A COLLECTION OF WILLI SMITH DRAWINGS, COLLECTION OF ANNIE FLANDERS....

The Collection of Annie Flanders
A COLLECTION OF WILLI SMITH DRAWINGS, COLLECTION OF ANNIE FLANDERS.
1. Original pen and ink sketch, unsigned, of Mary Jane Watson's wedding dress for her marriage to Peter Parker, created for a live tie-in performance at Shea Stadium for The amazing Spider-Man Annual #21, 1987. Willi Smith was invited to create Mary Jane's wedding dress for the wedding to Peter Parker that took place at Shea Stadium in 1987.
2. Pen and ink on paper, sketch of four variants of men's shirts—one pocket, two-pocket, one pocket short-sleeve, one pocket mock turtle—signed at lower right ("Willi"), left margin rough, some thumbing.
3. Pen and ink on paper, sketch of trousers, left margin rough; WITH: page of fabric samples ("Soft trousers / Slick trousers").
4. ALS of Martha Frankel ("M"), 1 p, 4to, Boiceville, NY, n.d. (but 1987), to Annie Flanders: "Found these when I was cleaning up. They're Willie [sic] Smith's. The drawing is of spiderman's bride's dress. / If you want them, they're yours...."

Willi Smith (1948-1987) was one of the first American fashion designers to focus exclusively on "streetwear." His company, WilliWear, was founded in 1976 and by the 1980s was a massive success, providing chic, affordable sportswear made from natural fibers for men and women. The sketches here, recovered by Flanders friend Martha Frankel, include a wedding dress design for a Spiderman promotional event in 1987 and a page of men's shirt designs, deceptively simple and timelessly classic, like all of Willi's work.