracelet; and silver and turquoise chunk necklace are all from private collection. The engagement ring is Mortimer’s own.
Tinsely Mortimer6 – Spirited Glamour
Blumarine dress with crystal detailed neckline ($1,775) from Saks Fifth Avenue, Richmond. Daniblack black suede ankle boot ($195) from Scarpa at Frances Kahn, Richmond, Roanoke and Virginia Beach. Tiffany Tahitian pearl necklace with pavé diamond ball clasp ($42,750), linked with Tiffany cultured South Sea pearl necklace with pavé diamond ball clasp ($57,250); and Tiffany Jazz diamond and cultured South Sea pearl drop earrings ($12,800), all from Tiffany & Co., Vienna. Native American silver and green turquoise necklace; Hopi black onyx, coral, turquoise and mother of pearl cuff bracelet; and large red coral ring, all from private collection. Brooks Brothers tartan plaid and fox fur muff ($798) from Brooks Brothers, Richmond.
Tinsely Mortimer7 – Spirited Glamour
Brunya navy blue satin dress with beaded detail ($525) from Coplon’s, Richmond. On left arm: Miriam Haskell turquoise bead bobble bracelet ($155) from Quirk Gallery, Richmond. David Yurman large oval turquoise Albion ring in sterling silver and 18-karat yellow gold ($1,850) from Schwarzschild Jewelers, Richmond. On right arm: silver and turquoise cuff ($239) from The Phoenix, Richmond. Native American sterling silver Heishi necklace; Hopi black onyx, coral, turquoise and mother of pearl cuff bracelet; and silver and turquoise chunk necklace are all from private collection. The engagement ring is Mortimer’s own.
Few people will remember Mary Millicent Rogers, but she was an American original. Born in 1902, she was the granddaughter of Henry H. Rogers, a financier for Standard Oil, and so grew up in the first half of the 20th century with the privileges of wealth. Her family lived on a baronial Long Island estate, named the Port of Missing Men, on the Peconic Bay. Millicent wasn’t your average well-born heiress: She was a lissome blonde—beautiful, intelligent and social. More than anything, she possessed a strong independent streak. And she loved fashion. She made her debut wearing an exotic Mandarin outfit, and later had an affinity for wearing heavy jewelry—bracelets, brooches and necklaces. Arturo Peralta-Ramos, a son, recently said of his mother, “M.R. really was the first hippie.”
A slightly rebellious high-society woman was a rare breed in the 1930s and 1940s, and so Rogers was a favorite of the press. According to Hamptonstyle magazine, “She was a regular at masquerade balls and became known for her lavish costumes—a gipsy maid, a glittering sorceress; she cut a striking image against the fray of socialites wearing dove gray and white.” She traveled frequently and had a long list of well-heeled, often aristocratic admirers, including, it is said, Edward Prince of Wales and Ian Fleming. She married three times while young—an Austrian count, an Argentine playboy and then an American stockbroker, each union dissolving as hastily as it had occurred. She had a serious fling with Clark Gable.
Rogers also spent time in Virginia, though how much is not entirely clear. She owned the Claremont estate, in southeastern Virginia, from 1940 to 1950 before moving to Taos, New Mexico, where she became known for collecting Navajo jewelry and designing Indian-inspired jewelry pieces of her own. There is a Millicent Rogers Museum in Taos today.
Given her Virginia connection, we thought it would be fun to evoke the fashion style, personal spirit and pedigree of Millicent Rogers. A name that came to mind was Tinsley Mortimer, née Tinsley Randolph Mercer. Mrs. Mortimer, a Richmond native, is attractive and intelligent; she was educated at St. Catherine’s, the Lawrenceville School and Columbia University, from which she graduated with a degree in art history. She lives in New York City and has her own Standard Oil connection: Her husband, Robert (Topper) Livingston Mortimer, is the great-grandson of Henry Morgan Tilford, a president of the Standard Oil Co. of California. He’s also a descendant of John Jay, the first chief justice of the United States.
The Mortimer family has branched out over the years—and as the website Park Avenue Peerage has wryly noted, “By marriage, and more marriage, and even more marriage, Tinsley is related to Babe Paley, the Vanderbilt Burdens, the Harrimans of New York, the Biddles of Philadelphia, the Pells of Louisiana, the Wilsons of North Carolina, the great Colonel Mucci, a naturalized French noblewoman and a Vermont-based Buddhist monk who takes a Bright Eyes approach to Dharma.”
In yet another echo of Rogers, Mortimer is a designer, as well: She’s created a line of handbags for a Japanese company, Samantha Thavasa by Tinsley Mortimer, and a line of dresses sold only in Japan (Riccimie by Tinsley Mortimer). She attends numerous charity and fashion events every year, and her picture appears regularly in publications or websites that follow the New York social whirl.
This feature was shot at the lovely Tuckahoe Plantation outside Richmond, where Tinsley says she played a lot as a kid. It’s a modern twist on the style of Millicent Rogers, who by all accounts successfully mixed personalized accents with her designer clothes. Think glamour, booming post-war America—and traditional beauty with a slight edge, to keep a good life interesting.
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ABOVE IMAGE: Oscar de la Renta beaded, tulle-skirted gown ($6,650) from Coplon’s, Richmond. John Hardy sterling silver Dot Nuansa large round drop earrings ($395); round sautoir necklace ($695) and round sautoir 36-inch necklace ($995); on right arm: large round cuff bracelet ($995) and oval ring ($495), and, on left arm, chain contour bracelet ($1495) and chain flat bracelet ($795), all from Schwarzschild Jewelers, Richmond. Also on right arm: Miriam Haskell crystal chunk bracelet with velvet ribbon snap clasp ($134) from Quirk Gallery, Richmond.
(Originally published in the August 2008 Issue)
