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Mimi Weddell: A Model Life

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People always ask me about the elegant lady in my header photo. I had the pleasure of meeting this extraordinary woman when I first moved to New York about three years ago. Mimi Weddell was an actress and model who started her career in her late 60s. She appeared in ad campaigns for Nike, Louis Vuitton, and Juicy Couture and appeared in several movies and television programs including “Hitch” and “Sex and The City”. Here are some great photos of Mimi shot by photographer Bryant Woodd. Most of theses have never been seen before so I am excited to share them on Advanced Style.
Mimi passed away on my birthday, in 2009 at the age of 94, but her spirit definitely lives on in the wonderful documentary on her life” Hat’s Off”. Enjoy this clip below:

Ten Inspiring Quotes From Mimi Weddell

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Photos by Jenna Dublin

If you have been reading Advanced Style long enough you know that my grandmother Bluma was my best friend and greatest inspiration. She taught me how to be kind, compassionate, and always challenge myself. She was a wonderful teacher and it is because of her that I do what I do. Since moving to New York two and a half years ago, I have met so many amazing older ladies and gentleman who continue share their wisdom and inspire me everyday.

I was looking through some old photos and realized that I had never posted these shots of Mimi Weddell and me. She was a grand woman who taught me so much in the short time that I knew her. Here are ten of her most memorable quotes:

“There’s a lot more to be learned, and I’m going to learn all the way up to the stairway to the stars”


” You dance as you walk through life.If you don’t dance, for heaven’s sake, you cannot aspire. You do not lift up from this earth.”

“Rise Above It, it’s what one does. We’re not supposed to be happy happy happy and jumping for joy every second”

“Doesn’t time go really fast its moment by moment by moment, and you’ve got to grab it”

“I don’t know, maybe life is a fairytale”

“Grace, is what it is, you dance as you sail through life, and furthermore it heightens your living as of the moment”

“The only Romantic thing left in life is a hat”

“Hats give you a frame. However dreary you feel, if you put on a hat, by golly, you’ve changed everything. I keep telling my daughter,my granddaughter,everybody, If you don’t wear a hat, you’re missing it”

“I love Illusion”

“Like Piaf I have no regrets, Oh mercy you have to have the downers and the uppers to be a complete person”

Advanced Style Exclusive: Mimi Weddell’s Last Interview

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Today is my 29th birthday. It is also the Anniversary of my great friend Mimi Weddell’s passing. If you have been reading Advanced Style for a while now, you know that Mimi is a great inspiration to me. I met her a little more than two years ago, after moving to New York and seeing her documentary “Hats Off“.

Mimi was so graceful,insightful and willing to work on projects that she enjoyed. She began modeling and acting in her 60s and appeared in print ads for companies LouisVuitton, Burberry, Juicy Couture, and Nike, to name a few; in photo spreads for Vanity Fair and Vogue; on TV series including Sex and the City and Law and Order; and in feature films such as: Across the Universe, Hitch, and The Purple Rose ofCairo.

I strive to live by this extraordinary woman’s philosophy to “Rise Above It” in any difficult circumstance. Mimi never stopped learning and challenging herself, in fact she once said“There’s a lot to be learned, and I’m going to learn all the way to the stairway to the stars.” On my birthday I want to celebrate the life of this amazing woman and hope that my life will be as enriching and spectacular as her was!So remember, in the words of Mimi Weddell you must, “Dance through life” and enjoy every moment.

Check below for some wonderfully candid moments from Mimi’s last interview with film maker Jyll Johnstone. Jyll filmed Mimi for over ten years to make the award winning documentary “Hats Off” . I hope you get the chance to see this wonderful film and enjoy the clips below!

In Memory of Mimi Weddell

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My dear friend Mimi Weddell passed away last week at the age of 94.She was a great inspiration to me and I will cherish my memories of her. I first met Mimi at a screening for the documentary Hat’s Off, in San Diego. This was just about a year and a half ago, just as I was planning to move to New York. Seeing Mimi living with so much grace and elegance, walking around in her grand hats and wonderful costumes, made the idea of moving to New York even more exciting. I looked at Mimi with awe, mesmerized by her exquisite taste and witty remarks. I told her and “Hat’s Off” film maker Jyll Johnstone, that I would look them up when I moved to the city and help spread the word about her wonderful documentary.

I moved to New York in May of last year and began to work and intern for several fashion designers and showrooms, including Abgail Lorick. When I showed Abigail a clip of Mimi speaking about the importance of illusion, she was immediately struck by this profound and kindred spirit. We knew we had to get Mimi to appear in Lorick’s upcoming fashion week presentation, and it was my mission to do so. This was my great opportunity to call Mimi on the phone. I looked her up in the yellow pages, dialed her number, and to my great surprise, that wonderful almost aristocratic voice called out from an answering machine, ” This is Mimi Weddell, please leave a message and I will call you back.” Mimi had been receiving a lot of phone calls for work and was very selective about who she called back. After a few days with no response and several emails to Jyll Johnstone, I was put into contact with Mimi. I met her at her at her apartment uptown. Her place was filled from floor to ceiling with glorious hats. There were books and paintings, and newspaper clippings in every nook and cranny. Sayings like “Rise above it” were neatly scribbled on scraps of paper, stuck to the refrigerator. I entered the apartment with as much wonder and excitement as I would a cave full of crystals or an Egyptian tomb. Mimi, cigarette in hand,offered me Brandy and cookies.

Mimi was a fantastic storyteller . She would animate her tales with glorious glances and expressive hand motions, almost as if she was performing a grand part in a Broadway play. The world truly was her stage. After appearing in Abigail’s presentation and stealing the show, I began to receive inquiries into who this fabulous older woman was. Mimi appeared in major print ads for Burberry, Juicy Couture and Louis Vuitton, and had several small acting roles in shows and films including Sex and The City and Hitch, but was never fully recognized for her outstanding talent as a serious actress and performer. To me she was an icon, both for her style and her inherent wisdom and elegance.

Mimi and I got together several more times over last year. I planned a hat party for the release of Hat’s Off to DVD and organized some photo shoots and interviews for foreign press interested in Mimi’s wonderful style and vibrant character. Just a few weeks ago I sat with Mimi at a nursing home. She was as beautiful and sharp as ever. She always encouraged me to be creative and told me that I could do great things. Mimi was one of the first people I met in New York and she will remain a cherished part of my memories. Her strength and determination had a profound impact on how I look at life. I feel extremely honored to have spent time and worked with such an incredible woman.

Love and Strength to her family.