OCTOBER 1, 2000
MARIAH GET'S CUFFED
NOTE FROM WILL: The following article/review may seem odd and confusing to some of you. Let me first introduce you to whom Wendy Gell is. Wendy designs jewelry, etc. Wendy was president and designer of Wendy Gell Jewelry, Inc., in the 70's and 80's, an international fashion and costume jewelry business based in New York City and Key West. After a long absence, her encrusted and whimsical designs are again turning up and turning heads on Wendy's website wendygell.com and galleries across the country, on the cable airways of QVC television, and coming in May at the Crown Jewels in Las Vegas at the Monte Carlo and Mandaley Resorts Casino. Her visionary jeweled panels and canvases are re-creating an ancient Byzantine artform.
Wendy was hired by the "All That Glitters" Costume Designer to do some work for Mariah's wordbrobe (in this case, cuffs). Here is Wendy's story:
I saw Bob Dylan last July or was it the July before with Paul Simon. I remember because I used that great poster of the two trains in a collage - NY Daily News cover "Hottest July Ever." I pasted a great newsprint picture of Bob's smiling face .
Let me set the background of this special Friday. It was a whirlwind week at my house so many projects all due that day. Mariah Carey is making a movie called All That Glitters. It takes place in the 1983 -New York club and fashion scene. My name came up when they did the costume research, so they tracked me down.
The costume director picked some original 80's pieces and commissioned some new Lucite and silver cuffs for Mariah to wear.
My shipping deadline was the same Friday as the Dylan Concert, and the next day, Saturday, I had the outdoor European Market to do in New Haven in front of the Yale Art Museum. I had to pack the car because I wouldn't be coming home until after. It was like a Mad Tea Party at the Willie Wonka's Jewel Factory, and we also had to ship the airplane jewelry and martini glasses I made for an airplane show in Osh Kosh.
....
We were maybe even gonna get to go backstage but Abbie and her husband had to cancel at the last moment. I always wanted Bob to see my art, I don't even want to meet him just have him see my work. Like Black Crow Blues, "All I really wanna to do oo ooo is baby be friends with you." I took Vicki my good pal, a plant designer as my date. We all met up in Hartford at a cute outdoor restaurant called the Pump House Grill, right on the edge of Bushnell Park, where there was also live music. We took pictures of me in Mariah Carey's cuffs I knew I could use pictures for my review. I get a lot of traffic after each show. The weird thing is I get 700 visits every week to my Dylan art gallery. I don't know if it the same 700 people or what, it's weird, all year every week about 700 visits
....
I could hardly read a thing I wrote in my notebook it was totally illegible
and I thought I was being so careful ha. I can scan in some of my sketches but not read what I wrote .I wonder how my airplane jewelry did in Osh Kosh. Last night there was an art opening at the York Square Cinema Gallery in New Haven, which my boyfriend Johnes curates, great paintings by
Clarice Pollack good party in the movie lobby gallery. Floatin' Fred came by,
wearing an amazing shirt with a martini on fire. He's always at the Dylan concerts too. One of my Dylan Pals. Mariah's bracelets were done and Bob's concert over, our little street fair in New Haven will go on Saturdays all summer.
(Excerpts Taken From: WendyGell.com)
These cuffs are known as "Mariah Carey movie design" and may be on sale at WendyGell.com soon but dont expect them to be cheap! These cuffs start around $750.00.
However, you can get a closer look at them. There's a large scan of them to your left. Click it for a larger view!
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