How did Dorinda Medley make her money? RHONY star a business success before marriage to hedge fund manager

How did Dorinda Medley make her money? The Real Housewives of New York cast member’s income   derives from a variety of sources, though some–or all–of those are often overlooked, due to the wealth she inherited when her second husband Richard Medley passed away. However, as at least one notable profile has pointed out, Dorinda’s wealth comes from a combination of “hustle and hubbys.” She was an up-and-comer in the luxurious world of fashion and design well before Richard entered her life. In fact, after college, Dorinda worked for Liz Claiborne, and was on the fast track toward starting her own cashmere company, DCL Cashmere, before meeting her first husband and following him to London.

While in London, Dorinda’s business did “extremely well”: during the five years that DCL Cashmere was open, it made a splash by servicing the likes of Princess Diana and Joan Collins. Then, after divorcing and returning to New York, Dorinda one-upped herself by getting a real estate broker’s license and trying her hand in that über-competitive market. It was during her tenure as a broker that she met and married Richard. The couple wed in 2005, and remained married until Richard’s unexpected death in 2011.

While Dorinda Medley’s net worth isn’t known to the penny, the figure that gets bandied about most often is $20 million dollars. And it does appear that the bulk of the eight-figure fortune came from money Richard, who was a well-known hedge fund manager, left Dorinda in his will. Given her reputation as a top-shelf fundraiser–the long list of celebrities with whom she’s raised money for a number of different causes includes Brad Pitt, Angeline Jolie, Desmond Tutu, and Hillary Clinton–it’s possible that she has a number of secretive, lucrative investments in her portfolio. (It’s also worth pointing out that there’s no way to trace where the mysterious $20 million figure came from: Dorinda could be worth much more.) Plus, on top of all of that, Dorinda’s current boyfriend, John Mahdessian, is the owner of “Madame Paulette, the leading cleaning and restoration establishment of worldwide couture garments in the Upper East Side.”

The Real Housewives of New York‘s eighth season continues Wednesday nights at 9 PM on Bravo.

RELATED ARTICLE: Who is Real Housewives of New York City‘s Dorinda Medley?

(Photo credits: How did Dorinda Medley make her money via Instagram, IZZY / FayesVision / WENN.com)