Tuesday, June 07, 2011

Fugly or Fabulous: Vintage Wedding Dress

What do you think of this vintage bridal gown from 1947?  Whether you like the dress itself or not, you really must read about its remarkable history after the fold!


All's fair in love and war.

Can you tell that the skirt portion of the dress is made from a parachute?  As the Neatorama blog sums it up:
Yes, it’s fetching, and there’s a real story behind this dress, as well. The parachute saved the life of pilot Maj. Claude Hensinger when he bailed out of his disabled B-29 over Japan in 1944. It was his blanket and pillow as he waited for rescue. In 1947, he gave it to his girlfriend when he proposed to her, and she made it into the skirt portion of her wedding dress. The dress was also worn by their daughter and then by their son’s bride in later weddings. Now it belongs to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
Now that's amore!  That is also one of the most awesome things I've ever read!  You really must go to the Smithsonian's webpage for this extraordinary dress.  I wonder what Mrs. Hensinger thought of Maria making kids' clothes out of curtains in "The Sound of Music."  Perhaps something like, "Girl, that's nothing."

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