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Community Archive



The Willi Smith Digital Community Archive invites friends, collaborators and admirers of American designer Willi Smith to share in writing his history. This site collects and publishes personal recollections, new scholarship, video, and digital ephemera that contributes to a greater understanding of Smith’s life, work, and times.


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Carla Moore



I met Willi in 1969 when I worked in the fashion department of Glamour Magazine. We became friends instantly. He was kind, gentle, and very funny. I was married in 1974, and Willi designed and gave me my wedding dress as a gift. We were married in the backyard of my Aunt Nonnie Moore–who was then the fashion editor of Mademoiselle Magazine–on 84th Street, New York City, on Friday, May 23rd. Willi promised me the two-piece creation would be done by the 23rd. On Wednesday the 21st, he hadn’t even begun! But, the next day, I went for my final fitting and brought the beautiful custom dress home with me that day. Willi and his sister Toukie both attended my wedding. They were both dear friends who stood by me as I took my vows. I miss them both and those good old days.  



      
Willi and Carla at her wedding, 1974

Carla Moore and her father, walking down the aisle. Carla wears the two-piece wedding dress designed and given to her by Willi as a wedding gift. Carla “loved the wedding dress that Willi designed for her special day.”

Willi, Carla, Carla’s mother, and Toukie
This website was designed by and created in collaboration with Cargo, as part of its ongoing initiative to support arts, design and culture.

This website was designed by and created in collaboration with Cargo, as part of its ongoing initiative to support arts, design and culture.