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| 1940's WWII Parachute Wedding Dress - Smithsonian Collection |
1940's WWII Parachute Wedding Dress
Out and about yesterday I came across a 40's wedding gown. One of my favorite eras for wedding dresses BTW. Got me to thinking about one of the amazing treasures I would love to have in my personal collection, a 1940's Parachute Wedding Dress. These dresses were made from the parachutes used in WWII. Because fabric was scarce in the 40's during WWII, the bride-to -be would have her military man bring back the parachute and then the bride would have her dress made out of the chute silk. So romantic! Here is a dress made from a WWII parachute donated to the Smithsonian's Collection...
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| August 1944- Hensinger, a B-29 pilot, and his crew were returning from a bombing raid over Yowata, Japan, when their engine caught fire. The crew was forced to jump. Suffering from minimal injuries, Hensinger used the parachute as a pillow and blanket while waiting to be rescued. He had saved the life-saving chute and when he proposed to his girlfriend Ruth in 1947, he offered her the fabric to make into a dress. The couple was married July 19, 1947. The dress was worn by the their daughter and by their daughter-in-law before being given to the Smithsonian. |
