Dresses From the Sky
Parachutes Turned Into Wedding Gowns
Most wedding dresses come from boutiques or family closets. But in the 1940s, some came from the sky. During and after World War II, brides across the U.S. and parts of Europe walked down the aisle in gowns made from parachutes. Equal parts scarcity and sentiment contributed to the development of this tradition. At the time, budgets were tight. Brides-to-be faced fabric rationing, and the military got most of the nylon. A parachute offered yards of strong, clean material, making it valuable. But for some couples, the biggest draw wasn’t the fabric. It was the story tied to it. One of the most famous examples is that of Major Claude Hensinger, who was forced to parachute out of a burning bomber. The chute delivered him safely to the ground and served
as his bedding while he waited for rescue. He proposed to his girlfriend, Ruth, after returning home and suggested she use that same parachute for her gown. She hired a seamstress to construct the bodice and gathered the skirt herself using parachute cords. The finished dress, inspired by one from “Gone With the Wind,” now sits in the Smithsonian. Another bride, Carolyn Martin, made her own parachute dress after her fiancé, Chuck, survived a training flight crash. Carolyn transformed his parachute into a wedding dress using the sewing skills she had picked up in eighth grade. It is now part of the San Diego Air and Space Museum’s collection. A far more elaborate dress is stored at the National Museum of the United States Air
Force. It originally belonged to an Air Force family and was pieced together from nine parachutes used in combat. One of the most meaningful parachute dresses, though, came from a displaced persons camp in Germany. Two Holocaust survivors, Ludwig Friedman and Lilly Lax, married at the camp in 1946. To make the wedding dress, Ludwig bought a parachute from Allied troops, and Lilly hired a seamstress using cigarette rations. Two more brides at other camps borrowed their dress before it was preserved at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Parachute nylon was never meant to be heirloom fabric. But during a time of shortages and uncertainty, that’s what it became.
A Safer Start to Riding Season Early Spring on 2 Wheels
March in Boston is great. The days are getting longer, and the weather is finally starting to warm up after months of snow and slush. All this brings more motorcycles out on the road, but early spring is a rough time to be on two wheels. The roads are still salty and sandy from winter. Potholes and broken pavement are also everywhere, and a bump that only shakes a car can send a rider to the ground. Aside from the road hazards, people just don’t pay attention to motorcycles. A lot of crashes I see follow a similar pattern. A bike goes through an intersection, a car turns across their lane, and the next stop is my office. There are also plenty of accidents involving cars that merge lanes and run into riders. The driver usually claims the motorcycle “came out of nowhere.” It didn’t. They just weren’t looking.
That’s why I tell riders to treat the road like a place where someone can ruin your day, and give yourself room to react. You need to be fully aware and stay out of blind spots. Also, use your lights and wear a helmet. There’s a reason the law in Massachusetts says it belongs on your head, not on the handlebars. Many riders are also surprised by how insurance rules work. Massachusetts is a no-fault state for cars. Personal injury protection (PIP) pays some medical bills and lost wages, no matter who caused the wreck. But that coverage is excluded for motorcycles, so riders and passengers injured on a bike don’t see a single dollar of it. Health insurance may cover treatment, but there are still out-of-pocket bills and time away from work.
If you ride, take 10 minutes to read your policy. Find the lines for Medical Payments, or MedPay, and uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage. Those are the parts that matter when the driver who hits you has bad insurance or none at all. If you ever end up on the pavement, take care of yourself first and then call me. I can fight with insurance companies and sort out coverage and fault while you focus on healing.
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